5 UFC fighters that retired on their own terms

#2. Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC 242 Khabib Nurmagomedov v Dustin Poirier

Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov was one of the most dominant fighters to ever compete in the UFC. He has incredible grappling and would take his opponents down and leave them exhausted. Even against high-level strikers, Khabib imposed his will and continued picking up wins.

After struggling with injuries, Khabib finally found consistency with his career. He defeated everybody put in front of him on his way to becoming lightweight champion. He retained his title by submitting Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje before retiring from the sport.

The passing of Khabib’s father was a big factor in his decision to retire. ‘The Eagle’s retirement as undefeated champion while still in his prime proves that he retired on his own terms. There were plenty of lucrative fights for Khabib if he chose to continue fighting. A superfight with Georges St-Pierre, the long awaited bout with Tony Ferguson and a rematch with McGregor were all plausible.

With the rise of Islam Makhachev, Khabib seems content with his retirement and has fully embraced being a coach.

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#1. Georges St-Pierre

UFC 217: Montreal Media Day with Georges St-Pierre

Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all-time. He was dominant during his reign as UFC welterweight champion and avenged all of his losses.

GSP’s legacy was always important to him. St-Pierre relinquished his UFC welterweight championship following his title defense against Johny Hendricks and took a hiatus from MMA. St-Pierre etched his name in the history books at UFC 217 when he defeated Bisping to become the UFC middleweight champion. St-Pierre once again relinquished the title due to suffering from colitis.

After a superfight with then-UFC lightweight champion Khabib didn’t materialize, St-Pierre announced his retirement from MMA. St-Pierre didn’t defend the middleweight championship against top middleweight contenders or pursue a lucrative fight with McGregor. St-Pierre wasn't really motivated by cash-grab fights that fans expected him to win.

Instead, he was motivated by the challenge of doing the unthinkable. He proved that when he accepted the middleweight title fight against Bisping after a 4 year hiatus. St-Pierre made it clear that a fight with Khabib would be the only one worth risking his legacy for.