At 35 years of age, Hermes França announced his retirement from the rings this Friday. The beast from Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará, hangs up his gloves after 19 victories and eight defeats in MMA, aside from already being a champion in the WEC lightweights.
The news was confirmed by the Jiu-Jitsu black belt impresario, Reed Wallace, for the MMAWeekly site. França’s decision was weighed by poor results. In the last four fights, three were defeats, and the fighter admits that his body can no longer withstand the wear and tear to work at high performance levels, a requirement of current MMA.
“The fans gave me the passion and the strength that kept me in the high-level competition all these years. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I owe all of this to the fans,” said França.
During his career, Hermes beat opponents like Caol Uno, Mike Brown, Nate Diaz, Spencer Fisher, and Marcus Aurélio. He also engaged battle with stars like Sean Sherk and Tyson Griffin. In addition to dedicating himself more to his family, he will now focus on teaching students at the East West Combat Club academy in Syracuse, New York.
Left to his fans is the memory of the brazen fighter from the Northeast with died hair, always up for putting on exciting fights in the Octagons of life. But don’t be fooled: those who know Hermes know the fight is not over. Wait for the next World No-Gi Championship and check out the beast in action.
