11-fight UFC vet Shane Burgos says he's back in MMA after 3 years away

Matt Erickson, MMA JunkieSun, May 31, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC

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11-fight UFC vet Shane Burgos says he's back in MMA after 3 years away

After three years away from fighting, Shane Burgos says he's back.

And while he never seemed to have an official retirement announcement, let's face it: Saying you're leaving MMA, then coming back shortly afterward is an incredibly regular occurrence. Now Burgos is kinda/sorta in that club.

Burgos (16-5) said on social media Sunday that he "needed that break from fighting," and now he's ready to fight again – though he doesn't currently have a promotional home.

"I needed that break from fighting," Burgos posted. "The weight cuts, the training camps, everything that goes into it burned me out. That’s in the past tho. I’ve never stopped woking. I need to be back in that fire again. I miss it.

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Excited for whatever’s next.."

The 35-year-old New Yorker started his pro career 10-0, including his first three in the UFC. And though he didn't get to fight on the promotion's debut in his home state of New York, UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden, he fought in the UFC's next three successive events in the state in Albany, Buffalo and on Long Island and went 3-0.

Although he went 8-3 in the UFC over nearly six years, including four Fight of the Night bonuses, he left the promotion on a two-fight winning streak and signed with the PFL as a free agent rather than return to the UFC with a new deal. All three of Burgos' UFC losses were Fight of the Night winners.

He moved up to lightweight from his longtime featherweight home, to boot, when he went to the PFL. But that experiment didn't pan out the way he hoped in the 2023 season. He made the playoffs, but lost in the semifinals to Clay Collard, leaving him 1-2 in the promotion.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 11-fight UFC vet Shane Burgos announces MMA return after three years

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Source: “AOL Sports”