5 UFC stars whose careers ended in the worst possible way
This past weekend, flyweight veteran Matt Schnell hung up his gloves. Given that his retirement came on a low-end UFC APEX show, it could've been better.
Few fighters manage to retire from the UFC in the kind of storybook fashion that Robbie Lawler did, though. For most fighters, hanging up the gloves is a sad affair.
Over the years, we've seen a number of stars who retired off the back of nasty losses, but sometimes, a fighter going out on their shield isn't too bad. For the following fighters, though, retirement came in much worse fashion.
Here are five UFC stars whose careers ended in the worst possible way.
#5. Jorge Masvidal - former UFC BMF champion
In the past week, former UFC 'BMF' champion Jorge Masvidal has teased a return to the octagon following his retirement from action back in 2023.
While a number of observers, including Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, have openly questioned the idea of 'Gamebred' making a comeback, on some levels, it'd be understandable.
That's because, given his fighting style, Masvidal ended up retiring in probably the worst possible way.
A former street fighter prior to his professional MMA career, 'Gamebred' was renowned for his striking style and willingness to brawl it out with any foe. That's why he became the UFC's first 'BMF' champion.
While he was a solid grappler, though, fighting on the ground never fitted his character.
Therefore, for his career to end on the back of two stifling losses to Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns - both of whom essentially outwrestled him more than anything else - must've stung.
Masvidal's career actually ended on the back of four straight losses. However, for a fighter like him, hanging up the gloves on the back of his knockout loss to Kamaru Usman might've been more fitting.
That way, he'd have gone out fighting on his own terms - not being held on his back.
#4. Cain Velasquez - former UFC heavyweight champion
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is still widely recognized as the most talented big man in the history of MMA.
Sure, his number of title defenses in the octagon was eventually surpassed by Stipe Miocic, but in his prime, nobody dismantled opponents quite like Velasquez did.
Unfortunately, injuries cut his prime down substantially. After he suffered an upset loss to Fabricio Werdum in 2015, relinquishing his title in the process, he was never the same fighter.
Velasquez returned to action in 2016 and smashed Travis Browne, but after that, a lingering back injury kept him on the shelf for the best part of the next three years.
In hindsight, the former champion probably would've been better off simply hanging his gloves up at that point. At least then, he'd have gone out with a win. Instead, he attempted one final comeback, and ended up being stopped by Francis Ngannou in just 26 seconds.
There was no shame in losing to 'The Predator', of course, but the way that Velasquez lost was maddening. Not only was he knocked out, but it looked like a knee injury led directly to the finish - a sign of his body betraying him again.
The former champ quietly retired shortly after, and realistically, it was the worst possible way for him to go out. In many ways, his final loss came to his worst enemy - his own broken body.
#3. Chris Leben - former UFC middleweight contender
While he never won a title during his near-decade long UFC career, Chris Leben still became one of the most popular men on the roster during his tenure with the promotion.
A star of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, 'The Crippler' gained popularity for his willingness to scrap it out with anyone, as well as his iron chin and toughness.
It was a style that led him to some famous wins in the octagon, including victories over Wanderlei Silva and Patrick Cote, as well as two wins inside just two weeks in 2010.
While the latter stages of his career did see that chin cracked on numerous occasions, Leben was never seen as anything but tough as leather. However, fans who witnessed his retirement fight in 2013 didn't really get the gist of that idea.
'The Crippler' met a truly sorry end at the hands and knees of Uriah Hall, who dropped him with his first strike of the bout and continued the abuse for the remainder of the first round.
Left with nothing in the tank, Leben sensibly decided to end things there and then, quitting on his stool rather than suffer more damage.
Sure, it was a smart decision from 'The Crippler', but considering he prided himself on his toughness and grit, to retire off the back of the loss was sad.
Given that, it's hardly a surprise that he made an ill-advised foray into bare-knuckle boxing a few years later, even if he never returned to MMA.
#2. Chuck Liddell - former UFC light heavyweight champion
In a sport as violent as MMA, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a fighter going out on their proverbial shield by being knocked out in vicious fashion.
In the world of the UFC, the highest-level promotion in the world, this is only magnified. Even big stars don't tend to get an easy ride, meaning that most legends hang their gloves up following a nasty loss.
For former light heavyweight kingpin Chuck Liddell, though, this concept was almost taken too far.
In his prime, 'The Iceman' was not only renowned for his razor-sharp counterstriking skills and brutal knockout power, but also for an iron chin that allowed him to absorb anything thrown at him.
As he got older, though, Liddell's chin began to degrade. He lost his title to 'Rampage' Jackson via knockout in 2007, and while he seemed fine in wild brawls with Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva, a bad KO loss to Rashad Evans seemed to crack his chin for good.
Another knockout loss, this time to future champ 'Shogun' Rua, seemed to signal the end for Liddell. He unofficially hung up his gloves, but by 2010, 'The Iceman' was tempted back into action.
This time, he promised things would be different. He was reportedly training harder than he'd ever done and appeared to be in great shape. Even a late switch in opponent, from Tito Ortiz to Rich Franklin, didn't seem to deter him.
Early on, it looked like the old Liddell was indeed back. He looked faster than he'd done in his last fight, and took the bout to 'Ace', even snapping his forearm with a kick.
However, when 'The Iceman' looked to close in for a late finish, Franklin caught him with a short counterpunch - using his broken arm - and Liddell was knocked unconscious instantly.
It was an unbelievably frustrating way for the former champion to go. While nobody was going to try to talk him out of retiring afterwards, it was still a hard pill to swallow for both Liddell and his fans.
#1. B.J. Penn - former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion
For as bad as all of the previously discussed retirements were, at least they came either inside the octagon or a few weeks after a loss there.
Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn, though, didn't even get the opportunity to have a real send-off. Instead, he just quietly faded away behind the scenes with nobody really paying attention.
'The Prodigy' had already technically announced his retirement twice before, first in 2011 following a loss to Nick Diaz and then in 2012 after a defeat to Rory MacDonald.
Neither retirement felt like it would stick for the Hawaiian, and nobody was really surprised when he announced a 2014 comeback, this time at 145 pounds. Few fans could've seen how badly things would go for the Hawaiian, though.
Somehow, he'd seemingly lost all of the skills he once had, from his wicked striking game to his incredible takedown defense and iron chin. Penn fell to five defeats in a row, and by the time he fell to Clay Guida in 2019, it was clear that the writing was on the wall. 'The Prodigy' had nothing left in the tank and probably should've stepped away there.
Instead, he decided to soldier on, and the UFC announced a fight with Nik Lentz for later in 2019.
However, behind the scenes, the Hawaiian's life was actually falling apart. He was involved in a number of drunken brawls in bars, and when footage emerged of the former champion being knocked out by a patron, Dana White decided enough was enough.
Penn was unceremoniously cut from his contract, essentially forcing him directly into retirement.
'The Prodigy' would never fight again, and despite being inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame in 2015, never got the chance to properly leave on his own terms. Given his accomplishments beforehand, it's probably the saddest end to any octagon legend's career.