Cowan Retires After 0-4 UFC Run

Hailey Cowan walked away from mixed martial arts after a body-shot stoppage loss to Nina Milosevic at UFC Belgrade on Saturday.

The 28-year-old bantamweight, who went winless across four Octagon appearances, posted her retirement announcement following the first-round finish inside Belgrade Arena. "This little gymnast from Waco, TX decided she would become an MMA fighter at 23 years old," Cowan wrote, per MMA Mania. "I'm proud of what I was able to do. And I'm excited for whatever is next!"

Cowan's Rocky UFC Tenure

Cowan earned her contract on season six of Dana White's Contender Series with a split-decision win over Claudia Leite. White gave her a slot despite a narrow performance, saying she had "that 'it' thing." The former gymnast never found her footing inside the cage. She dropped her debut by decision, then suffered three straight finishes, including back-to-back knockout losses to close her run. Five scheduled bouts were canceled along the way.

"This obviously isn't how I wanted to end this beautiful ride, but I'm healthy, happy and full of gratitude," Cowan wrote. "Life threw me some bombs and I always overcame." She finished her career 7-6 overall. No word yet on her next move outside the sport.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — UFC Bantamweight retires after 0-4 run – ‘Life threw me some bombs’