5 former UFC stars who found success outside of MMA 

MMA is an unforgiving sport. More often than not, veteran MMA fighters leave the sport only after their bodies and legacies have sustained irreversible damage. For that reason, post-retirement success stories in combat sports are few and far between.

Unfortunately, this holds true even for those who were talented enough to make it to the most prestigious MMA promotion: the UFC. For every Georges St-Pierre, there are a handful of fighters who were left physically compromised without the glory and riches that to go along with it.

But some UFC fighters just aren't willing to let their fighting careers end on a bitter note. Even when a graceful exit from the UFC was out of their reach, the fighters that we'll talk about today earned their redemption elsewhere. Listed below are five former UFC stars who found success after leaving the octagon.

#5 Ronda Rousey: MMA to Pro-Wrestling

Ronda Rousey [Photo credit: @rondarousey on Instagram]

Ronda Rousey, at her peak, was MMA's biggest star – a feat that's exceedingly impressive given her heyday coincided with the likes of Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. Unfortunately, Rousey's downfall was as abrupt as her rise to superstardom.

After amassing 12 consecutive pro-MMA stoppage wins, Rousey was seemingly an unstoppable force in the UFC's women's bantamweight division. For that reason, Rousey, along with her millions of supporters, thought Holly Holm would become just another name on her long list of victims. But they were dead wrong.

Rousey was shellshocked by Holm's high-level striking, something she didn't have to deal with during her previous MMA fights. A kick to the head in round two sent an unconscious Rousey crashing into the mat. And just like that, her historic reign had come to an end.

'Rowdy' tried to recover from her first defeat against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. However, the Brazilian proved too fierce for the former champion, mauling Rousey to score the TKO win in the first round. And that was the last time Rousey stepped foot in the octagon.

Rousey rose from the ashes like a phoenix when she entered the world of pro-wrestling in 2018. She made a surprise appearance at WWE's Royal Rumble event. She went on to win the company's Raw Women's title before returning to retirement after main eventing WrestleMania 35.

#4 Carlos Condit: MMA to Submission Underground

Carlos Condit [Photo credit: @carloscondit on Instagram]

Carlos Condit hasn't officially retired from the UFC and MMA. But to say that his days as a contender are far behind him is an understatement.

Once a dominant force in the UFC welterweight division, Condit went on a five-fight winning streak with notable victories over Rory McDonald, Dan Hardy and Nick Diaz. But he ran into a brick wall against then-champion Georges St-Pierre.

The former UFC title challenger has recently taken on the role of a high-level gatekeeper. He dropped fights against top welterweight contenders Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa but has scored wins over fellow MMA veterans Court McGee and Matt Brown in two of his most recent fights.

Condit takes out Ellenberger in a minute! 🦶 #SUG23[ @SUG_Grappling LIVE https://t.co/EVxsl0x3o7 ] pic.twitter.com/WikLaPli2R

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 23, 2021

Primarily a striker, Condit has showcased his grappling prowess on Submission Underground. 'The Natural Born Killer' took on Jake Ellenberger in a rematch of their UFC Fight Night bout in 2009. Condit emerged victorious once again as he secured a heel hook early on in the match.

#3 Matt Riddle: MMA to Pro-Wrestling

Matt Riddle [Photo credit: @riddlebro on Instagram]

Matt Riddle grew disillusioned with MMA. As a result, the former UFC fighter decided to leave the sport after spending five years as a professional.

Riddle was released by the the UFC after his second positive test for marijuana in less than a year. He signed with Legacy Fighting Championship (Legacy FC) but found himself in Bellator after his contract was purchased by the promotion.

Bellator's rigid schedule, coupled with a rib injury he sustained, reinforced Riddle's decision to finally hang up his gloves in 2013. But Riddle found a way to use his physical gifts and charisma for good use outside of cage-fighting.

Reinvigorated by a newly-found passion, Riddle revealed why he's so much happier as a pro-wrestler than he was as a mixed martial artist. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Riddle said:

“I love what I do now. I mean, I loved MMA, but it didn’t always love me back.”

Right now, Riddle is one of the biggest stars in the WWE. A former WWE United States Champion, Riddle has already surpassed in the squared circle what he had accomplished in MMA.

#2 Thiago Alves: MMA to Bare Knuckle Boxing

Thiago Alves (left) celebrates his title win at BKFC 18 [Photo credit: @bareknucklefc on Instagram]

Thiago Alves accomplished something in his second Bare Knuckle FC fight that he couldn't do during his 14-years MMA career. 'The Pitbull' claimed gold after putting Uly Diaz down on the canvas thrice in the third round to score the stoppage win. Alves captured the promotion's middleweight title as he moved to 2-0 in his career with BKFC.

#AndNew @ThiagoAlvesATT #BKFC18 on #FITE: https://t.co/ZHjUl2Df79 pic.twitter.com/LZCbBzmR8I

— FITE (@FiteTV) June 27, 2021

The last time Alves fought for a major combat sports title was at UFC 100, twelve years ago. He ran through the welterweight division from 2006 to 2008, besting the likes of Chris Lytle, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck.

But the Brazilian fell short against MMA legend Georges St-Pierre, who dominated him for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory. Since then, Alves has been plagued with inconsistency, moving back and forth from wins and losses.

After back-to-back defeats in 2019, Alves finally left, retiring from MMA. He appears to be enjoying his new-found success at BKFC.

“I’m the king of this s**t. Chin down, shoulders up, and hands in your f***ing face,” Alves said after his championship-winning performance.

#1 Anderson Silva: MMA to Pro-Boxing

Tribute to the Kings - Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva put in an odds-shattering performance in his return to pro-boxing against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at an event dubbed 'Tribute to the Kings'. The former longtime UFC middleweight champion bagged a split decision win (75-77, 77-75, 77-75) after outworking his opponent for eight rounds.

Coming in as a heavy underdog, the MMA icon had not competed in pro-boxing since 2005 prior to his bout with Chavez Jr. The 46-year-old also hadn't won a fight in the UFC since 2017. On his way out of the UFC, the legendary Brazilian suffered back-to-back TKO losses against the middleweight division's up-and-coming contenders.

Vintage. Anderson. Silva.In his return to the boxing ring, The Spider broke out some of the moves that made him an MMA legend 🕷 (via @FiteTV) pic.twitter.com/crZwnUYMFj

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 20, 2021

For those reasons, many believed Silva had no business stepping inside the boxing ring against the former WBC middleweight champion. Then again, 'The Spider' reminded everyone why he's one of the most feared strikers in MMA.

It appears that Silva's return to the squared circle isn't a one-and-done affair. He's expected to fight former world champion Roy Jones Jr. in the near future.