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The UFC was established 25 years ago today (November 12, 1993), when it's first pay per view event took place and saw Royce Gracie overcome Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau to win a one-night tournament.
in 2018, UFC is firmly established as the premier MMA promotion in the world with the biggest stars and a loyal global audience that has seen it break its own pay per view record with 2.6 million homes purchasing UFC 229, headlined by a Lightweight Championship bout between unbeaten champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
However, while UFC has stars like Khabib and McGregor and others like Daniel Cormier on its books, it lacks the marquee names it once boasted to attract a fan base for its vast array of shows.
In 2018, McGregor after a two-year absence returned, despite bringing controversy on the company with his criminal assault act of launching a dolly through a bus window causing injury and distress to many of UFC's staff and fighters.
Jon Jones is scheduled to fight for the first time in over a year at UFC 232 in a title match no less, versus Alexander Gustaffson. This, despite a succession of doping violations that has brought embarrassment to the company.
39 year old, BJ Penn will come out of retirement once more at UFC 232 in December as he bids to win his first fight in eight years. He won't. He will tarnish his already diminishing legacy with yet another defeat.
The reason, the UFC have called upon these shamed or past their prime talents is because they desperately lack money drawing stars in 2018 and are reliant on names of yesteryear to prop up their events.
With this in mind, SK looks at five former UFC stars that the company should re-sign who will be of most benefit to the company in 2019 and beyond.
#5 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is currently tearing it up as the WWE Raw Women's Champion and is heavily rumoured to be set to become the first female performer to ever headline Wrestlemania in April 2019.
Rousey in a former life was the UFC Bantamweight Champion and the most devastating force in the female division.
Decimating all put in front of her including accomplished fighters Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate, Sara McMann, Alexis Davis, Cat Zingano and Bethe Correira, Rousey was an MMA sensation.
Her last three victories inside the Octagon came in just 64 seconds combined.
Rousey routinely main evented UFC pay per views and proved herself a major draw with her headlining bouts at UFC 157 which pulled 450,000 buys, UFC 170 which drew 375,000 orders, UFC 184 which achieved a 600,000 butyrate and UFC 190 which pulled a mammoth 900,000 buys.
However, it was to be her final two fights inside the Octagon, both of which ended in decisive defeat which proved to be her most successful on pay per view.
UFC 193, which was headlined by Rousey's title defence versus former Boxer Holly Holm pulled a huge 1.1 million orders and featured one of the biggest shocks in MMA in history. Holm knocked out Rousey with a devastating kick to the head and terminated her UFC title reign and inflicted upon Rousey her first-ever loss in MMA.
Her second MMA loss came in her next and to date, final fight against Brazilian, Amanda Nunes. The younger Nunes effectively kept Rousey at bay with jabs before ending her gruesome punches. This bout also drew 1.1 million orders.
However, some two years later and with time away from the sport to reflect and learn from her devastating losses, there is no doubt, Rousey at just 31 years of age has time on her side to return and make it a successful one.
Her WWE exposure and movie appearances have made Rousey an ever bigger superstar and a UFC return, no matter who she is pitted against would be an enormous money maker for the promotion who in 2018 has a dearth of major money drawing stars.
#4 Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez stunned the MMA world when he announced that he had signed for ONE Championship on October 15, 2018.
Alvarez, a former Lightweight Champion in both UFC and Bellator had last competed in UFC in July in a losing effort versus Dustin Poirier.
In truth, Alvarez has appeared to be a fading force ever since his one-sided loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 205 in November 2016.
However, despite this, Alvarez is still a major draw, evidenced by the amount of money One Championship appears to have paid to make him the figurehead of their brand.
One Championship can reach one billion homes across 138 countries and should Alvarez be successful in winning fights in his new surroundings, he can become an even bigger star than he already is.
Should this eventuality occur, then Alvarez, when his contract comes up for renewal will become one of the most sought-after talents in MMA?
It goes without saying a star of this magnitude belongs in UFC. At the earliest opportunity, UFC needs to re-sign this man.
#3 Tito Ortiz
It is no surprise that UFC allowed Tito Ortiz to leave the promotion when he ostensibly retired following his loss to Forest Griffin in the co-main event of UFC 148 in July 2012.
The defeat to Griffin was Ortiz's seventh in his past nine fights, drawing and winning one apiece.
The Ortiz who had thrilled fans with his dominating Light-Heavyweight Championship reign between 2000 and 2003 appeared to be long gone.
However, the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" was far from done. Making an unexpected comeback for Bellator in May 2014, Ortiz beat Alexander Shlemenko in his debut fight for the promotion with an arm-triangle choke in under three minutes.
Ortiz was back. Even more impressively, the UFC Hall of Famer knocked off fellow, former UFC stars Stephan Bonnar and Chael Sonnen in two of his next three bouts for the second largest MMA promotion in the states.
Ortiz is set to fight once more for long time rival and former friend, Chuck Liddell in a bout for Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions later this month.
The younger Ortiz is the favourite for that bout and should he win, his former employer should consider giving him a call.
Despite his advancing age, Ortiz has demonstrated that he still has something to offer the world of MMA and could be utilised effectively in some marquee fights before he finally does retire for good.
#2 Brock Lesnar
The Brock Lesnar UFC return is a story that has been rumoured for months. His precise contractual status is still unknown but it appears likely that the former UFC Heavyweight Champion will set foot in the Octagon once again in 2019.
Lesnar, currently under contract to WWE and recognised as the WWE Universal Champion apparently has a clause in his WWE deal that will allow him to compete for UFC.
A Heavyweight title bout with reigning champion, Daniel Cormier could well occur before WWE's Wrestlemania event in which the "Beast" could conceivably walk into the pro-wrestling spectacular as the reigning champion of both promotions.
UFC need Lesnar. Their Heavyweight division has little depth. So little in fact that they had to pit their reigning Light-Heavyweight Champion, Cormier versus then champion, Stipe Miocic such was the dearth of other deserving contenders.
Cain Velasquez hasn't competed since July 2016. Junior dos Santos has lost four of his past eight bouts and not won consecutive fights since 2011-12.
The division has no other Heavyweight drawing cards on its books. Lesnar is the man that can bring excitement and most importantly, cash to UFC's most prestigious title.
If Lesnar is not already signed and set up, the UFC need to make it happen as soon as possible.
#1 Ryan Bader
Ryan Bader signed for Bellator in March 2017 ending his eight-year association with UFC.
Bellator had offered Bader a lucrative contract that the UFC had been unwilling to match. Despite boasting UFC victories over legends such as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans, UFC were willing to let him go following his Fight Night victory over Nogueria on November 19, 2016.
Bader left UFC with 15 victories at Light-Heavyweight; the exact same number as Hall of Famers, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell which tied him second in all time statistics for the division. At just 33 years of age when he left UFC, Bader was set to become the unrivalled, all-time most successful star of the Light-Heavyweight division.
The decision not to sign Bader to a new deal has been a mistake. For the competition, Bader is unbeaten, winning all four of his bouts to date and is scheduled to meet MMA legend, Fedor Emelianenko in January for the vacant Bellator Heavyweight Championship at Bellator 214.
After that bout, he has just one fight left on his Bellator deal. Will UFC make a play to re-sign their former star? They should. He could well be the Bellator Heavyweight Champion at that point in time. What a coup that would be.
