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PFL featherweight Ryoji Kudo announced his retirement from MMA.
Kudo is an action-packed fighter who couldn’t find his footing in the Professional Fighters League. After joining the promotion with a 10-2-1 record, he lost four of his five appearances in the Smartcage, including his last three bouts.
The 30-year-old revealed the tough decision on Twitter, which was translated from Japanese to English:
“At this time, I have decided to retire as a mixed martial artist. I have faced repeated injuries, but I have reached my physical and mental limits and made this decision.”
Kudo made his promotional debut in April 2022, losing a unanimous decision against Brendan Loughnane. Two months later, he bounced back with a first-round knockout against Alejandro Flores before things started going south.
Since then, the former Shooto and ONE Championship fighter endured consecutive losses against Bubba Jenkins, Movlid Khaybulaev, and Chris Wade.
Fans voice their support for PFL’s Ryoji Kudo after he decided to retire from MMA
In August 2022, Ryoji Kudo gained more fans when he was featured in the PFL Semifinals. Unfortunately for him, he lost against Bubba Jenkins by first-round submission. With that said, Kudo’s fighting style led to a respectable fanbase, which was there to support him when he retired.
Once Kudo made the retirement announcement on Twitter, the comment section featured various supportive messages from Japanese supporters, including some saying:
“A guy with good sense quits right away. You're still young and if you're a spoiled fighter, you can go back when you want to fight again”
“Thank you for your hard work. Your performance in PFL was wonderful!”
“Thank you for your hard work”
“I'm going to miss you, but thank you for your hard work in active life. Thank you for letting me enjoy Kudo's fight as a fan for a long time.”
“Thank you very much. Enjoy the rest of your life!”
Besides his Professional Fighters League tenure, Ryoji Kudo fought for several other MMA promotions, including Shooto, ONE Championship, and TTF Challenge. He is walking from fighting with an overall record of 11-6-1, including seven wins by KO/TKO.
