5 UFC superstars who wasted their prime years

#2. Nick Diaz – UFC welterweight contender

Nick Diaz's lengthy stretches away from the UFC have wasted his prime years

If there’s an argument to suggest that Nate Diaz wasted his prime with his long absences from the UFC, then his older brother Nick must also be considered in the same boat.

In Nick’s case, it’s probably safe to say that his best years came away from the UFC, with promotions like StrikeForce and Elite XC.

While this five-year period between 2006 and 2011 meant that he didn’t face top competition, it did mean that his overall stock rose dramatically – meaning that by the time he returned to the octagon, he was a major star.

When Diaz returned to the UFC at the age of 28 and battered BJ Penn, it looked like he’d go on to have the fruitful career with the promotion that always felt like his destiny. But unfortunately, that hasn’t quite happened.

Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn full fight video http://t.co/zxmCQemCe4

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) December 24, 2014

Diaz lost to Carlos Condit in a razor-close fight to begin 2012 but was still able to secure a shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre a year later, despite not fighting in the interim. But after losing to GSP, he chose to sit out for almost two years.

Since returning to fight Anderson Silva in a huge bout in January 2015, he has not stepped into the octagon. Like his brother, Diaz has been kept away from action largely because of financial issues with the UFC. But it’s probably fair to suggest that he’d have made more money had he simply fought a couple of times.

Diaz is now set to return to action at UFC 266 next month. However, at the age of 38, it’s unlikely that he has a lot left to give, which is definitely a disappointment.

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#1. Conor McGregor – Former UFC featherweight & lightweight champion

Conor McGregor's fight with Floyd Mayweather may have robbed fans of his prime years in the UFC

Conor McGregor is not only the highest-drawing UFC fighter of all time; he’s arguably the most popular, too. No athlete in MMA history, let alone the UFC, has transcended the sport quite like ‘The Notorious.’

Unfortunately, despite his successes – he became the first fighter to simultaneously hold two UFC titles in different weight classes in 2016 – there’s also a fair argument that, from a sporting perspective, McGregor wasted his prime years.

The Irish superstar undoubtedly reached his peak in the octagon at UFC 205 in November 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC lightweight title.

With red-hot contenders like Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov desperate for a shot at him, it looked like there’d be no shortage of possible fights for ‘The Notorious.’

However, rather than continue to compete in the UFC, McGregor chose to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather instead, forcing a lengthy hiatus from MMA.

VIDEO: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor full fight video highlights https://t.co/uXXtmKsqNU

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) August 27, 2017

From a financial standpoint, this was almost certainly the right decision, as McGregor reportedly earned somewhere in the region of $130m for what was basically an exhibition fight.

However, from a sporting perspective, it ruled ‘The Notorious’ out of MMA competition for two years. And since he returned to the UFC in October 2018, he’s fought just four times and has only won one bout – a victory over a past-his-prime Donald Cerrone.

More to the point, it appears that his focus on boxing has affected his overall MMA game, as he looked too focused on his punching in both losses to Dustin Poirier.

Had the Irishman stayed in the UFC rather than pursue the Mayweather fight, who knows what he could’ve achieved? Conor McGregor could perhaps have gone onto be recognized as one of the UFC’s true all-time greats.

As it is, he’ll definitely be remembered as the promotion’s biggest-ever star, but also as a fighter who wasted his prime years.