Sean Sharaf considering retirement after beating Gable Steveson

Sean Sharaf‘s life has changed since beating Gable Steveson, but retirement may be around the corner.

Sharaf got his first UFC win last weekend, and it couldn’t have been bigger. A 12-second knockout over one of the best unbeaten prospects in the sport earned the 33-year-old an extra $100,000 courtesy of MobLand and Dana White. The former U.S. Marine was edging closer to being cut from the UFC had he not won on Saturday, but he may still decide to leave of his own accord.

Speaking about his win at UFC 331, Sean Sharaf detailed the pressure he was under to perform against Gable Steveson.

“I was 0-2, on the chopping block, going against the hottest prospect in MMA. The pressure was as high as it gets, I feel like, for that one,” Sharaf said. “But that’s why everyone keeps asking, like, what’s next? Who you want to fight? Who you gonna fight? I’m like, bro, I’m just not in a rush, man.”

Using Justin Gaethje as an example and believing fighters should leave while they’re ahead, Sean Sharaf has been pondering retirement.

“Yeah, I think [I want to continue]. I mean, I don’t know, man. Because that’s the thing, I went into this fight, and I was like, ‘This is my fight. This is everything I’ve trained for.’ The stage is the highest it’s going to get. The odds are going to- are the biggest they are. It’s at home. Maybe I could top that, but at the same time, I don’t know if you gamble, but there’s a famous saying: You leave the table when you’re up. That’s how you f***ing stay. You leave the table when you’re f***ing up, man.”

“I saw the same thing with Gaethje and Ilia, you know? I’m like, bro, that’s a f***ing beautiful ending. Ride off into the sunset.”