5 current UFC fighters who should've retired ages ago

#2. Robbie Lawler – former UFC welterweight champion

Robbie Lawler probably should've retired even before his win over Nick Diaz

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.

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#1. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua – former UFC light heavyweight champion

Mauricio Rua's octagon career should've come to an end a long time ago

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.