5 most heartbreaking retirements in UFC history
The UFC has seen its fair share of moving retirements over the years, as host to a sport which pushes its athletes to the limit both emotionally and physically.
Fighters often hang on for too long past their prime, inflicting serious damage on their health and well-being. So much so that when they retire, their decision is met with an outpouring of relief. At the other end of the spectrum, a few fighters have been smart about their decision to hang up their gloves by walking away at exactly the right time.
Fighters of both types find themselves mentioned in this article. Here, we take a look at the five most emotional retirements in UFC history.
Honorable Mentions: Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Urijah Faber, Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza, Rashad Evans
#5 Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier is arguably one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and definitely one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time. But despite his immense accomplishments in the UFC, DC retired on a sour note, with many fans of the opinion that his legacy was severely diminished by the end of his career.
Although Cormier was comprehensively beaten by Jon Jones in both their meetings, 'Bones' testing positive for a banned substance saw the result of the second fight overturned. And when DC faced off against Stipe Miocic for the first time in July 2018, he clinched the heavyweight title and status as a two-division champion.
Cormier was well on his way to being a frontrunner in the GOAT conversation, having lost only to a fighter with a sketchy history in Jones. But everything came crashing down in his last two fights, where he lost to Miocic twice in the span of a year to end his career in disappointing fashion.
Cormier's trilogy against Miocic was expected to provide him with a chance to ride off into the sunset. But after a few eyepokes and a convincing defeat, the California native was reduced to tears.