Cynthia Calvillo is done fighting professionally.
The MMA veteran, who fought for the UFC 13 times, has decided to hang up the gloves after nine years of competition. Calvillo (10-6-1 MMA) announced the news of her retirement in an Instagram post on Monday afternoon.
“It’s time to say goodbye to a sport that I gave everything to and that I loved so much,” Calvillo wrote. “I wasn’t ready to let it go just yet, but life and opportunities that fizzled out has led me to pursue the next chapter in my life. I just want to say thank you to every single person that helped me live this crazy dream of mine. To all the coaches that believed in me and spent countless hours making me the best I could I be, y’all don’t know how much it means to me. To the @ufc @danawhite @seanshelby @mickmaynard2 thanks for letting this little girl from East Side San Jose live her dream! It was f*cking dope being a superhero!”
Fighting under Team Alpha Male, Calvillo, 38, entered the UFC in 2017 as a highly touted prospect. She started her UFC career with a strong 6-1-1 run, including a main event victory over Jessica Eye Jessica Eye at UFC Fight Night in 2020. Unfortunately for Calvillo, she went on to lose five consecutive bouts after her only headliner, which prompted her exit from the UFC in 2023. Calvillo only competed once after her UFC departure, defeating Lisa Kyriacou in a unanimous decision to win the HEX women’s flyweight title in September 2024.
Calvillo retires having headlined a UFC event and with many notable wins including Eye, Gillian Robertson, Joanne Wood, and Cortney Casey.
