5 former UFC champions who could retire in 2022

#2. Andrei Arlovski – former UFC heavyweight champion

Andrei Arlovski is the survivor of a bygone era in the UFC

Of all the former champions still competing in the UFC today, Andrei Arlovski is easily the most tenured in the promotion.

‘The Pitbull’ made his octagon debut way back in 2000 in the depths of a period known as the UFC’s ‘Dark Ages’, prior to the Zuffa buyout of 2001 that essentially saved the company. Arlovski wasn’t an instant hit, losing his first two UFC bouts, but he eventually climbed to the top of the mountain, winning the UFC heavyweight title in 2005.

From there, the Belarusian-American cemented himself as one of the best heavyweights of his generation. After departing the UFC in 2008, he returned in 2014 and ended up putting together a surprisingly strong run that saw him on the verge of title contention.

That didn’t quite pan out, but ‘The Pitbull’ still survived a five-fight losing streak. He’s now settled into a role as a solid gatekeeper. In fact, he’s won his last two fights.

However, the fact remains that Arlovski is 42 years old now and with over 20 years of fighting under his belt, he’s taken plenty of damage over that time.

Realistically, Arlovski is the last survivor of a bygone era in the UFC and there’d be absolutely no shame in him stepping away during 2022. He’s got nothing left to prove and it probably won’t be long before he begins to struggle against the lower-level fighters he’s been beating recently.

Given that he seems to have a potential pro-wrestling career with AEW ahead of him should he choose that route, 2022 might be the best time for ‘The Pitbull’ to hang up his gloves for good.

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#1. Stipe Miocic – former UFC heavyweight champion

Stipe Miocic has nothing left to prove in the UFC - and may choose to step away next year

Given that he only lost the UFC heavyweight title in 2021 and is still ranked as the No.2 fighter in the division, behind only current champ Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane, it seems crazy to suggest that Stipe Miocic could retire in 2022.

Look past that, though, and it makes a lot more sense than you might imagine.

Miocic turns 40 years old next summer and while he didn’t look terrible in his loss to Ngannou, he did suffer the kind of knockout that could easily change a fighting career for the worse.

More importantly, it’s hard to see exactly where Miocic goes in the UFC from this point. It doesn’t seem right for the promotion to attempt to use him as a gatekeeper to build up younger fighters, but it’s also unlikely that he’ll climb back into title contention, particularly if Ngannou continues his run as champ.

It isn’t like Miocic needs to keep fighting, either. Despite his massive success with the UFC, it’s well-known that he moonlights as a firefighter in his home city of Cleveland, Ohio. Should he hang his gloves up, he could easily continue in that role and dedicate himself to it full-time.

Essentially, the former UFC heavyweight champ simply doesn’t seem like the kind of fighter who will stick around and suffer nasty losses to younger fighters, so don’t be surprised if he decides to step away from the octagon in 2022.