UFC fighter Diana Belbiță announces sudden retirement: “It was fun fighting at the highest level”

Diana Belbiță never planned on getting this far. That’s what makes her journey so easy to root for. She didn’t grow up dreaming about the UFC or imagining walkouts under the bright lights. But somehow, she made it—fought in Europe’s toughest promotions, stepped into the Octagon eight times, and left it all in there every single night. And now, at 28, she’s calling it a career. No big sendoff, no spotlight. Just a quiet, honest post on social media, reflecting on a ride she never expected.

Diana Belbiță’s pro career started in 2014, mostly under the radar in Romania. She wasn’t hyped as a phenom. She wasn’t fast-tracked. But she fought often, stayed consistent, and eventually caught the attention of KSW—one of Europe’s most respected MMA promotions. That’s where she had her first real breakthrough, even fighting for a title before heading to the UFC.
Her run in the UFC wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t supposed to be. She went 2-6 over six years, picking up wins against Hannah Goldy in 2021 and Maria Oliveira in 2023. She lost some tough ones, including her last three, with her final appearance ending in a submission loss to Dione Barbosa this past weekend.
A few days later, she posted a simple message on X.

“It was fun fighting at the highest level,” she wrote. “I never even dared to dream that I will get there, but I ended up spending my last 6 years fighting for the best promotion in the world. It was a fun journey and I loved it. Now it’s time for me to start a new chapter.”
That last part hits hardest. Not everyone who makes it to the UFC feels like they belong. For Belbiță, just being there meant everything. She wasn’t chasing belts—she was chasing something bigger than that. She was proving to herself that she could stand among the best.
Her second-to-last fight came against Molly McCann, another gritty veteran who recently retired herself. There’s something fitting about that—two fighters who gave it their all, even when the wins didn’t come easy, stepping away on their own terms.
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Diana Belbiță won’t go down as a UFC legend. But she showed up. She kept going when the odds weren’t in her favor. And for six years, she did something she never even thought was possible. That matters. That sticks with people. Her record won’t tell the full story—but her journey will.