Cheyanne Vlismas put family first.
She took to Instagram to announce her retirement from mixed martial arts, despite obvious talent and the star power to make a mark in the strawweight or flyweight divisions in the UFC.
Vlismas made her announcement on Instagram, citing the need to spend time with her young children. The now-30-year-old, aka The Warrior Princess, made the announcement two days before her milestone birthday.
Here is a look at Vlismas’ retirement message on IG.
As of today I am officially retired.
This decision comes with a lot of heartbreak. But this is something that I need to do. After having my second child, my time is very limited. I am unable to give 100% to my training without giving less of myself to my babies.
This decision comes as I am choosing to be the parent that I wish I always had growing up.
As hard as this decision is—because I love fighting so much with all my heart—my kids will always be put first.I know I am young and I could make a comeback, but my decision came down to: could I leave my kids for two months for a training camp? I simply cannot do so.
Thank you to all my coaches @dennisdavismma @sugarraysefo @richiequan @eric_xcmma @xcmma, teammates throughout the years that were always there for me. Most importantly, my family, and thank you to @mickmaynard2 and the UFC. This was a dream. I didn’t get to fulfill all my dreams, but I made it to the highest level, and now I’m going to choose to give my all to being a mother.And lastly, thank you to all my fans. 🙏🏼
I hope one day my kids will know their mother gave her all to being the best I can be for them, because this is not an easy goodbye for me. 🙏🏼❤️
While Vlismas never became a household name, she made a memorable mark in the UFC during the pandemic. The UFC was one of the only major sports organizations that never shut down during 2020, and Vlismas had her best moments in MMA from 2020–21.
In August 2020, Vlismas earned a contract with the UFC after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Hilarie Rose on the Dana White Contender Series. That win led to her promotional debut with the UFC in March 2021 against Montserrat Conejo Ruiz.
While Vlismas took the loss in that fight, she bounced back with consecutive wins in her next two Octagon appearances, cashing in with performance bonuses in both fights.
In July 2021, Vlismas won a Performance of the Night bonus when she defeated Gloria de Paula via KO. The sequence was set up with a head kick and follow-up punch that caught fight fans’ and the UFC brass’ attention.
The finish came after a grappling sequence. De Paula was on the bottom initially and Vlismas stood up. De Paula followed but did not protect herself as she rose to her feet, and Vlismas made her pay with a vicious head kick. Vlismas got the finish as she followed with ground and pound until the referee called an end to the fight.
In case you missed it, here’s a look at the fight.
In her next fight, Vlismas earned a unanimous decision victory over Mallory Martin in December 2021. While Vlismas didn’t get the finish, she and Martin did earn Fight of the Night honors and the bonus that goes with it.
With tons of momentum professionally and on the heels of back-to-back bonuses, Vlismas hit a long period of inactivity. She was supposed to fight Tabatha Ricci in October 2022 but withdrew.
Vlismas didn’t fight again until December 2022. She took on Cory McKenna and fell via unanimous decision. As it turned out, the loss to McKenna was Vlismas’ last fight as a professional.
With two small children to care for, Vlismas steps away at an age and time when she might still be capable of being a factor in the UFC’s women’s strawweight division. The division is seemingly ready for a change, as Weili Zhang looks poised to make the jump to flyweight sometime soon.
Could Vlismas become a contender? Perhaps, and based on the overall weakness of the division, it seems logical she could fight her way to an official ranking.
As it is, Vlismas walks away focused on family.
