5 UFC fighters who retired with a win

#4 Matt Brown

Matt Brown knocked out Diego Sanchez before retiring in 2017

Popular brawler Matt Brown has teased a return to the Octagon on numerous occasions over the past year or so, so who knows how long his retirement will actually stick. For now though, he belongs on this list as a fighter who walked away after a big win, as he viciously knocked out fellow veteran Diego Sanchez in November 2017 before hanging up his gloves.

Brown debuted in the UFC in 2008 following 3 years on the regional circuit and an appearance on the 7th season of The Ultimate Fighter, and instantly carved out a reputation for himself as an exciting brawler. It wasn’t until 2012 though that he really began to shoot up the rankings at 170lbs.

Once on the cusp of being cut by the UFC following a 3-fight losing streak, Brown beat Chris Cope to begin 2012 and didn’t look back, putting together a run of 7 straight wins – including one over future title challenger Stephen Thompson – before losses to Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks, both of whom held the UFC’s Welterweight crown, derailed his title hopes.

3 losses in a row in 2016 again had him on the verge of ending his career in entirely the wrong fashion, but his big victory over Sanchez – which came via a crushing elbow strike in the first round – meant he was able to walk away from his final Octagon appearance with his hand raised.