Korean Zombie, Khabib Nurmagomedov and more: 5 most memorable retirements in UFC history

In the world of the UFC, retiring is often a tricky thing for any fighter to come to terms with, and timing it correctly is almost impossible.

Over the years, though, we’ve seen a handful of retirements in the UFC that could’ve come out of a storybook, even if the fighters in question arguably left it a little too late.

Sure, not all of these fighters hung up their gloves off the back of a win, but their exits were all highly memorable – and emotional – moments.

Here are the five most memorable retirements in UFC history.

#5 Chan Sung Jung – former UFC featherweight contender

The retirement of the Korean Zombie was a hugely emotional moment [Image Credit: @koreanzombiemma on Instagram]

The latest addition to this list comes in the form of former UFC featherweight title challenger Chan Sung Jung.

‘The Korean Zombie’ perhaps held on for a little too long when it came to his MMA career. After rising to fame in Japan, he made his octagon debut back in 2011, and beat fighters like Dustin Poirier and Frankie Edgar over the subsequent decade.

However, he looked past his prime in his 2022 loss to Alexander Volkanovski – his final title challenge - and considered retirement after that.

Instead, Jung returned this past weekend to face Max Holloway, facing the Hawaiian in the headliner of the promotion’s latest event in Singapore.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise when ‘The Korean Zombie’ lost via knockout to ‘Blessed’, suffering a brutal finish in the third round. However, the fight was hugely exciting, and what happened afterwards was perfect.

Jung announced his retirement by laying his gloves in the centre of the octagon, and his walkout song, Zombie by the Cranberries, played over the speakers for one final time.

Would things have been even better had Jung won? Of course, but as far as retirements went, this was the perfect send-off for ‘The Korean Zombie’ and it instantly became one of the more memorable in UFC history.

#4 Robbie Lawler – former UFC welterweight champion

Robbie Lawler's retirement was storybook-perfect [Image Credit: @ruthless_rl on Instagram]

Very few UFC fighters get to end their career in the octagon off the back of a big win, particularly if they’ve already looked past their best for some time.

However, that’s just what former welterweight kingpin Robbie Lawler did earlier this year, and that’s why his retirement is one of the most memorable we’ve ever been treated to.

At the age of 41, Lawler had been slowing down for years, dating back to his title loss to Tyron Woodley in the summer of 2016.

After being knocked out by Woodley, ‘Ruthless’ had lost five of his next seven bouts, with his only win coming over the equally spent Nick Diaz in 2021.

When it was announced that his final fight would take place at UFC 290 against the dangerous Niko Price, then, it felt likely that Lawler would probably go out on his shield in typically disappointing fashion.

Instead, though, ‘Ruthless’ found a way to roll back the years, stunning Price with a combination and knocking him out in just 38 seconds. Remarkably, Lawler didn’t even need to follow up as Price hit the ground, instead walking away while beginning to tear up.

To make things even more memorable, as Lawler had announced his retirement prior to the fight, the UFC had a ‘This is Your Life’ video prepared for him, adding to what was already a phenomenal moment.

As far as retirements go, this one was picture-perfect and stands as one of MMA’s most memorable.

#3 Joanna Jedrzejczyk – former UFC strawweight champion

Joanna Jedrzejczyk walked away from the octagon at the perfect time [Image Credit: @joannajedrzejczyk on Instagram]

When it comes to great female fighters in UFC history, only a handful, if any, could stand above former strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Part of the reason that her legend will stand the test of time is the memorable way that she retired in 2022.

Boasting an unbeaten record of 6-0, the native of Poland made her octagon debut back in 2014, and it didn’t take her long to make an impact. After winning her first two fights, she stopped Carla Esparza to claim strawweight gold in 2015.

From there, ‘Joanna Champion’ cut a path of violence through the division, defending her crown successfully five times before she lost it to Rose Namajunas in 2017.

After losing to ‘Thug Rose’ in a rematch, Jedrzejczyk continued to stand as one of the division’s top fighters, and eventually earned another title shot in 2020.

That shot came against Weili Zhang, and in arguably the greatest women’s fight of all time, the two strawweights went toe-to-toe for five rounds before Zhang claimed a split decision.

Two years later, the two rivals rematched in a non-title fight, and in another thriller, Zhang again came out on top – becoming just the second fighter to stop Jedrzejczyk in the process.

That was enough for the former champion, and in an emotional moment, she decided to hang up her gloves there and then, citing her wish to become a mother after 20 years in the fight game.

It was a perfectly timed retirement from the Polish fighter, who never overstayed her welcome and allowed herself to slip fully out of her prime.

She could easily have continued to float around near the top of the division, but instead, chose to walk away rather than slide down the mountain, making her retirement hugely memorable.

#2 Brock Lesnar – former UFC heavyweight champion

Brock Lesnar's retirement from the UFC was expertly-timed [Image Credit: @brocklesnarwwe on Instagram]

His meteoric rise to the top of the UFC didn’t come without controversy, but it’s fair to say that overall, Brock Lesnar was MMA’s equivalent of a shooting star. He came suddenly, lit up the sport for a brief time, and then was gone again in what felt like the blink of an eye.

A former WWE champion who made his name in the pro-wrestling ring, Lesnar decided to move into the fight game in 2007, and it was always a logical move. Prior to his WWE days, he’d been renowned as one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers of his era.

After just one fight, he was signed by the UFC, and while he lacked experience, he made up for that in sheer athleticism, power and raw talent.

A wild debut loss to Frank Mir followed, but after a single win, Lesnar was given a shot at the heavyweight title held by Randy Couture – and stunned everyone by knocking out ‘The Natural’ to claim the gold.

Despite holding the title, Lesnar’s octagon career continued to be a rollercoaster of sorts. He defended his crown successfully twice, but also suffered from diverticulitis, which kept him out of action for lengthy periods.

Once he lost his title to Cain Velasquez in 2010, the disease kept him out of action for almost the entirety of 2011. Upon his return, he was defeated by Alistair Overeem in brutal fashion.

That was enough for the former WWE champ, who announced his retirement directly after the loss.

Fans and observers worldwide were stunned by his decision, but in reality – ignoring his 2016 one-off comeback – it was hard to suggest he hadn’t made the right decision.

Lesnar remains a UFC legend of sorts, even if his career in the octagon didn’t last too long, and part of that legend stems from his retirement. Like most things in his athletic career, it was perfectly timed.

#1 Khabib Nurmagomedov – former UFC lightweight champion

Khabib Nurmagomedov's shocking retirement in 2020 was inspired by the death of his father [Image Credit: @khabib_nurmagomedov on Instagram]

Very few UFC fighters get to retire after a big win, and even fewer hang their gloves up whilst at the very top of their game.

That’s why the 2020 retirement of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov stands head and shoulders above any other in UFC history.

Not only was ‘The Eagle’ at the peak of his powers when he stepped away from competition, but he was also at the peak of his popularity, too. However, Khabib made his decision, and as of three years later, he’s stuck to it. It’s hard not to respect that.

While he was long viewed as one of the best 155lbers on the planet, it was 2018 that saw the Dagestani reach the stratosphere.

He defeated Al Iaquinta to claim the vacant lightweight title, and then destroyed former champ Conor McGregor in what still stands as the biggest-drawing MMA fight of all time.

The win over ‘The Notorious’ transformed Nurmagomedov into a huge superstar – but remarkably, he only fought another two times afterwards.

After defeating Dustin Poirier in late 2019, Khabib’s life changed forever in 2020 when his father, coach and mentor Abdulmanap passed away following a bout of COVID-19.

The loss hit his entire family hard, and his mother asked him to step away from fighting, for her sake. After defeating Justin Gaethje to take his record to 29-0, ‘The Eagle’ decided to agree to her request, and hung up his gloves in the octagon.

His decision shocked everyone, with Dana White being no exception, but despite the promoter’s best efforts, he could not make Khabib change his mind.

While some fans today try to knock the overall record of ‘The Eagle’, retiring unbeaten with almost 30 wins is basically unheard of in the world of MMA, and the way that he hung up his gloves showed a unique level of poise, too.

Khabib remains one of the biggest legends in octagon history, and his retirement stands as the most memorable in the promotion’s history, too.