UFC veteran James Krause announces retirement from MMA at 36

It’s been nearly two years since James Krause last set foot in the Octagon, and according to him, that was his last time competing as a professional mixed martial artist.

The 36-year-old Glory MMA & Fitness leader officially announced his retirement on Monday during an appearance on "The MMA Hour." Krause was last in action at UFC Night 180, when he earned a unanimous decision victory against Claudio Silva on Oct. 17, 2020. Krause has been a prominent figure as a coach in recent years, including cornering Brandon Moreno in his interim flyweight title win over Kai Kara France at UFC 277 this past weekend.

“I’ve said this so many times, and this is the No. 1 problem with the sport and the fighters — this has to come to an end at some point. It has to. And professional athletics as a whole has to come to an end,” Krause said. “Football players, they don’t play until they’re 50. This has to come to an end, and unfortunately, we don’t get to pick it. Most of the time our body gets to pick it. I am fortunate enough to be able to call my shot now, and I can say it now — s— man, you’re never going to see me fight again.

“I am done with this sport. I’m at peace with it. I have no desire to fight again. I really don’t,” he added. “My desires and my fulfillment have now shifted toward coaching. Moments like Brandon Moreno and the rest of my team, I get fulfillment out of those. So you can call this my official retirement or whatever, but I do not plan on ever fighting in the UFC ever again.”

Krause exits the sport with a 28-8 record that was compiled over the course of a career that began in 2007. He appeared on two seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter” and also competed for Bellator MMA, World Extreme Cagefighting, Titan FC and Resurrection Fighting Alliance before ending his professional tenure with a 13-bout stint in the UFC. Krause was victorious in seven of his last eight outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I wanted three things out of this whenever I called it quits,” Krause said. “I said I wanted to be financially free. I’ve done that. To be honest with you, I would probably lose money if I fought. I wanted to go out on my own terms. I didn’t want somebody to be like, ‘Hey James, you lost three in a row.’ And I wanted to retire in the UFC. Those were my three goals, and I wanted to go out on a win — a win in the UFC. Right now, all of those three things are accomplished.

“If I would fight again, it would put it at risk for no reason. I don’t need the money. I don’t need the validation.”