Julia Avila says UFC retirement about being there more for daughter

LAS VEGAS – Julia Avila knew going into her fight against Jacqueline Cavalcanti at UFC Fight Night 251 this past Saturday it was going to be her final fight.

But that didn’t make things any less emotional in the aftermath. Cavalcanti (9-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) beat Avila (9-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with a unanimous decision on the preliminary card at the UFC Apex and sent her into retirement on a loss.

Cavalcanti was a 10-1 favorite in the fight, but Avila said the rigors of training played their part well before Saturday.

“I remember one time after a hard training session, it was really difficult for me to pick up my daughter,” Avila said after her loss at a post-fight news conference. “We just sat down on the ground and cried because I couldn’t lift her up. I was so injured and I knew it was time then.”

Her daughter now will have her mom around more often, too – another major factor, Avila said. She joined her at the table.

“I’m taking time away from watching her grow up. The money, the energy, the time – z just don’t have enough of it,” Avila said. “I have to choose between being a mother and an athlete, and her needs far outweigh my dreams. It was time to put someone else instead of me.”

Avila, from Los Angeles, will turn 37 in May. She turned pro in 2012, but didn’t start fighting regularly until 2016. Although she never was in title contention in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division, her resume includes wins over Marion Reneau, Nicco Montano, Pannie Kianzad and Gina Mazany.

Check out Avila’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.