BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Dennis Bermudez made the surprising decision to retire following his victory Saturday night at UFC on ESPN+ 1.

Bermudez (17-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) defeated Te Edwards (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in his lightweight debut, which took place at Barclays Center. The victory snapped his four-fight losing skid and put him on the winning track for the first time since August 2016.

Afterward, Bermudez took off his gloves. UFC commentator Jon Anik asked if unstrapping his gloves was a sign of retirement, and an emotional Bermudez, 32, confirmed it would be his final time stepping inside the octagon.

“It’s pretty awesome that I get to do it here in New York,” Bermudez said, holding back tears. “I’ve been through some stuff. I thought about hanging up the gloves after those four losses in a row. And I want my kids to look back on this, and even though I went through adversity, I finished on top.”

With 17 UFC fights under his belt since 2011 (all but one of which took place at featherweight), Bermudez holds the record for most takedowns landed in 145-pound history (46). His streak of three consecutive split-decision losses heading into the event also is tied for longest in UFC history.

As Bermudez made his emotional retirement announcement, he also revealed he was dedicating his performance to his uncle who has cancer.

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