Brennan Ward has decided to call it quits on MMA.
The Bellator veteran announced his retirement from the sport following his first-round submission loss to Magomed Umalatov on the main card of 2024 PFL 6, which went down on Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
It was a quick night for Ward (17-9), as Umalatov (16-0) took him down early in the fight and then worked his way to an anaconda choke, which produced the tap. With this result, Umalatov now advances to the 2024 PFL welterweight playoffs.
You can watch Ward’s retirement announcement along with Umalatov’s submission win in the video below:
Brennan Ward lays down the gloves and calls it a career
#PFLRegularSeason LIVE NOW
ESPNU & ESPN+
https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/tpt7q3Ebfd— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 29, 2024
MAGOMED UMALATOV CLINCHES A #PFLPLAYOFFS BERTH!#PFLRegularSeason LIVE NOW
ESPNU & ESPN+
https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/AIugWXRSCq— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 29, 2024
Ward, 35, fought for Bellator for over a decade. He made his debut for the promotion in 2012 and stayed with the company through it’s purchase by PFL this past November. He won the Bellator season 9 middleweight tournament, and went on to challenge for the undisputed title, in a fight he lost to then champion Alexander Shlemenko. Ward retires on a two-fight losing streak.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 6.
