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When UFC fighters retired in the past, it truly meant the end of their careers as professional mixed martial artists. However, an athlete's competitive itch is an overpowering sensation.
This is especially true when it comes to MMA fighters, as evidenced by Urijah Faber's return from retirement. The Team Alpha Male founder found that he was performing well in the gym and convinced himself to return to the octagon. While his first bout since his retirement was successful, his second matchup was disastrous. In other instances, however, fighters return not due to a competitive issue but due to financial troubles.
In fact, some fighters use fake retirements as a negotiating tactic. Their hope is that they can use the leverage of a fake retirement to convince the UFC to meet their demands. Sometimes it works, while other times, it fails. Regardless, this list compiles five fighters who have retired multiple times yet still returned to the octagon.
#5) Alexander Gustafsson
The Swedish mixed martial artist who pushed both Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier to the brink never officially announced two retirements. After failing to capture UFC gold from 'Bones,' Alexander Gustafsson faced Jimi Manuwa. It was a successful outing for the Swede as he knocked out 'Poster Boy' in the second round.
His next bout was against the late Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson in front of his hometown of Stockholm. With friends and family in attendance, 'The Mauler' suffered a brutal first-round knockout. The weight of disappointment was too much for him to bear as he contemplated retirement.
It took him nine months to walk back on that decision and return against Daniel Cormier for a second title fight. Years later, he crossed swords with Anthony Smith and declared that if he lost, he no longer belonged in the cage. To his misfortune, the Swede was defeated via fourth-round submission.
In his post-fight interview, he announced his retirement to the fans. However, months after his retirement, he exhibited interest in returning. A year later, he made his heavyweight debut in a losing effort against Fabricio Werdum.
#4) Randy Couture
Randy Couture is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. During his tenure with the promotion, 'The Natural' captured the 205 lbs and 265 lbs titles. Despite his success inside the octagon, the former NCAA Division I wrestler had a contentious relationship with upper management.
After losing to Chuck Liddell via knockout in the trilogy bout, 'The Natural' announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. A year later, however, he walked back on his retirement by returning in a heavyweight bout. He faced Tim Sylvia for the divisional title, successfully capturing it after a five-round affair.
Unfortunately, after mounting a successful title defense against Gabriel Gonzaga, 'The Natural' turned his back on the promotion due to their failure to meet his demands. During this time, he didn't fight and his seeming retirement was a precursor to the negotiating tactics used by current UFC fighters. Eventually, Randy Couture returned a year later to face Brock Lesnar in a losing effort. His UFC run ended in 2011 and 'The Natural' finally retired for good.
#3) Tito Ortiz, former UFC light heavyweight
Like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz is also a legend in the promotion who had a very contentious relationship with Dana White. The history between the pair is well-known in MMA circles. Even with their uneasy ties, 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' was still inducted into the Hall of Fame prior to his last UFC bout.
The bout was a rematch involving Forrest Griffin, to whom Tito Ortiz had previously lost. Their second fight was no different. 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' lost the bout and retired from MMA. During his time away from the cage, he became a manager and even represented Cris Cyborg.
Regardless, his return to the cage was inevitable and Ortiz later signed with Bellator. While he failed to capture the light heavyweight title in the promotion, his Bellator run was fairly successful. For his last bout under Scott Coker, he faced Chael Sonnen in what he claimed was his final MMA fight.
After emerging victorious, he again retired from MMA. However, a year later, he undid his retirement to face Chuck Liddell in a trilogy bout. 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' won and fought a second time since his return against Alberto Del Rio.
#2) B.J. Penn
One of the most troubled yet brilliant fighters of his generation, B.J. Penn is one of the fighters, alongside Urijah Faber, who popularized the lighter weight classes. Unfortunately, a glimpse at 'The Prodigy's' record does not offer a fair look at how skilled he was at the peak of his career.
The Hawaiian's MMA run has been derailed by numerous incidents. Among these incidents were his countless retirements. In 2011, after losing to Nick Diaz, he announced his retirement from the sport during his post-fight interview. However, months after the bout, he returned to answer Rory MacDonald's challenge.
The two clashed inside the octagon, and 'The Prodigy' suffered another defeat. His subsequent bout came against Frankie Edgar, which resulted in another defeat for the Hawaiian great. In the aftermath of the bout, he announced his second retirement at the post-fight press conference.
However, the former UFC lightweight champion returned three years later to face Yair Rodriguez in yet another losing effort. B.J. Penn lost three more times before finally being released from the promotion.
#1) Conor McGregor
No fighter has perhaps retired as many times as Conor McGregor. Furthermore, no other fighter has retired as many times as him without actually being serious about any of the retirements. 'The Notorious' is one of the few fighters whose superstardom can be used as leverage during negotiations with the promotion.
During the buildup to his rematch with Nate Diaz, the Irishman was unwilling to meet his media and travel obligations with the UFC. He hoped to spend more time training to avenge his loss. The UFC didn't budge, and it led to 'The Notorious' announcing a sudden retirement via Twitter.
He later walked back on his statements and went on to battle Stockton's finest at UFC 202. His next retirement occurred after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov due to his frustrations negotiating with the promotion. He retired for a third time before facing Dustin Poirier in their initial rematch. Years later, in 2022, he seemed to hint at another retirement before subsequently asserting that he'd return to MMA.
