By Hank Strandberg,MMA Sucka
Copyright yardbarker
Four Fighters Who Took Too Long to Retire: Chuck Liddell
For those who weren’t around during the mid 2000’s, Chuck Liddell was the undeniable face of the UFC. Earning the light heavyweight championship by demolishing Randy Couture in just two minutes at UFC 52, the California native embarked on a run of stardom that very few fighters have been able to replicate since. From August 2005 to December 2006, “The Ice Man” proceeded to run through the division with four straight title defenses, with all those matches ending by knockout.
With his signature mohawk, blue shorts adorned with a frost design on them and grizzly boxing style, Liddell had risen to become not just a standout figure in mixed martial arts, but a pop culture icon. His list of appearances outside the cage during this time range from headbutting a wrecking ball in a Duralast commercial, starring in the Jet Li film Cradle 2 the Grave and talking with Jimmy Kimmel on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
At the height of his fame and physical ability, it looked like Liddell was going to be staying on top for a long time at 205-lb. That was until he ran into an old foe in the form of Quinton Jackson, who was the last person to defeat him before making his legendary run in the UFC back at Pride Final Conflict 2003, where Jackson won by corner stoppage.
Unfortunately for “The Iceman,” history would repeat itself in the most devastating of ways, as “Rampage” soundly starched Liddell in just over a minute, flattening him with a thunderous right hook and ending one of the greatest eras ever seen in mixed martial arts.
Although there have been instances of title-holders regaining their thrones after a knockout setback, his defeat to Jackson marked a massive career downturn for Liddell. Losing his next contest after a close split decision to Keith Jardine, he then managed to best Pride veteran Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79. The win would be his last inside the Octagon, as the former star champion was then viciously knocked unconscious in absolutely brutal fashion two times in a row against Rashad Evans and Maurício Rua.
Chuck Liddell Offered UFC Front Office Job
This string of eye-covering stoppages brought about retirement talks every step of the way from fight fans throughout the mixed martial arts community, with even UFC CEO Dana White insisting that Liddell was going to walk away from the sport following the Rua bout. However, the light heavyweight phenom wound up returning one last time in the promotion at UFC 115, falling to the previous middleweight gold standard Rich Franklin after yet another first-round knockout.
In the wake of his third finish defeat in three fights, White ultimately put his foot down and announced that Liddell his days as a competitor in the UFC were over, instead offering him a job in the company as the Vice President of Business Development. For the next eight years, Liddell remained out of the cage, living on as a living legend that once held the world firmly in his four-ounce-gloved hand.
Liddell Moves to Permanently Retire After Golden Boy Trilogy Bout in ’18
But then, in 2018, it was revealed that he had signed a bout agreement to fight in Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, coming to blows with his nemesis Tito Ortiz, whom Liddell had beaten twice during the pair’s time in the UFC.
Standing at 48 years old, “The Iceman” was well past his physical prime and had already accumulated a large amount of damage towards the end of his career. Looking like a ghost of former self, Liddell would be easy work for the then still competing Ortiz, who would retire permanently after a heartbreaking knockout.
Four Fighters Who Took Too Long to Retire: Anderson Silva
For 2,457 days, Anderson Silva reigned over the UFC’s middleweight category as champion, accumulating a whopping 17-fight winning streak while scoring victories against the likes of Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort. Throughout his time at the top, the dominant Brazilian notched ten title defenses, earning himself the organizational records for most championship retentions in the division’s history.
Walking into his tilt with then undefeated contender Chris Weidman at UFC 162, it felt as though “The Spider” was set to devour another promising challenger. In one of the most shocking upsets in all of sports, though, the American sent the Las Vegas crowd into an absolute frenzy by starching the company’s pound-for-pound ruler in the second round, dethroning Silva after a stellar performance.
Seeking to take back his belt in a subsequent rematch, Silva found himself being outworked on the ground by the All-American wrestler, unable to mount much offense compared to his previous opponents. A minute into the second round, disaster would strike the contest, as Silva ended up suffering a horrific leg injury, breaking his leg off a check from Weidman, emphatically ending the greatest dynasty ever seen at 185-lb.
Before Silva had even left the Octagon, many began to wonder if they were ever going to see the Brazilian fight ever again as he was escorted out of the building on a stretcher with his leg bound. While most fighters would have likely retired after such a horrendous setback, Silva would attempt to make his comeback 13 months later at UFC 183 opposite promotional darling Nick Diaz. Originally taking the match by unanimous decision, the result was then overturned to a no contest after Silva tested positive for the PEDs drostanolone and androsterone.
From here, “The Spider” would never reach another title match ever again in his UFC tenure, going 1-5 in his next six fights, with his lone victory coming after a highly-controversial triumph over Derek Brunson.
Silva Ends Career After Halloween Fight
Stepping into the cage for the last time on Halloween night in 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Silva fought Ultimate Fighter finalist Uriah Hall. Fighting in front of zero audience members in the UFC Apex on that cold autumn night, the middleweight titan looked every bit the 45-year old man that he was against Hall, who was nine years his junior. It was in the fourth round that “Prime Time” eventually found his mark, taking out Silva by TKO.
Silva Makes Decision to Retire Official
A day after the Hall loss, Silva made a post to Instagram vaguely hinting at retirement, sending a wave of relief to fans around the world, as to not see their idol take any more damage. Later that next month, it was announced that Silva had been released from his contract by the organization. The release proved to be the definitive conclusion to “The Spider”’s mixed martial arts career, with Silva opting to return to boxing shortly after his exit from the UFC after taking a hiatus from the discipline in 2005.
Top Four Fighters Who Took Too Long to Retire: Fedor Emelianenko
When it comes to naming the greatest heavyweight of all time, only a few men exist firmly in the conversation. Towering figures such as Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic have racked up monumental resumes during their runs as champions in the UFC. However, there exists a man that once not only boasted one of the longest win streaks in mixed martial arts, he also bested many of the greatest competitors on the planet during his era; that man being Fedor Emelianenko.
Losing for the first time as a 4-0 professional back in 2000 at the Rings: King of Kings Block B tournament after a controversial doctor’s stoppage, “The Last Emperor” would go on to win his next 26 bouts over the next decade. In that stretch of time, the Russian attained stellar victories over a bevy of his elite contemporaries in Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira twice, Mark Coleman twice, Kevin Randleman, Mirko Cro Cop and Mark Hunt. He also became the face of preeminent Japanese promotion PRIDE, capturing their heavyweight strap and defending it three times while also winning their 2004 265-lb Grand Prix Tournament.
Heading into his 2010 contest with UFC veteran Fabrício Werdum, Emelianenko was considered a marquee name in the sport, having not tasted defeat in ten years, with many pundits not giving the Brazilian much of a chance against the sambo specialist. And in the early goings of the first round, the Russian began to pick apart Werdum on the feet. Getting tied up in the newly-minted second degree blackbelt’s guard, though, the former PRIDE legend was quickly submitted by a tight triangle choke, bringing to a close the most prolific run in the winner’s circle the world had ever seen at the time.
Suffering another two losses in a row to Antônio Silva and Dan Henderson (both ending by knockout), Emelianenko was never able to reach the same heights that he did during his prime, mainly fighting against less-than-great opposition while taking further stoppage setbacks to Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader. Although he did manage to put together a few more win streaks here and there, it had become apparent that “The Last Emperor”’s glory days were well behind him, speculating that retirement may have just been around the corner.
Emelianenko Decides to Retire After Defeat in 2023
Taking the last match of his decorated career at Bellator 290 back in 2023, Emelianenko once more crossed paths with Bader, who was the company’s defending heavyweight champion at the time. Lasting a whole two minutes longer than their first tilt, the Russian was knocked down by the younger “Darth” and finished off with subsequent ground and pound. Making the decision to retire after the loss, Emelianenko finally wrote the last chapter of his story as a fighter and rode off into the sunset, much to the gratefulness of fans and fellow athletes who didn’t want to see the icon take any more punishment than he already had.
Four Fighters Who Took Too Long to Retire: Tony Ferguson
Throughout the history of the UFC’s lightweight division, there is perhaps no other fighter that has electrified audiences more than Tony Ferguson. With his never-ending gas tank, brutal combat style that employed slicing elbows and amazing Jiu-Jitsu ability, “El Cucuy” had been considered a boogeyman of the weight class, famously leaving many of his opponents unrecognizable following their scraps.
Competing solely on the California regional circuit for his first 12 bouts, Ferguson gained entrance into the UFC after winning the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter as a welterweight. Dropping down to 155-lb for his next contest, the Eddie Bravo black belt won his next two until a setback to perennial hard-puncher Michael Johnson saw his momentum come to an abrupt halt.
Learning from the mistakes of the past, and then some, Ferguson proceeded to embark on one of the longest win streaks lightweight has ever seen. Going undefeated for the next seven years with 12 victories in a row, he notably took home colossal finishes over Gleison Tibau, Edson Barboza, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone. He had even gained the interim lightweight belt with his triumph over the aforementioned Lee, leading some to speculate a possible matchup with then undisputed champion Conor McGregor.
Ferguson Given Shot at Interim Championship in ’20
While he would be stripped of the strap for inactivity due to needing surgery to fix his knee after injuring it by tripping on a cable on fight week, Ferguson was set to finally lock horns with 155-lb gold standard Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 at UFC 249.
The pairing was the fifth time the promotion had tried to book the two against each other, and it was scrapped once more, as the Covid-19 pandemic had begun to restrict air travel, leaving Nurmagomedov grounded in Russia unable to defend his championship.
It was then that the UFC brought in surging contender Justin Gaethje to face Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249, with interim gold and a guaranteed title shot being on the line for the winner. Although many thought that bout would be a slugfest for the ages, with it even going on to earn Fight of the Night, Ferguson looked surprisingly outclassed by Gaethje, getting his face and legs busted up by the Trevor Wittman pupil.
By the fifth round, “El Cucuy”’s was almost unrecognizable after absorbing over 140 strikes from the Colorado native, leading the referee to mercifully call a stop to the action in the fifth round.
Ferguson Delays Decision to Retire
Despite the beating he took, Ferguson ended up fighting again that year in December at UFC 256, where he tussled with future champion Charles Oliveira. Nearly getting his arm broken in the first round, the previous interim king had no answer for the superior grappling of the Brazilian, who kept the American on his back for a majority of the fight.
Losing via unanimous decision, the aura that Ferguson once held over the division had begun to slip away as he began to look more and more human.
Things wouldn’t get any better for Ferguson for the rest of his UFC tenure, losing his next six tilts, including being on the receiving end of one of the greatest knockouts in the promotion’s history after being knocked out after getting kicked in the face by Michael Chandler at UFC 274.
Stepping into the Octagon for the last time at UFC on ABC 7, Ferguson was swiftly submitted by fellow TUF winner Michael Chiesa. Although he didn’t outright state his intention to retire, he did leave one glove down in the center of the cage, saying he was still undecided on whether or not to retire from the cage.
Ferguson Moves to Retire From MMA after GFL Flops
In 2025, Ferguson announced that he had been released from his contract with the UFC, choosing instead to sign with upstart organization Global Fight League (GFL). However, after the promotion’s first two shows were canceled due to investors pulling their money, the fading legend opted to take up boxing, competing on his first card in the sport at Misfits 22 – Ring of Thrones this past August.
Battling Filipino competitor Salt Papi in the co-main event, Ferguson notched his first victory in six years by starching Papi in the third round to attain the company’s interim middleweight title.
