MMA fans said goodbye to several of its stars throughout the last twelve months as many of the warriors who have entertained us over the years decided to call it a day on their fighting careers. We take a look at the most notable retirements below.
Glover Teixeira – January
Still highly competitive at the age of 43, Glover Teixeira called it a day on his twenty-one-year professional MMA career following his defeat to Jamahal Hill for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 283. Just over a year prior, Teixeira became the oldest first-time UFC champion in history when he defeated Jan Blachowicz via a second-round submission at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.
Teixeira earned ten performance-related bonuses during his span with the UFC, including a Fight of the Year award for his five-round war with Jiri Prochazka in June 2022.
Mauricio Shogun Rua – January
After leaving PRIDE following an impressive knockout victory over Alistair Overeem in August 2005, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua went on to become a legend of the sport and became the UFC’s Light Heavyweight Champion just four fights into his career with the organization.
He lost the title against Jon Jones in his first title defence, but over the next ten years, ‘Shogun’ mixed it with the best of the division, including Dan Henderson, Antonio Nogueira, and Chael Sonnen. The UFC legend called time on his career at the age of 41 following a defeat to Ihor Potieria at UFC 283.
Raphael Assuncao – March
The Brazilian competed in three weight classes throughout his MMA career: Lightweight, featherweight, and bantamweight. When Assuncao moved down to bantamweight in the summer of 2011, he went on a phenomenal run, winning 11 of his next 12 fights with notable wins over the likes of T.J. Dillashaw, Pedro Munhoz, and Aljamain Sterling.
It’s difficult to believe that Assuncao never fought for the title during this run, given that he lost just once in seven years. Assuncao retired in March of this year following a loss to Davey Grant in March.
Jorge Masvidal – April
Known in his early days for taking part in street brawls, Jorge Masvidal already had a big reputation as he made the transition into mixed martial arts, particularly in his home state of Florida. Before signing with the UFC from Strikeforce, ‘Gamebred’ had already amassed over 30 professional MMA fights, but it was in the latter half of his 10-year stint with the organization that he really made a lasting mark on the sport.
Following a knockout victory over the highly-rated middleweight Darren Till in his opponent’s home country, Masvidal delivered the fastest knockout in UFC history after his flying knee ended the fight with Ben Askren before it had barely begun. The hype surrounding Masvidal then contributed to the UFC creating the ‘BMF’ title, which was contested between Masivdal and Nate Diaz at UFC 244. ‘Gamebred’ won the belt after a TKO victory through a doctor stoppage at the end of the third round due to damage sustained to Diaz’s eye.
Two unsuccessful attempts at winning the welterweight title followed before losses to Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns led Masvidal to the conclusion that he was no longer the fighter he once was. Despite the last couple of years not going his way, he left the sport as one of its biggest stars.
Amanda Nunes – June
To many, Nunes is the female GOAT of mixed martial arts. After winning the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Miesha Tate at UFC 200, Nunes held the title for a whopping five and a half years before regaining it just six months after her defeat to Julianna Pena. Also, as the UFC’s Featherweight Champion, the Brazilian regularly jumped between both divisions to defend her titles on multiple occasions. Upon retiring after her victory over Irene Aldana at UFC 289, Nunes held both the bantamweight and featherweight titles and was ranked the #1 pound-for-pound when she hung the gloves up.
Rarely does a fighter retire while in form, let alone at the pinnacle of the sport. However, Amanda Nunes is cut from a different cloth and said goodbye to the sport entirely on her terms.
Robbie Lawler – July
The former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, Robbie Lawler, joined the UFC for the second time in 2013 following a nine-year hiatus from the organization, during which he also competed in PRIDE and Strikeforce. Lawler won the UFC Welterweight title at the second time in asking, following a split decision victory over Johnny Hendricks at UFC 181. He went on to defend the title twice before continuing to fight for another seven years.
Amassing a record of 30-16 (1 NC), ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler’s MMA career spanned over twenty years, and he retired in July 2023, going down as one of the most ferocious fighters ever to grace the octagon.
The Korean Zombie – August
Jung Chan-sung, otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’, made a name for himself on both the Korean and Japanese circuits before capturing the UFC’s attention. He went on to fight twelve times in the UFC. Although he never managed to capture the gold, he earned numerous performance-related bonuses for several exhilarating fights, including victories against Dustin Poirier, Leonard Garcia, and Frankie Edgar. ‘Zombie’ retired in August after a knockout defeat to Max Holloway in Kallang, Singapore.
Other UFC Retirements in 2023
Leah Letson – January
Lina Lansberg – February
Steven Peterson – March
Ed Herman – April
Juan Espino – April
Zak Cummings – April
Ian Heinisch – August
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