SBG Ireland welterweight Cathal Pendred has retired from fighting at age 28. He cited a lack of passion as the main reason for doing so. He made the announcement via Twitter.

I am a passionate person and I always give 100% to what I do. I have been passionate about MMA for a long time and my focus on the sport has been my driving force for the last nine years.

I now find that my passion is no longer what it was and I feel that it is time for me to move on. I have other interests that I want to pursue. The time is right to close one door and open another.

My love of MMA remains with me. I intend to maintain my involvement with the sport, but I no longer wish to compete.

I have developed as a person because of Mixed Martial Arts, as I learned to cope with the discipline and demands of the sport. MMA has made me a stronger person. This strength will carry through into other areas of my life, as I move on to pursue new goals.

I would like to thank all my coaches and team mates for their friendship and support. Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported me on this journey. Indeed thanks to everyone that I met through MMA from start to finish. This chapter of my life wouldn’t have been the same without you.

My participation in competing in MMA has come to an end, but my love for the sport has not. I will maintain my interest in the sport and continue to support my team mates as they follow their dreams.

Pendred retires from MMA with a record of 17-4-1. He was a cast member of TUF, where he made it to the semi-finals. He went 4-2 in the Octagon, and has career wins over UFC vets David Bielkheden, Che Mills, NicoMusoke, Sean Spencer, and GasanUmalatov.

He is the teammate of other UFC fighters Conor McGregor, Paddy Holohan and Aisling Daly.

He plans to open a Chopped health food store franchise.