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The UFC is almost certainly no country for old men. It’s hard for any aging fighter to find success. However, that doesn’t stop some of the older fighters on the roster from trying to recapture their past glories.
Over the years, there have been numerous examples of UFC fighters who simply held on for too long when they should’ve hung their gloves up. Right now, the current roster has a number of them.
Some of these fighters are simply too old to compete at this stage. Others have suffered more than a career’s worth of damage and probably ought to stop for their own good.
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With this in mind, here are five current UFC fighters who should’ve retired ages ago.
#5. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone – UFC lightweight contender
It’s safe to say that few fighters have produced as many classics inside the octagon as Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. Whether he’s fighting at lightweight or welterweight, ‘Cowboy’ always comes to scrap. He holds multiple UFC records, including the most wins and most post-fight bonuses in the promotion’s history.
However, there’s definitely an argument that Cerrone – who is booked to face fellow veteran Joe Lauzon at this weekend’s event – should’ve hung up his gloves some time ago.
Cerrone is currently on a winless run of six fights. He hasn’t tasted victory since his unanimous decision win over Al Iaquinta back in May 2019. During that run, he’s not only been losing, he’s also been knocked out on four occasions.
Given that he was hardly the kind of fighter to avoid taking damage even when he was winning, it’s fair to suggest that ‘Cowboy’ has absorbed more punishment than his body can take at this point, particularly at the age of 39.
When should Cerrone have stepped away? After his big fight with Conor McGregor in January 2020 would’ve been perfect. ‘Cowboy’ was stopped in that bout, giving him three TKO losses in a row. However, all three defeats had come to top-level fighters and it’s likely he made a career-high payday from his fight with ‘The Notorious’.
Unfortunately, by suffering further losses to Anthony Pettis and the unheralded Alex Morono, Cerrone is now almost certainly harming his own fantastic legacy by hanging on for too long.
#4. Frankie Edgar – former UFC lightweight champion
When he was at his peak – sometime between 2010 and 2012, when he was UFC lightweight champion – it was hard to deny that Frankie Edgar was not only a great fighter but one of the most durable men to ever step into the octagon.
‘The Answer’ suffered just four defeats in his first 22 visits to the octagon. Despite taking some terrible damage in his fights with the likes of Gray Maynard and Jose Aldo, he managed to avoid being stopped in all of those bouts.
Edgar suffered a bad knockout at the hands of Brian Ortega in March 2018. While he recovered from that to outpoint Cub Swanson just over a month later, it’s safe to say that the New Jersey native hasn’t been the same since.
Now 40, ‘The Answer’ has won just once in his last five bouts dating back to mid-2019. What’s more, three of his four losses have come via knockout. His most recent defeat saw him left unconscious by Marlon Vera, who stopped him with a vicious front kick.
While Edgar was justified in continuing to fight after his loss to Ortega, he probably should’ve hung up his gloves following his loss to Chan Sung Jung at the end of 2019.
That defeat followed his loss to Max Holloway in a featherweight title bout. Knowing that another title run would be unlikely, ‘The Answer’ probably should’ve chosen to step away before his famous durability was cracked any further.
Instead, Edgar dropped to 135lbs – probably putting his body under even more strain – and it’s arguable that his future health prospects may now have been harmed.
#3. Chris Weidman – former UFC middleweight champion
When he first dethroned legendary UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva – and then defeated him again in a rematch five months later – it looked like Chris Weidman was about to usher in a new era at 185lbs.
‘The All-American’ defeated Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort in subsequent title defenses before falling to Luke Rockhold.
Since then, it’s safe to say that Weidman’s career has never quite gotten back on track. In fact, there’s an argument that he should’ve retired a while ago – a decision which would’ve allowed him to avoid the horrendous leg injury he suffered in 2021.
Weidman’s loss to Rockhold – as well as other factors, including the banning of the use of an IV to rehydrate following a weight cut – seemed to have destroyed his durability. In the years that have followed, he’s suffered a further four knockout losses.
When should ‘The All-American’ have hung his gloves up? Right after his knockout loss to Dominick Reyes in late 2019 probably would’ve been the perfect time. After all, the knockout prevented Weidman from making a run at the UFC light heavyweight title, and he’d turned 36 a couple of months beforehand.
However, Weidman has continued to fight. Despite suffering that horrendous leg injury against Uriah Hall, he’s expected to return to the octagon in the future – a decision which may well prove to be an error.
#2. Robbie Lawler – former UFC welterweight champion
The summer of 2021 saw Robbie Lawler avenge one of the most famous losses of his storied career. He stopped old rival Nick Diaz with strikes in the third round. However, there’s an argument to suggest that the fight should never have happened in the first place.
That’s because ‘Ruthless’, who held the UFC welterweight title from December 2014 to July 2016 and put on some epic bouts, probably should’ve retired some time ago following his eventual title loss to Tyron Woodley.
That defeat put Lawler into a bad downward spiral. He ended up losing four of his next five fights and simply didn’t look like the same fighter who struck fear into every other 170lber on the planet.
Lawler’s defeats to Colby Covington and Neil Magny were particularly disappointing. He looked thoroughly gunshy, with his trademark aggression seemingly lost forever. Had he hung up the gloves after that loss to Magny, everyone would’ve understood.
However, Lawler remains part of the UFC’s roster. Despite his fight with Diaz being slightly undercooked despite his big win, he’s scheduled to fight again – against Bryan Barberena this July.
Whether that fight goes positively for him remains to be seen. There’s definitely an argument that he should’ve stepped away from the fight game some time ago.
#1. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua – former UFC light heavyweight champion
Despite the success of former UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, there’s perhaps still an argument that Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua ought to be considered the GOAT at 205lbs. He’s the only fighter to hold titles in the weight class in both the UFC and PRIDE.
However, one thing that doesn’t stand in the favor of the Brazilian is the fact that he’s simply hung around for far too long for his own good. Simply put, ‘Shogun’ – who is set to rematch Ovince St. Preux this weekend – should’ve hung up his gloves years ago.
The former champion – who is now 40 years old – hasn’t been on the worst run of late, as he’s actually lost just once in his past four fights. However, look beneath the surface, and that record is a little deceptive.
His win over Tyson Pedro came back in December 2018. His only other win came over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who was even further past his prime and retired directly after the fight.
More worryingly, ‘Shogun’ arguably didn’t deserve his draw with Paul Craig, and was then destroyed by the Scotsman in their rematch last November. It was the kind of fight that, in his prime, ‘Shogun’ would’ve walked through.
When would’ve been the best time for Rua to retire? Coincidentally, it probably would’ve been after his initial KO loss to St. Preux in late 2014. Since then, he’s either lost been thoroughly unimpressive in victory.
‘Shogun’ will no doubt go down as a legend of both the UFC and MMA in general, but how much longer he can hold on is anyone’s guess. It’s probably fair to say that he’s already clung on for far too long.
