Dhiego
Lima is calling it a career after 24 professional fights.
The 33-year-old Brazilian, who trains out of American Top Team
Atlanta, announced his decision via Instagram. Lima had been
scheduled to face Miguel
Baeza at UFC Fight Night on April 16.
“Hey guys I am making this post to announce that I will be retiring
from fighting,” Lima wrote. “My timing and God’s timing is
completely different. I feel like I’m in my prime, but He has
bigger and better plans for my life. I know when God speaks to me,
and He was clear that my fighting days are over.
“Thank you for everyone that has supported me through this journey.
One thing I do is obey God even when I don’t want to and that’s the
a lesson I hope you take from this: His plans are always better.
Thank you [UFC] for my career and always taking care of me. I will
be around as a coach there because I have plenty of young guns that
will make it, and I will be there for them!!”
Lima later elaborated on his decision in an interview with
Sherdog.com.
“It was God. It something from God. I was already booked to fight.
I was getting ready. I was doing great in training,” Lima said “But
God came to my wife in a vision. My wife had a vision. God told her
clearly that the last fight I had [against Matt Brown] would be the
last one. I would not fight again. He told her there’s something
greater planned for my life. I know when God is talking to me. I
know God’s voice. I know he used my wife to talk to me. I have
trust in it. I have full faith in God. I prefer to obey, even
if I don’t want to. I was not ready to retire. I am in the best
shape of my life. It wasn’t easy for me. I cried a lot yesterday to
make this decision. It was very difficult. But I obey God above
all. I know that God spoke and that he has something better for me.
I am a youth leader at my church. God is using me to change the
lives of those kids. I’ll keep doing this. And I still have my own
academy. That won’t change. I’ll keep guiding them. That’s it. It
was God’s voice.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” he added. “I’ll keep running
the academy and leading those kids. It’s what God wishes. When you
follow God, he takes care of you. We’ll keep doing it. I already
have my own fighters in the UFC. I’ll keep working at bringing all
my MMA students to the UFC. I’ll guide their lives and help them
any way I can. It wasn’t an easy decision to retire, but it’s what
God wants now. I’ll obey God’s voice. Let’s see what the future
holds.”
Lima was a finalist on Season 19 and Season 25 of “The Ultimate
Fighter,” and he went 4-7 across two stints in the UFC. The younger
brother of former Bellator welterweight champ Douglas
Lima enjoyed his greatest success in the Octagon from December
2018 to October 2019, when he earned successive triumphs over
Chad
Laprise, Court McGee
and Luke
Jumeau.
Lima fought twice in 2021, dropping a unanimous decision to
Belal
Muhammad at UFC 258 and falling to Matt Brown
via second-round KO at UFC on ESPN 25. Lima compiled a 15-9 career
mark over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2010.