5 UFC fighters who could hang up their gloves in 2025, feat. Jon Jones

Next weekend sees the UFC's first event of 2025. There can be no doubt that across the year, we'll see plenty of twists and turns.

So which UFC fighters could end up hanging up their gloves this year? As always, there are a number of possibilities. From reigning champions to former veterans who are beginning to look washed up, it's never easy to predict who we could see the last of.

However, here are five UFC fighters who could hang up their gloves in 2025.

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#5. Pedro Munhoz - UFC bantamweight

Nicknames in a sport like MMA can often be difficult to choose. Sometimes, a nickname that fitted a fighter perfectly at one point can quickly become redundant.

A case in point is bantamweight contender Pedro Munhoz. The Brazilian is known as 'The Young Punisher', a moniker that fitted him perfectly when he debuted in the UFC as a prospect a decade ago.

Now, though, Munhoz is 38 years old, and will turn 39 in September. In the real world, he's not yet middle-aged, but in MMA, he's basically an old man.

The Brazilian has been showing his age in the octagon recently, too. Once a staple of the top 15 at 135 pounds, Munhoz's fast hands, underrated grappling and toughness led him to wins over fighters like Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font.

Since falling to Jose Aldo in 2021, though, the Brazilian has been on a real slide. Munhoz has won just one of his last six bouts, and has lost his last three in a row, with his last two defeats coming to unranked fighters in Kyler Phillips and Aiemann Zahabi.

'The Young Punisher' could still be seen as a solid gatekeeper at 135 pounds. With more losses, though, it'll be hard for him to stay afloat at all in such a loaded division.

One or two more losses, then, and Munhoz could choose to hang up his gloves before the end of the year.

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#4. Anthony Smith - UFC light heavyweight

Following UFC 310 in December, Dana White called for three veteran fighters who suffered defeats on the card to hang up their gloves.

Since then, we've heard very little from Clay Guida and Chris Weidman, suggesting that if they're not directly heeding White's words, they're definitely considering it.

Anthony Smith, though, has spoken about the prospect of retirement. 'Lionheart' was once an unlikely title challenger at 205 pounds, but is now on a run of just one win in four fights.

However, despite admitting that he could well decide not to return, Smith also stated that the idea of one more fight - "one final sendoff" as he put it - could intrigue him.

Given Smith's likeability as well as his position as a consummate company man for the UFC, then, it wouldn't be a surprise to see White acquiesce to his wishes.

Therefore, one more fight for 'Lionheart' to allow him to hang up his gloves formally feels very likely to take place in 2025.

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#3. Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson - UFC welterweight

Very few fighters survive in the UFC past their 40th birthday, and those who do tend to compete in the heavier weight classes.

One outlier still competing near the top of the mountain, then, is former welterweight title challenger Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.

The karate expert has now been in the promotion for almost 13 years, and it's arguable that he's one of the best fighters in UFC history to never hold a title.

Holding wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Johny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald, 'Wonderboy' was once considered a problem too difficult for most fighters to solve.

Now, though, he's clearly slipped off that pedestal. Thompson has just one win in his last four fights, and only fought once in 2024. That fight saw him outstruck and violently knocked out by Joaquin Buckley, just the second KO loss of his career.

There's nothing to suggest that 'Wonderboy' couldn't beat some of the lower-level welterweights in the promotion. After all, he's never lost to an unranked foe in the octagon.

The bigger question, though, is why he'd want to risk his reputation fighting lesser opponents, particularly at his age.

Instead, then, it's more likely that 'Wonderboy' fights perhaps one more time - against a stylistically fun opponent like Michael 'Venom' Page maybe - and then hangs up his gloves shortly after he turns 42.

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#2. Gilbert Burns - UFC welterweight

2025 might well see the end of the line for Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, but he may not be the only former welterweight title challenger to step away this year.

Despite still being ranked at No. 8 in the 170 pound division, it also wouldn't be a surprise to see Gilbert Burns hang up his gloves before 2025 is out.

'Durinho' is set to turn 39 years old this July, and he's now been part of the UFC roster for a long time, debuting way back in the summer of 2014.

Despite his lofty ranking, though, you now have to go back quite some time to find his last win in the octagon - to April 2023, to be exact. In the time since, 'Durinho' has lost three bouts in a row.

Sure, none of those losses were shameful, as Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady are all world-class fighters in their own right.

However, it's safe to say that Burns looked past his prime in the bout with Brady in particular, being beaten to the punch by the Philadelphia native and failing to find success with his grappling.

With this in mind, it feels unlikely that 'Durinho' will climb the ladder again. Instead, he's probably set for a role as a gatekeeper - something that doesn't often suit former title challengers.

Given his advanced age, then, as well as the mileage he has on his body, to see Burns step back and hang up his gloves in 2025 wouldn't be a shock at all.

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#1. Jon Jones - UFC heavyweight champion

The highest-profile fighter who could retire and step away from the UFC for good this year is undoubtedly Jon Jones.

The promotion's reigning heavyweight champion has already openly spoken about retirement on numerous occasions in the past.

Whether this was a bargaining tactic to squeeze more money out of Dana White and company, of course, is debatable. However, few fighters in MMA discuss retirement unless they genuinely do have the idea in their heads.

For Jones, hanging up the gloves would probably make sense. He's 37 years old now, and despite beating Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic since moving to heavyweight, his best years are almost certainly behind him.

With a record of 28-1-1, then - with the lone loss largely seen as bogus - if 'Bones' were to hang it up, he'd definitely go down as an all-time great.

The big question, then, is whether he ought to even attempt to face off with current interim champ Tom Aspinall this year.

It feels like a bout with the Brit is the only one on the table for Jones, and only a fool would claim it isn't dangerous. Aspinall is physically bigger than Jones, is six years younger and in his prime, and has the kind of hunger that usually propels a fighter to the top.

Realistically, if Jones were to retire rather than face Aspinall - almost emulating former heavyweight boxing king Lennox Lewis - nobody could really look down upon him.

Given that current reports suggest 'Bones' is demanding $30m to take the fight - a figure the UFC is unlikely to match - he may have already begun to signal his retirement.

Therefore, it feels highly probable that we won't see Jones in the octagon again after 2025.