Julian Erosa reflects on turbulent UFC journey: 'A story about redemption'

Julian Erosa's MMA career didn't end with a UFC title, but it did end with a win – which is increasingly becoming rare in MMA.Erosa (31-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) retired this past Saturday after knocking out Jeong Yeong Lee in the first round at UFC Fight Night 292 in Las Vegas. It was a thrilling win as Erosa was badly hurt from the first exchange and came back to put away Lee just seconds after the rough start. The performance was the type fans came to expect from Erosa as his career and fighting style were all about overcoming difficult moments."For me, it's just the perseverance of my UFC career," Erosa told MMA Junkie Radio. "My MMA career has been a story about redemption. I got knocked out by Devonte Smith in Colorado. I went back to Colorado and got a guillotine choke over Christian Rodriguez. One of my first big pay-per-view fights, I got knocked out by (Teruto) Ishihara at the MGM, and then I went back to the T-Mobile Arena on a big card like that and ended up beating Hakeem Dawodu. That was the redemption in my mind that I had for that one."This one, it's a little funny, but it's like my record against Asian guys had never been very good. I got knocked out by two different Asian guys before. My record was 0-2 with them. So this is a little bit of that redemption, too. And not only that, it was my last fight, so it was the redemption of leaving on a win and making a statement and being satisfied with that."Erosa had many downs in his career, but never stayed down. He always answered the count. It's rare to see a fighter work his way back in the UFC after being cut, and Erosa did it twice. He was cut from the promotion in 2016 and found his way back. Then again in 2019, and he found his way back again. The 37-year-old featherweight is proud of his perseverance and resilience – which was the identity of his career.Erosa is glad he can walk away from the sport with a win. He knew his time was up, and he hoped to close things out on a high note, not for himself but for his loved ones."There was a time I got cut from the UFC a second time on a three-fight losing streak, and the last fight of that, I got knocked out," Erosa said. "I got knocked out twice in that three-fight losing streak, and I'm okay with it because it comes with the territory, but having my mom and my wife and my family and my friends watch me get knocked out is what was eating me up. I want to leave the sport with my health, but I also want to leave with them having a good memory of me as a fighter. I don't want them to be thinking about me getting knocked out, you know? "There's a bunch of different variables that went into my thoughts about retirement. A big one was Darren Elkins' last fight. It was his last fight, his retirement fight, but his interviews that he was doing before and after, I feel like fighting retired him, and he didn't retire from fighting. I wanted to do it the opposite way. I have nothing but respect for Darren Elkins. I just think that he could have probably retired earlier than he did, and it might've been better for him."This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Julian Erosa reflects on turbulent UFC journey: 'A story about redemption'