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By no means would it be an overstatement to say that, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is not for the faint of heart. MMA is an incredibly violent sport where the outcome could change with a single error. Additionally, the fact that said error could probably end in a brutal loss or worse; is just a cold, hard fact of this business.
While most fighters continue competing way longer than what may be advisable, there are a select few fighters who get out the game earlier than they probably should. These fighters likely possess the ability to continue competing in the professional MMA realm, but choose to hang up the gloves for a myriad of reasons.
However, the lure of martial arts and fighting often succeeds in bringing a few of these retired combatants back to the MMA ring/cage. Today, we take a look at a few UFC fighters whom the fans want to see return...
#5 Anthony Johnson
Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson will always be remembered as one of the hardest-hitting fighters in Mixed Martial Arts history. During his run as a Light-Heavyweight, Johnson was regarded by many as one of the greatest fighters in the UFC's 205-pound division.
Regardless, a pair of submission losses to former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion and current UFC Heavyweight kingpin Daniel Cormier - albeit with a few wins in between the aforesaid losses - led Johnson to retire from the sport of MMA. 'Rumble' last fought in 2017, and in the months that ensued, he has taken to the sport of bodybuilding with a vengeance.
As evidenced by his posts on social media, Johnson has put on a considerable amount of muscle mass, and has also asserted that the only fight that would convince him to return to MMA is one with Jon Jones at Heavyweight...Now that is a fight fans and experts worldwide are clamoring to see...
#4 Chad Mendes
Following his TKO loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 232, Chad 'Money' Mendes shocked the Mixed Martial Arts community with the announcement of his retirement from the sport of MMA. Mendes still is one of the top contenders in the UFC Featherweight division, which in turn is the biggest reason behind most people being utterly puzzled by his decision to hang up the gloves.
Mendes had just recently returned to MMA competition after having been dealt a two-year ban due to a USADA violation. He went 1-1 in the Octagon during his brief return to the UFC, and has showcased impressive speed in both fights - even in his losing effort against Volkanovski!
Honestly speaking, Mendes may very well reconsider his decision, and could potentially return to MMA competition in the months to come. It's not really uncommon for fighters to contemplate or even go as far as announcing their retirement from the sport, after a bad loss.
This could perhaps be the case with Mendes, and with the vast majority of fans wishing he'd return and make one last run at the UFC Featherweight Title, only time will tell if 'Money' ever dons the UFC gloves again...
#3 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is the reigning WWE RAW Women's Champion, and is a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. After suffering a pair of brutal KO/TKO losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes respectively, Rousey eventually began training for her professional wrestling debut...'The Rowdy One' made her official debut as a WWE Superstar in January of 2018, and has earned a considerable amount of praise for her work in the sports-entertainment realm ever since.
Now, what's highly intriguing here, is that Rousey never formally announced her retirement from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Instead, in her case, the retirement was more of an implied announcement, so to speak. One ought to note that the negativity on part of several fans as well as combat sports experts against Rousey after her losses, was quite shocking.
Rousey didn't really handle the metaphorical tsunami of hatred directed towards her after successive defeats, and has been known to get emotional whenever questioned about her pair of defeats in the UFC.
However, the only thing that beats an undefeated fighter's story; is a comeback one. That has always been a constant in the fight game, and Rousey could stage one of the greatest comebacks of all-time if she successfully manages to compete in the UFC again. Not necessarily win, but compete, at the very least. Her fans evidently still wish she'd fight in the UFC and on that note, we keep our fingers crossed as we progress through 2019.
#2 Nick Diaz
Nick Diaz and Ronda Rousey are good friends and former training partners. Both California natives, have always been known for wearing their heart on their sleeve. With that in mind, it isn't really surprising that much like Rousey - despite not having formally retired from MMA - Diaz hasn't really shown much interest in fighting for the UFC again.
Nevertheless, Diaz's situation is far different than that of Rousey, in the sense that he isn't really worried about fighting again due to a few previous losses. In fact, Diaz was recently set to compete against Jorge Masvidal, in what would've been his first MMA fight since 2015.
However, he eventually claimed that the UFC wasn't compensating him adequately in the financial sphere, owing to which he'd love fighting for Scott Coker in Bellator MMA. Over the past few days, UFC President Dana White has claimed that Diaz vs. Masvidal has been canceled, and he has no idea whether or not Diaz will ever fight again.
The fans still cheer on Stockton's older son, and while they wish for both Nick and his younger brother Nate to fight in the UFC again; only the legendary brothers from Stockton 209 know if and when they'll compete in the sport of MMA again...
#1 Dan Henderson
This is probably the most controversial choice on this list. However, the Mixed Martial Arts community was recently rife with rumours that Dan Henderson could potentially return to the sport and compete for Bellator MMA. Truth be told, 'Hendo' last competed in 2016, and although he arguably beat then-UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping with the latter getting the judges' nod; the fact remains that Henderson is now a 48-year-old man.
However, Bellator MMA has come up with somewhat of a unique Japanese MMA-inspired strategy of promoting fights - whereby Bellator matches up old legends of the sport with fellow ageing legends, so that the fights are somewhat even.
Henderson could probably return for a big-money fight against Fedor Emelianenko -- with Henderson having won the first fight by way of TKO back in 2011. The latter also happens to be in his forties, and the fans would undoubtedly love to see them run that fight back one last time.
Which UFC fighters would you like to see return? Sound off in the comments!
