Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans announced his retirement Monday during an interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

Evans last fought at UFC 225, losing via knockout to Anthony Smith in the opening round. He dropped the final five contests of his career and was most recently victorious at UFC 167 in 2013, when he defeated Chael Sonnen.

He reached his pinnacle in 2008, scoring a technical knockout victory over Forrest Griffin to capture the light heavyweight title. He dropped the belt in his next bout, however, falling to Lyoto Machida five months later.

The 38-year-old went 19-8-1 in his professional MMA career, with the vast majority of his fights taking place in the UFC.