Earlier on Tuesday it was noticed that Costas Philippou was removed from the UFC rankings, having previously been ranked 12th in the middleweight division. Normally that's an indication of an expired contract, failed drug test, being released outright, or retirement. The brief bit of speculation has come to an end, as UFC VP of Public Relations Dave Sholler confirmed that Philippou has decided to hang up the gloves.

@mookiealexander he has indicated to UFC that he has retired. That should end the speculation for you. — Dave Sholler (@Sholler_UFC) July 7, 2015

Philippou leaves the sport with a record of 13 wins, 5 losses, and 1 no-contest, with a 6-4 mark in the UFC. After a failure to make the TUF 11 sixteen-person cast, the New York resident made his official UFC debut on short notice in 2011 against Nick Catone. Following a unanimous decision loss, Philippou picked up 5 consecutive wins, including a short notice win over Jorge Rivera and a 3rd round TKO over Tim Boetsch in 2012.

The 35-year-old's winning streak merited a top 10 spot in the UFC's rankings, but his quest for a title shot would come to an end after he lost a decision to Francis Carmont in September 2013. One defeat was followed by another, as Luke Rockhold finished him with a body kick in the 1st round of their January 2014 main event clash. Philippou's final win was a KO over Lorenz Larkin last May, and his final fight was a unanimous decision loss to Gegard Mousasi.

Costas started his combat sports career in the world of boxing, where he went 3-0 (1 KO) as a professional and also competed in a Golden Gloves tournament in New York. His MMA pro debut was made in 2008 in New Jersey's Ring of Combat. All of his pre-UFC bouts took place in the highly respected regional promotion, and his last fight in ROC before joining the UFC was a majority decision win over Uriah Hall. He made the most of his pugilistic abilities while in MMA, and his highlight reel will most certainly include his battering of Jared Hamman, along with the Larkin KO he earned last year.

There's not really much purpose in further speculation on why Philippou is retiring. It's only fair to respect his decision and wish him the best in his post-MMA life.