UFC Vegas 102 kicked off with a three-round fight that ended in a shock retirement.
Jared Cannonier and Gregory Rodrigues are set to meet in a middleweight main event on Saturday night.
Before that, there’s an exciting 11-fight undercard featuring Calvin Kattar and Johnny Walker’s brother.
Bantamweight stars Jacqueline Cavalcanti and Julia Avila got things started at UFC Vegas 102 at the APEX.
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Julia Avila retires after UFC Vegas 102 defeat
Cavalcanti made it look relatively easy as she won all three rounds to make it improve to 4-0 in the UFC.
The 9-1 Brazilian MMA fighter left her opponent a bloody mess as he cruised to a lopsided points win.
All three cageside judges scored the fight 30-27 in her favor before Avila stole the show post-fight.
The 36-year-old put down her gloves in the middle of the Octagon before speaking with Daniel Cormier.
“This is it,” Avila said when asked if she was retiring from MMA after her latest defeat.
“I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to fight on the world’s best stage.”
Julia Avila’s MMA career in review
Avila kicked off her career with a win over UFC veteran Marion Reneau in January 2012.
Two fights later, she got another big-name victory over future UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montaño.
Still, she had to wait until 2019 before she got the call from Dana White after a 6-1 run in the sport.
Avila picked up back-to-back wins in the UFC Octagon before losing to Sijara Eubanks in September 2020.
A comeback submission win over BJJ specialist Julija Stoliarenko was enough to earn Avila a big fight.
The Californian famously got the chance to face UFC legend Miesha Tate in December 2023.
A face crank submission defeat led to a lengthy layoff before she returned at UFC Vegas 102.
Avila retires with a hard-earned 9-4 record after mixing it with the very best fighters for the past 13 years.