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Not every MMA fighter can retire as a champion. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St-Pierre, and Henry Cejudo are just a few names in the UFC to experience that luxury.
The UFC has seen some of its best champions and prospects fall from grace and leave the promotion on a less than desirable note. A two-division champion was released for too many run-ins with the law and a lengthy set of back-to-back losses. One of the best female champions, credited for remarkable strides within the women's MMA league, sought a new career path after suffering just two losses.
There are multiple reasons why a fighter could be released. Aside from prior examples, one can be let go for banned drug use, injuries, contract conflicts, etc. Most fans were left shocked and disappointed by some of the promotion's most profound releases. But for some, it was only a matter of time before certain fighters saw the end of their careers.
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#5. BJ Penn
BJ Penn was a long-time UFC veteran from 2001 up until his release in 2019.
Among his many accomplishments, he ranks among the few elite fighters who are two-division champions. In 2004, he challenged Matt Hughes for the welterweight title and performed one of the biggest upsets in the promotion's history. Penn was the betting underdog(+200) but defeated Hughes in the first round via a rear-naked choke. Then in 2008, he was victorious over Joe Stevenson in the same fashion, except in round two, for the vacant lightweight throne.
Nicknamed 'The Prodigy', Penn's MMA record had a beautiful beginning. But the glory days began to fade as the BJJ specialist started losing fights. In a total of 11 fights from 2010 to 2019, Penn was the winner of only one bout.
His future in the organization was already in question, and the situation worsened when a video surfaced of Penn getting arrested for a street fight. The following month, Dana White announced the Hall-of-Fame fighter's release from the company.
#4. Greg Hardy
Greg Hardy had a promising career when he started in 2017. As an amateur, he was undefeated in a 3-fight streak of nothing but round one knockouts. His professional career was no different. He punched out the competition in Dana White's Contender Series and in the XFL, or Xtreme Fight Night.
Hardy's first loss was due to disqualification when he performed an illegal knee move on Allan Crowder at UFC Fight Night 143 in 2019.
The heavyweight contender stands at 7 wins and 5 losses. Hardy announced his release after the promotion decided not to re-sign him after Sergey Spivak delivered Hardy's third straight knockout loss.
#3. Cris Cyborg
MMA Grand Slam Champion Cris 'Cyborg' was a top featherweight contender in the UFC. She won the championship in 2017 against Holly Holm and won her first title defense the same year.
Amanda Nunes stopped the dominant fighter's reign, giving her the second loss of her career. But that defeat was not what led to 'Cyborg's' departure. After the Nunes match, she won her next fight against Felicia Spencer. The Bellator featherweight champion has credited issues with weight cutting, deceit, and disagreements with the promotion among the reasons for ending her contract.
'Cyborg' is more than happy in Bellator, even though it cuts down the chances of a rematch with Amanda Nunes to practically zero.
#2. Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee's release from the UFC last November was a shock to nearly every fan of the fighter.
It wasn't much of a surprise to Lee, who felt it coming after hearing some negativity from Dana White following his loss to Daniel Rodriguez last August. At that point, Lee was 2-4 in his last 6 fights.
The controversy surrounding his release sparked a lot of buzz on social media. Lee expressed that being notified via email that he was being let go infuriated him. Additionally, White had little to do with relaying the information. Lee blamed the conflict between White and Francis Ngannou as a factor in that decision, considering they are both represented by CAA or Creative Art Agency.
Lee is now signed to Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight promotion Eagle Fighting Championships and won his first fight against Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision.
#1. Ronda Rousey
Rousey holds a few placements in the 'first' category when it comes to the UFC. She fought for and won the promotion's first female matchup and became the inaugural women's bantamweight champion.
Many credit the armbar submission artist for putting a spotlight on women in MMA. She continued to defend the belt in her next five fights in a dominant title reign of nothing but finishers. But in 2015, Rousey fell victim to the infamous knockout power of Hall-Of-Fame kickboxer Holly Holm's kicks.
The headlining defeat devastated Rousey's spirit.
She was absent from the octagon for over a year leading up to her final MMA fight against Amanda Nunes. The featherweight champion made easy work of Rousey, defeating her in the first round via TKO.
2016 was the last time fans of the Olympic gold medal Judoka saw her in the octagon. There were a lot of rumors circulating on social media in regards to her return, but she has retired from mixed martial arts and is now a leading lady in the WWE.
