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Long before its due date, UFC 289 was criticized for featuring just two blockbuster fights by the MMA fandom. It was the promotion's first event on Canadian soil since 2019, but fight fans dismissed it as a PPV to forget. Yet, UFC 289 featured one of the year's most memorable moments: Amanda Nunes' retirement.
The consensus GOAT of women's MMA walked away from the sport after turning away the latest challenger to her title, Irene Aldana. It makes 'The Lioness' one of the few fighters to retire on top. Furthermore, it makes the Brazilian among the select few to retire with her hands wrapped around UFC gold.
While she is now part of a rare club, she isn't the only fighter to retire as champion or on top in general. So with that in mind, this list details five fighters who retired from MMA in championship glory.
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#5. Frank Shamrock, former UFC light heavyweight champion
Frank Shamrock is the younger brother of legendary heavyweight and MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock. The two men reached the peak of the mixed martial arts mountaintop, capturing championship gold, while enthroning themselves as the greatest fighters in the world.
The two siblings have even more in common, however. They both fought light heavyweight legend Tito Ortiz. At UFC 22, Frank Shamrock held the UFC middleweight title, which was later rebranded as the promotion's light heavyweight crown. The bout was as decisive as could be.
Shamrock TKO'd Ortiz in the fourth round to defend his title prior to announcing his retirement from the sport. However, the younger Shamrock brother returned to MMA four years later after he took part in a K-1 kickboxing bout prior.
#4. Henry Cejudo, former UFC double champion
Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo has expressed his desire to cement himself as the greatest combat sports athlete of all time. 'Triple C' has come relatively close, having captured Olympic gold and two UFC titles across two different divisions. At UFC 249, 'Triple C' defended his bantamweight crown.
His opponent was the weight class' arguable GOAT: Dominick Cruz. Henry Cejudo successfully defeated 'The Dominator' via second-round TKO before stunning the MMA world by announcing a sudden retirement in his post-fight interview. He left the sport as a defending champion, but many were not convinced he'd stay retired.
After some time, rumblings about a return became common, and the possibility that his retirement was an ill-advised negotiating tactic was considered. 'Triple C' eventually returned three years later against Aljamain Sterling, but failed in his attempt to recapture his divisional crown.
#3. Georges St-Pierre, former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion
While many MMA fans regard Jon Jones as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, others herald Georges St-Pierre as the all-time king of the sport. The Canadian great is best-known for his legacy as the greatest welterweight ever seen. After amassing a streak of 9 title defenses, he walked away from MMA.
It was a controversial decision due to the closely-contested nature of his bout with Johny Hendricks. Furthermore, his sabbatical wasn't an official retirement. Still, he left the sport as the welterweight champion before returning four years later to challenge Michael Bisping for middleweight gold.
'GSP' found success against 'The Count', defeating him via third-round submission to claim the Englishman's middleweight strap. However, St-Pierre never defended his 185-pound title. After his win, he subsequently announced his retirement after vacating his title and trying, to no avail, to secure a lightweight matchup.
#2. Khabib Nurmagomedov, former UFC lightweight champion
Undefeated lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most famous names in MMA. He is an anomaly in the sport as he is among the very few who managed to reach the pinnacle of mixed martial arts and retire with an unbeaten record of 29 wins and no losses.
More than that, however, 'The Eagle' has taken so little damage throughout his career that he has never been knocked down or badly rocked. In fact, he has never even bled inside the octagon. After capturing the vacant lightweight title against Al Iaquinta, he defended his 155-pound strap three times.
The first was his record-breaking bout with Conor McGregor, which he won, before submitting Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. His win over 'The Highlight' was his first fight after his father's death, and it was enough for Nurmagomedov to shock the MMA world by announcing his retirement.
#1. Amanda Nunes, former UFC double champion
The MMA GWOAT was initially scheduled to take part in a trilogy bout against divisional rival Julianna Peña. Unfortunately, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' was forced to withdraw from the fight due to sustaining an injury. Thus, the promotion had to find a replacement to face the 'The Lioness'.
Irene Aldana was chosen. It was her chance to join the likes of Alexa Grasso, Yair Rodriguez and Brandon Moreno as another Mexican champion under the UFC banner. However, 'Robles' came up short against the Brazilian great, freezing in front of her as many past fighters have.
After defeating her latest challenger, Amanda Nunes announced her retirement, which many have been suspecting for a while now. In doing so, 'The Lioness' retired as a two-division champion over the 135 and 145-pound weight classes.
