Pedro Rizzo announces retirement following TKO win in Brazil

Another Brazilian heavyweight has announced his retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts.

Days after Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s announcement that he will no longer fight, fellow UFC veteran Pedro Rizzo competed for the last time. Headlining Face to Face 12 in Vitoria, Brazil, on Saturday night, "The Rock" landed several vicious low kicks on Andrew Flores in the first round, forcing the Hawaiian to give up between the first and second rounds.

"I was really nervous, and I haven’t felt like that in a long time," Rizzo admitted after the fight. "We hear other fighters say, and it’s true. I was scared. Not about the fight, but about this moment. I wanted to show my students how it is.

"I don’t need to fight anymore, but I wanted to fight one more time for my students and my daughter, who is eight years old and wanted to see me fight. Now is time for the new athletes and talents to shine. It all ended how it started, with low kicks in Brazil."

Rizzo, who fought for the UFC heavyweight title three times, retires from the sport with a 20-11 record, including wins over the likes of Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock and Andrei Arlovski.

In the evening's co-main event, TUF Brazil 2 veteran Marcio Santos defeated TUF Brazil 3 alumni Guilherme Vasconcelos via split decision to win the Face to Face welterweight title.