Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
Pearson, 34, retires with a final record of 20-16. He suffered a first-round knockout loss to Desmond Green last weekend in Philadelphia, his sixth loss in his past seven fights.
Fighting out of Sunderland, England, Pearson debuted with the UFC in 2009. He won the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series and went on to face some of the top names at featherweight and lightweight, including Edson Barboza, Cub Swanson, Diego Sanchez, Gray Maynard, Al Iaquinta and Jorge Masvidal.
Pearson won the UFC's "Fight of the Night" honors on three occasions.
