Julian Erosa retires with comeback knockout of Jeong Yeong Lee at UFC Vegas 123, earns $100,000 bonus

Julian Erosa ended his MMA career exactly the way he wanted. The 37-year-old featherweight knocked out Jeong Yeong Lee at 1:31 of the first round at UFC Vegas 123 (UFC Fight Night 292) on Saturday, October 31, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, in a bout he had announced in advance would be the last of his career, win, lose or draw. The official result, per UFC News, is a KO in Round 1 at 1:31.

Hours later, the UFC confirmed that Erosa was one of four fighters to receive a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

How the fight went

It nearly went the other way. According to MMA Junkie and MMA Fighting, Lee stormed out of the gate and badly hurt Erosa early, knocking him off his feet with a left hook inside the opening seconds and nearly finishing him inside the first minute. Erosa survived, slowed the pace and then went back to trading. He dropped Lee with a looping right hand that landed flush, then followed up with punches on the ground to end the fight.

MMA Junkie reported that UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, calling the fight on the broadcast, had questioned Erosa's decision to stand and trade moments before the finish, and then described the knockout as a "fairytale" moment.

Retirement in the cage

After the win, Erosa confirmed his retirement in the Octagon, sharing his post-fight interview with his wife and son. The UFC's official account marked the moment with the message "Riding off into the sunset. Thank you Julian Erosa!"

"I feel so amazing," Erosa told Cormier, as quoted by MMA Junkie. "I knew this was going to be my last fight, so I wanted to go out with a bang. I want to do this tomorrow, but I had to make the decision that was going to be my last fight, win, lose or draw. And I'm happy with that."

He also explained why he is walking away, as quoted by MMA Fighting: "When I had my son, my priorities switched around. Fighting was everything to me; I had my son, so he's everything to me. Fighting was always going to be there, but he's always going to be there, and I want to be in his life for as long as possible with as many brain cells as I have so I can see his kids grow up."

In a post-fight interview shared by UFC News, Erosa called the win "the fairytale ending to my career." Before the event, Erosa said family was the main reason for his decision, and MixedMartialArts.com reported that the family plans to move back to his hometown of Yakima, Washington, where his mother runs a business.

Bonuses

The UFC announced four $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses for the card: Erosa, main event winner Tom Nolan, Joe Kropschot and Lucia Szabova. According to MMA Junkie and MMA Mania, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani and Rodrigo Sezinando received $25,000 each for finishes that did not earn a main bonus.

Career record

Erosa retires with a 32-13 professional record and a 10-9 mark in the UFC across 19 Octagon appearances and three separate stints with the promotion, per MMA Junkie and MMA Fighting. He snapped a two-fight losing skid in his final outing. MMA Fighting noted he is one of the few fighters to have competed on both The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White's Contender Series. Sherdog highlighted career wins over Darren Elkins, Charles Jourdain and Sean Woodson.

Lee, a South Korean featherweight, falls to 11-4 overall and 1-3 in the UFC, according to MMA Junkie.