Rafael Natal (photo via UFC.com)

By FCF Staff

Rafael Natal has announced that he’s hanging up the gloves at the age of 34.

The middleweight fighter, who is coming off a knockout loss to Eryk Anders in July, announced the news on “The MMA Hour” (quote via MMA Fighting):

“I came here today to announce my retirement from MMA,” Natal said. “It was the toughest walk in today to your studio because it is hard to make this announcement, but I talked to my family, my friend, my coaches. That is the time. I have new focus in my career as a coach, so that’s the (right) thing to do in the moment.

“It’s very hard, you know? It was a long journey,” added Natal, who also reportedly relayed that an eye injury played a role in his decision. “I love MMA, I love training, cutting weight, but I had some surgeries before. I’m focused on that 100% in my life, doing this 15 years, so it’s time to step back. My mom asked me this a long time ago, and that was a hard decision, but that’’s what we have.”

The loss to Anders was Natal’s third in a row. Prior to those defeats, however, “Sapo” had won four straight. The Brazilian fighter retires having gone 21-9-1 in pro-MMA.