Knockout loss to Brandon Vera sends Paul Cheng into retirement

MANILA, Philippines – After suffering an excruciating knockout defeat at the hands of Filipino-American Brandon Vera, Paul Cheng has decided to hang up his gloves for good.

Cheng announced his retirement a few hours after Vera knocked him out with a vicious head kick to the jaw in just 26 seconds for the inaugural ONE Championship heavyweight title in the main event of the “Spirit of Champions” card on Friday, December 11.

“Two weeks of hard training and 72 hours notice definitely doesn’t cut it. Going to hang out for a few days. [I am] officially retiring from MMA,” he wrote in his Facebook post.

Cheng replaced Vera’s original opponent Chi Lewis Parry, who was removed from the 5-round championship clash after reportedly failing to submit his medical records and deciding not to board his scheduled flight on Tuesday, December 8.

The 37-year-old Taiwanese-Canadian accepted the offer to face Vera for the available ONE gold-plated strap on a 72-hour notice.

Vera dropped Cheng to a knee with a short left hand and then finished the job with a brutal head kick to the chin.

According to Cheng, he did not suffer any serious injuries following the painful first-round knockout setback.

“I’m ok everyone! Thanks for all the love,” he stated.

Cheng leaves the sport of mixed martial arts with a professional record of 5-3 and plans to go back to the show business industry. – Rappler.com