5 former UFC fighters Dana White might rehire

The UFC has no shortage of superstar fighters. Dana White's mastery of promoting ensures audiences are kept on their toes from show to show for the most part.

As loaded as the UFC roster is, there are both superstars and journeymen alike who fall by the wayside and are let go. The reasons vary from the outrageous to a simple lack of winning and/or drawing power.

As unfortunate as losing a place on the world's most prestigious MMA roster is, it's not necessarily the end of the affair. Many fighters have come back to the UFC after long lay-offs or stays in other promotions. Next month, the legendary Nick Diaz will be making his return after six years away from the fighting game.

With 'Diablo' on the way back, it's safe to say Dana White is open to re-hiring when there's good reason. Here are five former UFC fighters who might return to the promotion one of these days.

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#5. Former UFC featherweight Jordan Griffin

At 18-9, Jordan Griffin’s record isn’t exactly outstanding. Despite the alarming amount of losses he’s eaten in his 10 years as an MMA fighter, Griffin has shown moments of greatness.

His technical submission win over TJ Brown is a perfect example. Sinking in a fatal guillotine choke in round two, Griffin also netted himself Performance of the Night honors. The skill and precision he displayed here was nothing short of exceptional. Outside of the UFC, ‘The Native Psycho’ has bagged featherweight gold in King of the Cage, Big Guns and Dakota FC.

Following his unanimous decision loss to Luis Saldaña in April, Griffin was cut from the UFC roster. Interestingly, there was a lot of controversy surrounding his final defeat in the promotion. A whopping 16 out of 18 media scores had Griffin as the winner of the bout. Despite the contentious nature of his loss, Griffin was still dropped from the promotion.

At 31, Jordan Griffin has plenty of years left in him. If he can improve his win-loss ratio elsewhere, it’s perfectly plausible Dana White will give him a second chance in the UFC’s featherweight division eventually.

#4. Former UFC welterweight Thiago Alves

UFC veteran Thiago Alves has found new life in recent years as a bare knuckle warrior. The American Top Team striking coach has been tearing it up in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s middleweight scene. He currently rules the roost as champion.

Alves battled it out 27 times in the octagon before his January 2020 release from the UFC. Despite his hit and miss record (23-15), Alves is a well-respected stalwart of the fight game.

A former Performance of the Night and Knockout of the Night winner, Alves’ name value is considerably higher now than it was at the time of his release. With BKFC’s budding popularity, Alves has a shot at drastically increasing his star power the longer he holds onto the middleweight gold.

The 37 year-old clearly has several years left in him. Perhaps a crack at a comeback run in the UFC is not out of the question in the next 2-3 years for MMA’s second most famous ‘Pitbull’.

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#3. Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez

‘The Underground King’ still has a lot left in the tank and a lot of intriguing match-ups in the UFC. Despite some disappointing results in recent years, Eddie Alvarez remains one of the finest and most accomplished lightweights in MMA history.

If Dustin Poirier defeats Charles Oliveira later this year, a resumption of Alvarez’s feud with ‘The Diamond’ could be money. He could also possibly get the chance to avenge the sound defeat he suffered at the hands of Conor McGregor at UFC 205.

In 2022, McGregor will be looking for a fresh opponent unless he can net a Poirier IV war right off the bat. McGregor vs Alvarez II could be the perfect UFC comeback fight for both men.

For any of this to have a shot at occurring in the near future, Alvarez will have to opt out of his current ONE Championship deal. Given his deflating run there so far, he might want to stick it out to improve his record regardless. In turn, he would become a more appertizing prospect for Dana White once again.

#2. Former UFC women's flyweight Paige VanZant

There was a time when Paige VanZant was touted in the UFC as the next face of women’s MMA. The popular VanZant amassed a slightly disappointing 8-5 record.

Following her UFC 251 submission loss to Amanda Ribas, VanZant jumped ship to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. While her contract is worth more than $1 million, VanZant has thus far failed to return to winning form.

She was defeated in her debut earlier this year by Britain Hart via unanimous decision. In a UFC rematch at BKFC 19, VanZant dropped a unanimous decision loss to Rachael Ostovich.

Despite her less than stellar track record in recent years, VanZant remains a recognizable and popular star in the world of combat sports. Having appeared on shows such as Dancing with the Stars and Chopped, she’s also proven to have some mainstream crossover appeal.

Given her prominent fanbase and fame, Dana White might at some point want to bring her back to cash in on her star power. That is of course if she can turn things around in BKFC first.

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#1. Former UFC light heavyweight Anthony Johnson

Former UFC light heavyweight boogeyman Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson is looking good in Bellator. He is set to challenge Vadim Nemkov for the Bellator light heavyweight title in October. He picked up his first win in the promotion earlier this year with a second-round knockout on Jose Augusto.

While Johnson never secured light heavyweight gold in the UFC (thanks to Daniel Cormier in both of his title challenges), he was a big star in the division. Johnson’s bone breaking ferocity and knockout power made him a hit with audiences.

A five-time Performance of the Night winner, the 37-year old has unfinished business in the UFC. A fight with current champ Jan Blachowicz (or Glover Teixeira should he win at UFC 267) could be big money down the line.

For that to happen, Johnson will have to keep dominating in Bellator until his contract is up.

Whether or not he and the UFC can come to another agreement some day is anyone’s guess.