Pellegrino Retires from MMA

Point Pleasant's Kurt Pellegrino was defeated in a Saturday evening mixed martial arts fight and announced his retirement from the sport.

Pellegrino was dropped by a hard punch 50 seconds into the first round of his return to fighting by 25-year-old Brazilian Patricky Freire at Bellator 59 at Caesar's in Atlantic City.

Pellegrino was felled early by a hard punch, dropping to the ground and grabbing Freire's leg. Freire continued to rain down punches as Pellegrino attempted to work a takedown. To the shock of the sold out crowd and Pellegrino himself, the referee broke up the fight, declaring Freire the winner by technical knockout (TKO) while Pellegrino still appeared to be defending himself.

Despite jeers from the crowd, Pellegrino was gracious in defeat, raising the arm of Freire and shaking a finger at the hissing crowd, which was comprised almost entirely of his supporters. He also joked lightheartedly with the referee about the questionable stoppage.

"I lost fair and square," he said of the call.

Afterwards, the 32-year-old father of two announced that he would retire from the sport.

"I started my career in Atlantic City and I wanted to end it in Atlantic City too," Pellegrino said. A standout wrestler for Point Boro High School, Pellegrino competed in the NJSIAA state finals in Atlantic City as a junior and a senior, taking second each year.

The fighter, who owns Pellegrino Mixed Martial Arts Academy on Main Street in Lake Como, originally announced a hiatus from professional fighting in May— shortly after and following the birth of his son, Kurt Jr.

After much soul searching and discussion with his wife Melissa, Pellegrino decided that he was not done with fighting and began training for his return.

Splitting time between his own gym and training with renowned striking coach Brian Wright at Real Elite Training Center in Asbury Park, Pellegrino said prior to the fight that he felt he was in the best shape of his fighting career and was fully prepared for the bout. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a 2010 fight and was still nursing the injury during his last two matches in the UFC.

Should he stay retired, Pellegrino will end his career with a 16-7 record. He holds victories over many famous names in the sport including Mac Danzig and Josh Neer. The Brazilian Jui-Jitsu black belt has 10 of his wins by submission and two by knockout.