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Fighting in the UFC is hard on the body. It’s rare that a fighter manages to show great athletic longevity in the later years of their career. However, if a cocktail of personality and an accomplished prime run captured fans’ imaginations, business can keep booming.
The following five UFC stars have proven that, win, lose or draw, they can pull crowds. Their age, health and UFC rankings all appear to be irrelevant. They have all, in their own ways, struck chords with fight fans that remain strong years after the fact.
In all five cases, their once sterling records began to slip for a variety of reasons. From a lack of focus to injuries piling up, these legends of the octagon have all fallen on challenging times in the cage.
Regardless of the setbacks, they have all remained huge money draws with legacies few could ever hope to touch.
#5. Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn
BJ Penn is one of the most important and accomplished lightweight fighters in the history of the UFC. Dana White himself has acknowledged Penn’s revolutionary work in bringing lighter weight divisions into the mainstream.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the promotion’s history during his prime, many may be shocked to discover that ‘The Prodigy’ has an alarming 16-14 win/loss record.
Despite capturing both lightweight and welterweight gold during his career, Penn ultimately did a disservice to his legacy. Continuing to fight far past his prime, Penn endured a seven-fight skid from 2011 to 2019.
The question of why the man who once tapped out Takanori Gomi and Matt Hughes in back-to-back wars kept going is simple. He was still a draw. A seminal name in the early days of the UFC’s move into the mainstream, BJ Penn pulled a crowd effectively and consistently.
While he was no longer the ace boxer and Brazilian jiu-jitsu master that had wowed crowds in the mid-noughties, his name value lived on. The MMA legend has not fought again since his UFC 237 unanimous decision loss to Clay Guida.
#4. UFC welterweight Nate Diaz
The Stockton Slugger has not won a fight in two years. His last victory came via unanimous decision against Anthony Pettis at UFC 241. At UFC 244, Diaz faced Jorge Masvidal for the BMF title, a signature belt seemingly tailor-made for the triathlete.
Sadly for Diaz, a cut over his right eye prompted the ringside doctor to stop the fight after three rounds. Incensed, a bloodied Diaz let the world know what he really thought of Dwayne Johnson before leaving the octagon for two years. Diaz went on a similar lay-off following his UFC 202 majority decision loss to Conor McGregor in 2016.
When he finally returned this year, it was not without hiccups. Diaz’s return fight had to be postponed after he sustained an injury while training. When he did face Leon Edwards at UFC 263, Diaz found himself on the receiving end of heavy punishment in the early rounds.
While he did make a hard-hitting comeback in round five, it was too little, too late for the fan favorite. Despite his scattershot record at this point (20-13), Diaz continues to pull a crowd and maintain a large and vocal fanbase.
Astoundingly, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu second degree black belt has never even challenged for the welterweight title. As honest and as real on the mic as modern MMA gets, the cardio machine will likely a remain a box office sensation until he hangs up the gloves.
#3. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell
‘The Ice Man’ was another key figure in the UFC’s entry into the mainstream during the mid-noughties. Over the course of 23 fights in the UFC, the kajukenbo black belt used his mastery of hybrid fighting to utterly decimate his rivals. The ruthless light heavyweight ace racked up an impressive 13 knockouts during his time in the fighting world.
Between his explosive, high octane striking and larger-than-life personality, Liddell was a superstar. Audiences flocked to his ultraviolent wars in droves and he quickly became the face of the UFC.
Sadly for Liddell, as intense and intimidating as he was, time came for him as it does for everyone. ‘The Ice Man’ lost six of his final seven bouts, including first round knockout losses to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Rich Franklin.
While his bloodthirsty aura was slightly tainted from the sudden surge in losses, Liddell remained a big-money name for MMA. Even his ill-advised 2018 comeback fight against Tito Ortiz stirred up more interest than anything else Oscar De La Hoya could’ve done for his one MMA show.
A seminal fighter and a key legend in the UFC’s growth into the conglomerate it is today, Chuck Liddell’s pull with fans ultimately outlived his athletic prime.
#2. Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey
The original face of women’s fighting in the UFC was a monumental crossover star at her peak. Rousey was seemingly everywhere one turned, from action movies to reality TV to the octagon.
Rousey blitzed through her time in Strikeforce undefeated. She continued her winning ways in the UFC as the promotion’s inaugural women’s bantamweight champion. At 12-0, Rousey marched into UFC 193 as the heavy favorite against Holly Holm. To the shock of millions, the once seemingly indestructible Rousey was kicked in the head and punched into defeat early in round two.
Devastated by the loss, Rousey took 13 months before returning and attempting to reclaim her bantamweight gold. By then, Amanda Nunes had begun a championship reign that continues to this day. Rousey, a judoka by trade before MMA, foolishly attempted to brawl with the ferocious Nunes. It took less than one minute for Nunes to show why that was a bad call.
Despite her aura of invincibility getting tarnished, Rousey remains a big mainstream name. Following her time in the UFC, she moved over to WWE where she proved to be an effective, if somewhat polarizing, main event attraction. She was also a part of the first ever women’s main event in WrestleMania history in 2019.
#1. Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor
While it’s not too late for the former champ-champ to turn things around, recent years haven’t been kind to him in the octagon. Despite his overwhelming success outside of the UFC, McGregor has wasted much of his prime athletic years on the sidelines.
McGregor spent much of 2017 promoting his superfight with boxing legend Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. By the time he returned at UFC 229, it had been almost two years since he last fought in the octagon.
In one of the darkest nights of McGregor’s illustrious MMA career, Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted him via neck crank in round four before all hell broke loose. Following the shocking close to the show, McGregor did not fight again until early 2020. It should be noted that, at 2,400,000 buy rates, UFC 229 is the most purchased pay-per-view the promotion has put on to date.
In January 2020, he returned to welterweight and netted a quick knockout win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. It would be just over a year before we saw McGregor fight again, this time at UFC 257. There, McGregor suffered the first knockout loss of his career at the hands of old foe Dustin Poirier.
Fast forward to UFC 264 and the whiskey magnate became the latest warrior to fall to a broken leg in the octagon.
McGregor’s drawing power remains unparalleled. Both of his Poirier fights were leagues ahead of any other UFC show this year in regards to buy rates. He has fans who love and hate him in equal measure and all of them treat his bouts as must-see events.
However, given his frustrating absences and scattershot record in recent years, it seems McGregor's best days are behind him. While his 2022 return will no doubt generate incredible revenue for the UFC, the severity of his leg injury could leave him in danger. Similar to Anderson Silva after UFC 168, McGregor’s latest setback could prove to be an anchor come bell time.
