Veteran MMA fighter Jared Gooden has announced he is retiring from the sport.
The fighter with 34 professional fights shared his retirement announcement on social media on Monday. This ends his 10-year career in fighting, which included two periods in the UFC. Gooden, who is 31 years old, decided to retire after his recent fight against Mahamed Aly at a Shogun Fights event in Hanover, Maryland, last Saturday, where he lost.
In his announcement, Gooden said, “I want to use this moment to inform everyone that my time is over. I am retiring from the sport. I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my journey and helped me get to where I am in life. But honestly, I no longer have the same love or passion for fighting that I had when I was younger.”
Gooden also mentioned that he wants to focus on raising his daughter and explore new opportunities.
“I am going to retire from fighting for now, and I am excited to share with you what I plan to do next in my life,” Gooden stated.
During his two stints in the UFC, “Nite Train” achieved two victories and five losses in the promotion. He first entered the UFC in 2020, losing to Alan Jouban at UFC 255. He then won one of his subsequent three fights, notably a first-round knockout victory against Niklas Stolze.
Gooden left the UFC in 2021 and later fought his way back into the organization in 2023. However, in his return, he only secured one win in three fights, a second-round submission victory over Wellington Turman, before returning to regional level competitions.
He retires with a professional MMA record of 23 wins and 11 losses.
