Watch: Miesha Tate announces retirement after loss at UFC 205

The fans at Madison Square Garden were caught off guard when Miesha Tate was handily defeated by Raquel Pennington on Saturday. They were even more surprised when she announced her retirement following the loss.

Tate used her post-fight interview time to announce she was walking away from the sport of MMA after a nine-year career that saw her capture world championships in both the UFC and Strikeforce promotions. She rose to prominence as a pioneer of women's MMA and as a rival of superstar Ronda Rousey.

At 28 years old, Tate retires with a 5-4 record inside the Octagon and an 18-7 overall record as a pro. She won the UFC women's bantamweight title at UFC 196 by submitting Holly Holm before losing it to Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 200 this past July.

"I love y'all so much, I've been doing this for over a decade," said Tate. "Thank you so much for being here. I'll love this sport forever but it's not my time anymore. It's the future's time."

When asked how much the loss affected her decision, Tate admitted the result and the feeling that she could no longer perform at her best motivated her to hang up the gloves.

The fight with Pennington was Tate's ninth in the UFC, a company record.