'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This past weekend at UFC 298, former bantamweight and flyweight kingpin Henry Cejudo was soundly beaten by Merab Dvalishvili in what could be the final fight of his career.
Even if Henry Cejudo doesn't retire now, his defeat was still a huge disappointment as he spent so many of his prime years away from the UFC.
‘Triple C’ is not the only fighter to arguably waste his prime years, though, as other fighters also decided to walk away from the octagon at the peak of their powers.
Here are five UFC stars who wasted some of their prime years.
#5. Henry Cejudo – former UFC bantamweight champion
Trending
When Henry Cejudo claimed the vacant bantamweight title in the summer of 2019 to become the UFC’s latest two-division titleholder, it looked like a legend had been born.
‘Triple C’ had won the flyweight crown from the seemingly-unbeatable Demetrious Johnson a year prior and had then defended it against then-bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw, beating him with a stunning knockout.
With Dillashaw then suspended following a positive drug test, it made plenty of sense for Cejudo to try his hand at 135 pounds. And despite taking some serious damage against Marlon Moraes, the 2008 Olympic gold medallist came out on top.
Thanks to COVID-19, it took nearly a year for ‘Triple C’ to defend his bantamweight crown, but when he violently dispatched former titleholder Dominick Cruz, it felt like he was ready for a dominant reign.
However, in the fight's aftermath, Cejudo stunned everyone by abruptly announcing his retirement despite being at the peak of his powers.
The retirement never felt quite sincere, particularly when ‘Triple C’ later stated it was more an issue with his pay than anything else. Despite this, he spent the next three years on the shelf, all while talking trash on most of his potential foes.
When Cejudo finally came back last year, he suffered a defeat to then-bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling, and most recently, looked past his best in his loss to Merab Dvalishvili.
Realistically, ‘Triple C’ should never have sat out for the years that he did. Had he wanted more pay, he could easily have renegotiated with the UFC, or even fought out his contract to sign an improved one. As it is, his career remains excellent but probably can’t quite be considered legendary.
#4. Jon Jones – UFC heavyweight champion
Whether or not Jon Jones has wasted some of his prime years is probably up for debate. After all, ‘Bones’ has been with the UFC for well over a decade now, and is widely considered as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
However, could the current heavyweight champion have achieved more in recent years had he not walked away for a lengthy period of time? Absolutely, and in that sense, it’s hard not to feel frustrated.
Nobody could knock Jones’ schedule during the first decade of his career in the octagon. Even after he claimed the light-heavyweight title, he continued to fight regularly, often making two or three appearances per year to turn back every possible contender.
Despite this, after defending his title against Dominick Reyes in early 2020, Jones decided to walk away, citing financial reasons for his decision.
He eventually came to terms with the promotion and relinquished his crown a few months later, with the plan being to pursue the heavyweight title instead.
Unfortunately, this ended up taking well over three years. And while he looked excellent in his eventual heavyweight title win over Ciryl Gane, he has not fought since and appears to be heading for retirement.
Had he gone after the heavyweight title in late 2020, it’s easy to imagine a more dominant reign that would’ve seen him break the UFC’s record of three successful title defenses.
Had he done that, there would be little argument against him being considered the GOAT, something that can’t quite be said right now.
#3. Michael Chandler – UFC lightweight contender
Given that Michael Chandler spent the first decade of his MMA career outside the UFC – primarily with Bellator – it’s arguable that he wasn’t quite in his prime when he arrived in the octagon in 2021.
However, the performances he’s put on since, even in losing, suggest that ‘Iron Mike’ is still a very valid contender for the lightweight title.
Unfortunately, Chandler has now not fought since November 2022, and isn’t likely to compete until well after his 38th birthday in April.
By the time he does return, there’s every chance that Father Time may have caught up with him, meaning the last two years of his career could’ve gone to waste.
From Chandler’s perspective, his current absence probably makes sense. As everyone is well aware, the former Bellator champ is still hoping for a fight with the UFC’s biggest star, Conor McGregor.
However, this fight has now been planned for well over a year and still doesn’t look close to happening. Based on ‘The Notorious’ and his unique pull with the promotion, there’s every chance that the fight never takes place altogether.
If Chandler can get his “red panty night” against the Irishman, then the argument that he’s wasted any time would automatically be null and void, as he’d clearly make the most money of his career.
If the bout with McGregor falls through, though, then it’ll become painfully clear to everyone that some of his best years will have been wasted.
#2. Nick Diaz – former UFC welterweight contender
Perhaps no other fighter could be accused of wasting their prime years quite so much as Nick Diaz, who seemed to spend more years on the shelf than he did actually fighting.
Diaz initially made his name in the UFC as a very young fighter in the mid-2000’s. After leaving the promotion, though, he became a nomad of sorts, and enhanced his reputation heavily by winning numerous titles elsewhere.
By the time he returned to the octagon in 2011, he’d arguably become the hottest welterweight in the world, and was largely seen as the only man capable of challenging UFC champ Georges St-Pierre.
That wasn’t true, of course. After dismantling BJ Penn and then being edged out in a tight call against Carlos Condit, Diaz claimed his shot at ‘GSP’ in early 2013, and lost a clear-cut decision.
Still, it was clear that Diaz had plenty to offer to the 170-pound division. However, the native of Stockton clearly wasn’t interested in fighting any of the promotion’s other top welterweights.
Instead, he simply went on a lengthy hiatus that lasted nearly two years before he returned to face Anderson Silva in one of the oddest fights in UFC history.
That bout turned out to be another one-off, though, as Diaz then went back into quasi-retirement, only returning in 2021 in a loss to Robbie Lawler that saw him look largely broken down.
The general consensus was that Diaz had made enough money from his fights with St-Pierre and Silva that he simply didn’t need to fight.
However, the fact that so many of his prime years were spent on the shelf remains a source of frustration, and it’s easy to imagine what he could’ve achieved had he simply stuck around and continued to compete in the octagon.
#1. Conor McGregor – former UFC lightweight champion
Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest star in the history of the UFC. No fighter has ever transcended the sport of MMA quite like ‘The Notorious’, and no fighter has been able to earn the kind of money that he was able to in his career, either.
However, despite all of his success inside the octagon, it’s hard to dispute the idea that had things been slightly different, McGregor could well have achieved even more.
The Irishman enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the UFC following his 2013 debut. In his second year with the promotion, he claimed featherweight gold by toppling the legendary Jose Aldo.
A year later, he became the first fighter in octagon history to simultaneously hold two titles in different weight classes when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, etching his name into UFC history.
However, rather than continue to compete against the world’s best, McGregor instead took the best part of two years off to pursue a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather.
The fight earned ‘The Notorious’ an insane amount of money, but meant that he lost a lengthy portion of his prime, and when he returned, he was easily defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
That loss probably wouldn’t have mattered so much had McGregor jumped right back into action. Instead, though, he sat out for over a year before his return bout with Donald Cerrone in January 2020, and since then, he’s only fought twice, last competing in July 2021.
Admittedly, he suffered a serious leg injury in that most recent bout that would clearly have needed a lengthy rehabilitation period, but whether it required the best part of three years is debatable.
In the end, the truth is that ‘The Notorious’ is now 35 years old, and has fought just four times in the UFC since 2016.
While it’s hard to question McGregor’s star power or the amount of money he’s made, it’s also hard to deny that he’s wasted a number of his prime years – and had he competed more often, he could well have made even more money along the way.
