Karolina Kowalkiewicz reveals plans to retire if she lost to Felice Herrig: “Better her than me”

UFC strawweight Karolina Kowalkiewicz nearly hung up the gloves at UFC Vegas 56.

Heading into her showdown with Felice Herrig last Saturday night, the Polish fighter had lost her last five contests. During that stretch, she was finished by Jessica Andrade and Jessica Penne. She also suffered lopsided defeats to Yan Xiaonan, Alexa Grasso, and Michelle Waterson.

Despite that losing streak, the 36-year-old looked as good as she ever has against Herrig. Kowalkiewicz dominated the matchup and wound up winning the bout via second-round submission. The finish was her stoppage victory since 2014, and her first in the UFC.

Now, on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Karolina Kowalkiewicz discussed her thoughts heading into her fight with Felice Herrig. The former title challenger revealed that if she would’ve lost at UFC Vegas 56, she would have retired. She also reacted to Herrig hanging up the gloves following the loss.

Image: @ufc on Instagram

“Yes, I had a really bad moment in that time and I thought maybe it was time to finish with MMA. But after a few months, after a few weeks when I fought and everything, no, I cannot finish with MMA because I love it. Not yet, not yet. Two [more] years for sure, I want to fight.” (h/t MMAFighting)

Karolina Kowalkiewicz continued, “[After the fight] I said to her, ‘I’m sorry. ‘I’m sorry and I wish you all the best in your life.’ And she said that she really respects me and wished me good luck in my future fights. Better her than me, what can I say?… Yes [I would’ve retired with a loss]. I didn’t say this to nobody, [only to myself].”

What do you think about Karolina Kowalkiewicz’s comments? Who do you want to see her fight in the octagon next? Sound off in the comments below!