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On her social media on Thursday, DeCoursey announced her retirement from MMA competition. The 41-year-old atomweight had flirted with returning after dropping her belt in 2023 to Rayanne dos Santos, but efforts never materialized. A veteran of only Invicta and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship for the entirety of her pro career, she won a belt with the former and unsuccessfully vied for one with the latter.
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First stepping into the cage as an amateur in 2014, the New York native rattled off eight nonprofessional victories opposite a single defeat. Along the unpaid circuit, DeCoursey battled future talents like Hilarie Rose, Marisa Messer-Belenchia and Lindsey VanZandt, beating all three. After taking a decision for an amateur belt in 2017, DeCoursey turned pro.
Might Make ‘Fill in the Blank’ My New Fight Name
The fighter known by many fight names including “Jilly Bean,” “Lionheart” and jokingly by ones like “Cool American” and “Medium Rare and Pepper Crusted” won her first two outings on the Invicta FC cage. The then-unbeaten athlete faced off against future champ Alesha Zappitella in 2018. A pattern emerged for the remainder of her career, where she would win two and then lose the next match.
In a jaunt to 115 pounds in 2020, DeCoursey faced off against future Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete Elise Reed and dropped a decision after four rounds of combat for the CFFC throne. The Long Island MMA fighter proceeded to return to the confines of the Invicta cage after a layoff of over 18 months.
Everything came to a head when DeCoursey punched out former foe VanZandt in 61 seconds at Invicta FC 47 in 2022. This placed the atomweight in contention for a championship opportunity, and she won it four-plus months later by tapping Jessica Delboni to account for her sole submission victory as a pro. This career-changing triumph vaulted DeCoursey into the top five in her division on Sherdog’s Official Rankings. Her first defense the following year did not go her way, as dos Santos outworked her and busted her up across five fairly one-sided rounds in what will go down as DeCoursey’s final match.
DeCoursey’s full statement reads as follows:
“I have rewritten this a bunch of times. I will try and keep this short, I don’t know if I’ll be successful. For those who haven’t seen my post on other social media, I wanted to write a separate one here. I started fighting simply because it looked fun. At that time I had no goals. As my amateur career continued I hoped to one day fight for Invicta, the best promotion for women’s MMA, but that felt unattainable. I didn’t see myself at that level.
“But my career was made out of doing things that I wasn’t supposed to be able to do. I became the Invicta atomweight champion, I got to fight my entire pro career for only two promotions, and they are two of the best promotions, Invicta and CFFC.
“I’ve achieved more than I ever thought possible. And I did it without compromising my morals and beliefs. It was always done my way.
“But now it’s time for the next chapter in my life. So I am officially retired. I love fighting. I love teaching fighting. I love watching fighting. I can still teach it and watch it and that’s good enough for me at this point. At some point in my career, a lot of people on here started to really get behind me. I didn’t know why and I still don’t know why, but it means everything to me. When I won that title, we won that title. Some people hate me and that’s OK too. We get to like and hate who we like and even if you hate me, thank you for watching me, even if you were rooting against me.
“This isn’t goodbye. This is the most beautiful sport in the world, and I can never leave it. I’m working on something that is gonna let me stay involved in the sport as long as I want to. It’s just gonna take a little time to put it together.
“But I’m still gonna be here every day, still live tweeting about fights or talking about the sport. I’m still gonna advocate for women in the sport, I’m still available anytime any young fighter needs advice, and I’m still gonna be outspoken, probably more so now.
“All I ever wanted was to be a good representative for the sport, be a good influence on young women in the sport, and maybe leave the sport at least one percent better than it was when I got into it. I hope I’ve done that.
“My career is what it is. Everyone can form their own opinions on what it is, but I am damn proud of it. I made a career out of doing what I was told I couldn’t do. I always say that I don’t have fans, I have supporters, I have Team Lionheart. We did this together because so many of you spoke so loud. You pushed for me to get that title shot. That will always be appreciated and always be remembered.
“I’m not popular, I’m not famous, I go to the store and nobody knows who I am. But I do have this little group of supporters that is also the best group of supporters that anyone could have. Thank you and from the bottom of my heart, I love you all.”
I have rewritten this a bunch of times. I will try and keep this short, I don’t know if I’ll be successful.
For those who haven’t seen my post on other social media, I wanted to write a separate one here.
I started fighting simply because it looked fun. At that time I had no… pic.twitter.com/PCpCStIQUN— Jillian DeCoursey (@lionheartjill) January 22, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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