Immediately after the bout, Herrig (14-10 MMA, 5-5 UFC) left her gloves in the middle of the octagon at the UFC Apex and announced her retirement from the sport.
“It’s been an honor being in the UFC for eight years, and fighting for 20,” Herrig told Paul Felder in her in-cage, post-fight interview. “The biggest thing for me is I had two ACL surgeries and I really wanted to not go out like that. I really wanted to prove to myself that I can overcome two knee surgeries and come back and still fight at the highest level.
“I felt better than ever in training, my mind felt great and I had so much positive energy around me and great coaches. But I knew if I wasn’t feeling it in the cage, it was going to be my last fight. Not in a bad way, I just feel like there’s something else for me and it’s time to close this chapter of my life. Which is really sad, because I’ve committed the last 20 years to it. But it’s just time to move on to something else.”