Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight
Juan
Espino is deciding to hang up his gloves.
On Friday, Espino (10-2) announced on Instagram that he
was retiring from active competition. The 42-year-old heavyweight
from the Canary Islands of Spain will be leaving the promotion with
three appearances inside the Octagon. Of note, he conquered the
tournament from the 28th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2018,
eventually submitting Justin
Frazier in the first round to secure the six-figure contract
and trophy.
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“Well up to here. I RETIRE!!!,” Espino wrote on Instagram (via
Google Translate). “An incredible journey to get to be among the
best fighters in the world and I did it, maybe it wasn’t the way I
wanted but the injuries left me no other option. I want to thank
all the people who supported me in this adventure, UFC for giving
me the opportunity and for all the sponsors who helped me, the
coaches, training partners, teams, etc. I truly have a special
place in my heart for them. THANK YOU ALL.”
Espino, a practitioner of the Senegalese wrestling style Laamb, won
several matches in the African nation to earn the nickname “Leon
Blanco” or “White Lion.” A grappler for much of his life, he
competed in many World Championship Grappling and European
Grappling Championship events, earning multiple gold medals in the
absolute and +100 kilogram divisions in both gi and no-gi
competition. Espino made his way to the UFC with a record of 8-1 as
a pro, including six stoppages, where he beat the likes of Martin
Buday and Rodney
Wallace on the lower circuits.
“El Guapo” claimed a spot on the Season 28 roster of TUF, where he
trained under then-champ Robert
Whittaker as the third pick on the blue team. Espino first
encountered Ben Sosoli
in the quarterfinals on the seventh episode, and he picked up a
unanimous verdict after two rounds. In the semifinals, Espino
fought in the last heavyweight match on the reality show, and he
throttled rival Maurice
Greene – who earlier in the season tried to pick fights with
him at the TUF house – in the first round with a rear-naked
choke.
At the live finale on November 2018, Espino easily handled Frazier
with a rare straight armlock in under four minutes. His final pro
fight came against Alexander
Romanov, in a contentious battle where he dropped a technical
split decision when Espino landed a fight-ending illegal knee to
the groin. Multiple injuries kept the Spaniard out of action for
the last two years, and Espino decided that he would no longer be
returning to active competition due to these injuries.