5 retired UFC fighters who waited too long to hang up their gloves
Arguably the trickiest thing about being a UFC fighter is knowing when enough is enough. Very few fighters hang up their gloves at the right time, and plenty are sucked back in after doing so.
For every Khabib Nurmagomedov, who stepped away from the UFC at the peak of his powers, there are multiple other fighters who simply hung on for too long.
And to tell the truth, doing so is no fun for anyone. The fighter simply takes more damage â potentially harming them in later life â while the fans usually sit cringed, hoping that an old favorite wonât get hurt in the octagon.
So with this in mind, here are five retired UFC fighters who waited too long to hang up their gloves.
#5 Ronaldo âJacareâ Souza â former UFC middleweight contender
UFC fans largely breathed a sigh of relief this week when it was announced that longtime UFC middleweight contender Ronaldo âJacareâ Souza had retired from MMA after eight years with the promotion.
Jacare â who turned 41 last December â never held UFC gold, and despite his best efforts he never fought for a UFC title either. But he was still one of the best middleweights of his era, holding big victories over the likes of Yushin Okami, Vitor Belfort and Chris Weidman.
However, over his last few active years, the Brazilian grappler clearly wasnât the same fighter he once was. His win over Weidman came in November 2019, but when he fought Jack Hermansson six months later, he appeared to have aged overnight.
Jacare lost that fight via unanimous decision, knocking him out of title contention, and a subsequent move to 205lbs didnât re-energise him as he was beaten by future UFC light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz.
The Brazilian should perhaps have considered stepping away after that loss, but he returned just days after his 41st birthday for a seemingly winnable fight with Kevin Holland. Just two minutes into the fight, though, Jacare was knocked out in violent fashion by âThe Trailblazerâ.
That shouldâve been that. But Jacare further harmed his legacy at UFC 262 this May by having his arm snapped by prospect Andre Muniza - a truly humiliating loss considering his stellar grappling background.
It mightâve only been for two fights, but itâs safe to say that Jacare probably hung onto his UFC career a little too long in the end.