Phillipe Nover’s appearance in his Brooklyn backyard at UFC 208 turned out to be his career swan song.
The 33-year-old featherweight from New York City announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Wednesday, days after dropping a decision to Rick Glenn at the Barclays Center.
Nover made his first splash on the national level by appearing in The Ultimate Fighter 8 lightweight tournament. At the time, Dana White called Nover “the next Anderson Silva,” placing an intense level of expectation on Nover’s shoulders.
Nover won all three fights in the TUF house via submission before losing a decision to Efrain Escudero at the TUF 8 Finale.
He was cut from the UFC following two more losses, but worked his way back into the company after a stretch in which he won five out of six fights in Bellator and on the indy circuit.
A durable fighter who was only finished once in his career, Nover went 1-3 in his second UFC stint, with all his losses going the distance, including Saturday’s against Glenn. He finished with a career record of 11-8-1.