Nothing saddens mixed martial arts fans more than seeing a great fighter retire from the sport after taking multiple beatings, and hurting their professional records because they didn’t know when to walk away.
An example of this is Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell (21-8).
After two consecutive knockout losses, even UFC president, and close friend of the Iceman, Dana White revealed that he did not want Liddell to continue fighting, but the persistent Iceman got himself a bout against former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin (29-7-1) at UFC 115.
After losing that fight via knockout in the first round, president Dana said that Chuck Liddell would never fight in the UFC again. The Iceman retired shortly after.
Although he will always be remembered as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, and earned his place in the UFC hall of fame, to this day commentators and writers use Liddell as an example when describing fighters who should think about walking away from the sport.
Another example is the man known as ‘The Prodigy’, BJ Penn (16-10-2). After losing in devastating fashion twice, BJ came back for one more fight at a different weight class, facing Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar (18-4-1) earlier in the year.
After being dominated in that fight and losing via TKO in the third round, Penn finally called it quits, and although being known as one of the all time greats, he left on a career low and with permanent dents in his professional record.
It is understandable it can be hard to walk away from something that has been such a big part of their lives, and all the lights and fame that come with being a professional fighter. But when a fighter has nothing left to prove, made a lot of money and are in the process of damaging themselves on a permanent level, the smart thing to do is walk away. Here are five MMA legends who should consider retirement.
1. Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua (22-10)
Only 33 years of age, Shogun may be the youngest fighter on this list, but he is also one of the most decorated and experienced. The former PRIDE middleweight and UFC light heavyweight champion was at one point known as the greatest light heavyweight fighter on the planet. Since losing his title to now champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones (20-1), Shogun has been inconsistent in his results, only winning one of his past five.
Shogun has been in wars in both in the ring and in the octagon, he has suffered many injuries most notably to his knees, and he even broken his arm fighting. Now, after two straight knockout losses, including a 30-second one in his last bout against Ovince St. Preux (17-6), it is evident that fighting has taken a toll on his chin as well.
Rua was talking about a potential move down to middleweight, but there are now unconfirmed rumours he is set to face ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans (19-3-1), who is also talking about a move to middleweight at some point in 2015.
2. Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson (30-12)
Forty-four years old, Dan Henderson has won only one of his past five, and that one win was against Shogun Rua in a fight he was losing up until landing the big shot that hurt Shogun before putting him away.
When Henderson returned to the UFC after a brief yet successful run in Strikeforce, where he defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko (34-4-1), he re-entered the UFC and took part in one of the greatest fights of all time in his first bout with Shogun at UFC 139.
Since then his record has been adding more losses than wins, and after getting destroyed by Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier (15-0) in his last fight at UFC 173, it is evident that Henderson can’t keep up with the top guys in MMA anymore.
Henderson is booked to fight Gegard ‘The Dreamcatcher’ Mousasi (35-5-2) in his next bout, and while we all applaud Dan Henderson for never backing down from a fight, it would take something very special for him to beat the Dreamcatcher.
3. Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipović* (29-11-2, 1NC)
Known as one of the most powerful kickers in MMA history, Cro Cop is one of the biggest names in the sport. The former PRIDE champion’s UFC debut was one of the most anticipated in history, and despite a successful first bout against Eddie Sanchez (13-8), Filipović left the UFC not only with a disappointing 4-6 record, but also with the damage of losing via KO/TKO in five of those bouts.
Filipović currently holds the IGF championship, and is set to take on Satoshi Ishii (12-3-1) at the end of December. Cro Cop left the UFC saying that it was in his best interests to walk away from MMA, and after a successful kickboxing return followed by a somewhat successful return back to MMA, Filipović is in a position where he can retire from fighting all together on a career high.
4. Frank Mir (16-9)
The former UFC heavyweight and interim-heavyweight champion Frank Mir owns one of the greatest come-back stories in sports history. Mir returned from a motorcycle injury he suffered in 2004 which saw him tear every ligament in his knees and suffer a broken femur.
He returned to win UFC gold and earn some of the greatest submission wins in UFC history, most notably against Brock Lesnar (5-3) and Antônio Rodrigo ‘Big Nog’ Nogueira (34-9-1-1NC).
Mir is currently on a four-fight losing streak, and was dominated in all of those fights. Booked to face Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva (18-6, 1NC) at UFC 184, Mir’s contract with the UFC could very well be on the line, and another loss may force White to make a decision for him, at least regarding his future in the UFC.
5. Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva (33-6)
Anderson Silva is arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. The longest reigning champion in the history of the UFC, and holder of multiple records, the Spider may truly have nothing left to prove.
After a devastating leg injury in his last fight, Silva is set to fight again in 2015, where he is scheduled to face Nick Diaz (26-9) at UFC 183. The Spider has also signed a 15-fight contract with the UFC.
Although he may feel he has more fights in him, his next bout against Diaz will be a very big indication of how much he has left. Whether the answer is a little or a lot, Anderson Silva is at a point in his fighting life where can retire comfortably.
Just because some fans might think a fighter has nothing left to prove, doesn’t mean that they don’t. At the end of the day the final decision is in the hands of the individual fighter, but when the repercussions of those decisions have the potential to do much more harm to good it might be time for a fighter to use their head rather than their heart.
A fight will always be risky no matter who you are, but some risks are more calculated than others – and it’s unwise to take too many.
Honourable mentions
Stephan Bonnar* (15-8), Antônio Rogério ‘Little Nog’ Nogueira (21-6), Antônio Rodrigo ‘Big Nog’ Nogueira (34-9-1-1NC), Cung Le (9-3), Tito Ortiz* (17-11-1)
*Came out of retirement.
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