{"id":807360,"date":"2026-07-18T02:45:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T02:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/807360\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T02:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T02:45:13","slug":"former-top-ranked-womens-bantamweight-ufc-title-challenger-retires-from-mma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/807360\/","title":{"rendered":"Former top-ranked women\u2019s bantamweight, UFC title challenger retires from MMA"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Ultimate Fighting Championship<\/a> may be quietly
\nallowing its 135-pound women\u2019s division to wind down.<\/p>\n


\nMMA Fighting<\/a> initially reported on Friday that Irene
\nAldana<\/a> (15-8), former bantamweight title challenger and
\ntop-ranked athlete, has retired at the age of 38. The news has
\nsince been confirmed by
\nESPN Deportes<\/a>, who further indicated that Aldana is not done
\nwith combat sports overall.<\/p>\n

The perennial contender leaves this sport behind with her name
\nlittered throughout the record books in her division. One of the
\nmore active competitors in UFC women\u2019s bantamweight history, Aldana
\nboasts a
\nlitany of top-10 distinctions<\/a> in categories like most
\nappearances, knockdowns and many more. Despite her last appearance
\nin September 2024, the Mexican boxer still holds the second-most
\nsignificant strikes landed in her division\u2019s history, 1,028
\ncompared to the leader of Raquel
\nPennington<\/a> at 1,148.
\n
\nBlood for the Blood God, skulls for the Skull Throne
\n
\nAldana last set foot in the cage at the second Noche UFC event in
\n2024, which was also titled UFC 306. At that event, she fought
\ntooth-and-nail with Norma
\nDumont<\/a> in a terrifically bloody affair where Dumont\u2019s forehead
\nsplit wide open. Despite the carnage, doctors cleared her to
\ncontinue, and she reached the final bell\u2014albeit sustaining a loss
\nvia decision.<\/p>\n

Two fights before the Dumont scrap, Aldana battled Amanda
\nNunes<\/a> for the bantamweight strap. The Logo Gym MMA fighter
\ncould not match the intensity that Nunes brought to the table,
\nlosing all five rounds with one or two considered 10-8s on official
\nscorecards. Despite not winning gold, Aldana celebrates victories
\nover notable names in the sport including Ketlen
\nVieira<\/a>, Yana Santos<\/a>,
\nMacy
\nChiasson<\/a> and Karol
\nRosa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Habl\u00e9 con Irene Aldana, quien me confirm\u00f3 su
\nretiro de las MMA. En abril de este a\u00f1o inform\u00f3 al UFC su intenci\u00f3n
\nde retirarse y enfocarse en su salud<\/p>\n

La historia en @ESPNDeportes<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/t.co\/sainnY3lWA<\/a>
\npic.twitter.com\/mmKbunI4eC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Carlos Contreras Legaspi \ud83e\udd81 (@CCLegaspi)
\nJuly 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n