Aussie UFC star Tyson Pedro jokes that he’s so broke he’ll have to rob a reporter in the car park after loss – but there’s a sad story behind his quip

Australian star Tyson Pedro announced his shock retirement from the UFC on Sunday, joking that he might have to rob a reporter in the parking lot afterward because he won so little in his last fight.

The light heavyweight veteran revealed it was time to hang up his gloves following a unanimous decision loss to Vitor Petrino in the co-main event of Vegas 87 on Sunday.

“Thank you to all the fans, I want to thank the UFC very much for everything they have done on this journey,” Pedro said.

‘Especially thanks to my team, to everyone who helped me get to this stage in my martial arts career.

“It’s been amazing, but it’s always been my intention to show my daughter that as long as you work hard and strive for what you love, you can do anything you can dream of, and I think my dream just changed at this point, so That’s all for me.’

The Australian fighter joked that he might have to rob a journalist in the parking lot after the loss that made him decide to retire from the octagon.

Later at the press conference, the 32-year-old Penrith product spoke about the grueling toll his participation in the sport has taken on his family and criticized the UFC’s payment of athletes.

“It’s been on my mind a little bit lately… just being away from my daughter,” he said.

“You put up all the costs, you put up the cost for my family; I probably can’t do it anymore.”

With the deductions and the loss of the fight, I’ll probably have to rob someone in the parking lot tonight, if anyone has money on them. Who has more on them?

‘It’s more of a family thing. I just changed my dreams, so if I’m going to do that, I might as well spend it (time) with my daughter.’

The UFC only pays its fighters about 20 percent of the sport’s total revenue, which compared to other major sports is low. Leagues like the NBA, NFL and MLB share almost half of the league’s revenue with the players.

Pedro’s decision was not just financial, citing the time he spends at training camps in New Zealand away from his wife and baby.

“I’ve been away probably 12 months in the last two and a half years from my wife and baby,” he said.

“It was obviously my choice to go to New Zealand (to train). I know that’s where I will be the best mixed martial arts artist.”

Pedro had a great start to his UFC career, but hit a major roadblock when a brutal knee injury kept him sidelined for three years.

Pedro made a notable return to the sport after the longest layoff in UFC history

Pedro, who retires with a 10-5 professional record, came to the UFC with a bang, and to many looked like a title contender until a brutal knee injury kept him sidelined for more than three years.

Tyson’s incredible struggles with injuries have been widely reported, but what is less known are his mental struggles throughout the entire ordeal.

“I had a nervous breakdown,” he revealed in 2022.

“I’ve never talked about this with anyone outside of my close family, but the pressure was too much.

‘I had spent four years worrying about my knee, about money, about supporting my wife and daughter… and now, finally, the time had come when I had to win.

“So one day I started drinking and that was it. I disappeared into a drunken rage for days.

John Pedro, Tyson’s father, was instrumental in helping his son get through this dark period and get his training back on track.

The MMA star is now looking for a life away from the octagon and has started his own business, DrinkWest, with NRL star Nathan Cleary and UFC heavyweight Tai Tuivasa.