Jimmy Flick

By FCF Staff

Eyebrows are likely being raised throughout MMA, following Jimmy Flick’s surprising announcement that he’s retiring from fighting.

Flick, who earned a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus in his UFC debut this past December, recently announced he’s retiring while attending a Freestyle Cage Fighting event in Tulsa (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“The UFC is not my dream anymore,” Flick said in a video posted by ‘The Corner & The Casual‘ on Facebook. “It is hard to explain. It brings tears to my eyes. But the UFC is not looking out for me. My wife’s looking out for me. My kids are looking out for me. That’s what I want. I want to be their father. I want to go to work every day (and) come home with my family. I want to come home to my little girls. I want to spend time with my wife.

“I don’t want to be the next Conor McGregor or the next Demetrious Johnson. So tonight, I step into this cage tonight and tell everybody that I’m retiring from mixed martial arts. I’m going to pursue other goals in life that make me more happy than fighting.”

The 30-year-old Flick went 16-5 during his pro career. The flyweight was scheduled to fight Francisco Figueiredo at the UFC’s may 8th card.

Flick made his way to the UFC after submitting Nate Smith on Dana White’s Contender Series. In his UFC debut, the fighter tapped out Cody Durden with a flying triangle choke.