UFC’s James Moontasri announces his retirement

An exciting UFC welterweight is calling it quits.

James Moontasri, a six-fight veteran with the promotion, announced his retirement Monday night on Instagram. Moontasri wrote that he was excited for a “new chapter in his life.”

“Martial Arts is my life and that will never change,” wrote Moontasri, who is a black belt in taekwondo.

Moontasri, 28, has lost two in a row, most recently a unanimous decision defeat against Alex Morono at UFC on FOX 22 in December. He went 1-2 with the UFC at lightweight, but struggled with the weight cut and moved up to 170 last year. Overall, the Los Angeles resident compiled a 2-4 record in the UFC dating back to 2014.

Before his run with the UFC, Moontasri competed for RFA.