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In the world of the UFC, even the greatest fighters don't seem to know when the right time to hang up their gloves is. Most of them simply keep fighting until they suffer a string of losses and end up either departing the promotion or being forcibly retired by Dana White.
Over the years, though, we’ve seen a small handful of top UFC stars who managed to get out before they fell down the ladder, even if their octagon careers ended with a loss. These fighters were smart enough to see the writing on the wall and stepped away before their legacy could be damaged, unlike so many of their peers.
Here are five legendary UFC fighters who got out of the game before they could be ousted from the top.
#5. Frank Shamrock – former UFC middleweight champion
The first UFC legend to really get out of the game while he was still at the top was former middleweight (now light-heavyweight) kingpin, Frank Shamrock.
After making his name in Japan’s Pancrase promotion, Shamrock – the adopted brother of fellow UFC pioneer and legend Ken – entered the octagon for the first time in December 1997.
There, he instantly struck gold, submitting former Olympic wrestler Kevin Jackson with an armbar to become the promotion’s first middleweight champion.
After pulling off impressive title defenses over Igor Zinoviev, Jeremy Horn, John Lober, and Tito Ortiz, Shamrock was widely considered the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. With skills both on the ground and on the feet, he appeared to have no weaknesses.
However, after dispatching ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’, he also appeared to be lacking in viable opponents. Therefore, despite being just 26 years old at the time, he decided to hang up his gloves while still at the top, vacating his title in the process.
Shamrock did make two comebacks later down the line – a one-off fight with Elvis Sinosic in 2000 and then an ill-advised return with StrikeForce in 2006 – but the fact that he initially stepped away at the peak of his powers and never did return to the UFC shows that he definitely had a great sense of timing.
While his relationship with Dana White means he’ll probably never be recognized as such, the former middleweight titleholder remains a true legend of the game.
#4. Henry Cejudo – former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion
Although he appears to be planning a comeback, for now at least, former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo definitely belongs on any list of fighters who got out of the game while they were still at the top.
After winning a gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the 2008 Olympics, Cejudo first joined the UFC in 2014, where he won his first four bouts to set up a title shot against then-flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson.
‘Triple C’ came up short in that shot, but after winning two more fights, he then unseated ‘Mighty Mouse’ in a rematch, claiming gold in the octagon for the first time. A year later, Cejudo went one better, turning back the challenge of then-bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw to defend his flyweight crown before defeating Marlon Moraes for the 135lbs title Dillashaw had vacated.
When ‘Triple C’ then defended that title successfully against former titleholder Dominick Cruz, it looked like he was about to embark on a legendary run – only to abruptly retire directly after the fight, stunning observers worldwide.
Whether Cejudo’s retirement really was a ploy to make the promotion offer him more money is still up in the air, but while he has recently stated his intention to reclaim the bantamweight title before going after the featherweight crown, he has not returned to action since.
If that remains the case, it could be argued that he got out almost too early, but he’ll definitely be remembered as a fighter who walked away while still at the top of the mountain.
#3. Daniel Cormier – former UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight champion
Unlike the other fighters on this list, Daniel Cormier did not walk away from his UFC career on the back of a win. In fact, ‘DC’ actually hung up his gloves in 2020 after suffering his second loss in a row to rival Stipe Miocic.
However, just because he lost those two fights doesn’t mean that ‘DC’ didn’t walk away while he was still at the top of his game. The truth is that in a fight against any other heavyweight not named Miocic – and indeed, any of the promotion’s light-heavyweights – he probably would’ve been favored to win.
Despite his skills still being at their peak, Cormier had already stuck around for longer than he’d initially intended. ‘DC’ had always expressed a desire to hang his gloves up before he turned 40 years old, and in fact, his two losses to Miocic came slightly after that point.
However, given that he held the UFC heavyweight title on his 40th birthday – and had never lost his light-heavyweight title in the octagon, instead relinquishing it in late 2018 – it would’ve been hard for him to simply walk away at that point.
‘DC’ put on two final, epic clashes with one of his greatest rivals and then walked away with his head held high.
While he wasn’t a titleholder at the time of his retirement, he was definitely still at the peak of the mountain and never really fell from that spot – making him one of the few legends who got out at just the right time.
#2. Khabib Nurmagomedov – former UFC lightweight champion
While it’s arguable that he still had plenty to give when he hung up his gloves, it’s still fair to suggest that former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov made the right call by walking away while still at the top.
After all, ‘The Eagle’ was 29-0 following his final victory over Justin Gaethje – one of the toughest challenges of his career – and had previously beaten outstanding foes like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Rafael dos Anjos.
More to the point, Khabib had promised his mother that he’d walk away after the Gaethje fight following the death of his father and coach Abdulmanap a few months prior, and so it would’ve been unthinkable for him to go back on that word.
In the two years following his retirement, UFC president Dana White has made numerous attempts to encourage ‘The Eagle’ to reconsider his decision. However, White seems to have recognized the futility of this and appears to accept that his former champion won’t be coming back.
Could Nurmagomedov have continued his dominance if he’d chosen to stick around? It seems highly likely. At the point of his retirement, nobody had really tested him and given his powerful grappling, incredible top control, and unstoppable takedowns, it’s arguably unlikely that any of the current crop of 155lbers – even Charles Oliveira – could’ve had any more success against him.
However, all fighters slow down and get old at some point, and had he continued to fight, 'The Eagle' would’ve been no different eventually. Therefore, by walking away at the top, the Dagestani has cemented his legacy – meaning it’s hard to argue with his decision.
#1. Georges St-Pierre – former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion
Perhaps the best example of a UFC legend who knew exactly when the right time to walk away was, is former welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Not only did he hang up his gloves at the best time to cement his legacy at 170lbs, but he also did the same at 185lbs.
‘GSP’ first won the welterweight title from legendary champion Matt Hughes in 2006, but his longest reign began in 2008 when he avenged his upset loss to Matt Serra to reclaim the gold. The Canadian held his title for over five years, defeating a total of nine different challengers to set a new record in the weight division.
However, rumors surrounding his future were already swirling by the time he faced his final challenger, Johny Hendricks. Although St-Pierre won the bout, it came via a controversial split decision. Rather than rematch ‘Bigg Rigg’, St-Pierre decided that the time was right to step away – and despite the best efforts of Dana White, refused to return and walked away with his record and legacy intact.
After four years away, however, ‘GSP’ finally announced his return. Rather than look to reclaim his welterweight title, though, he decided to move up to 185lbs in an attempt to claim a second title – and he did just that, defeating middleweight champion Michael Bisping in an epic fight in New York City.
Again, rather than defend his title, St-Pierre decided to step away. Citing a bout of ulcerative colitis, the Canadian relinquished the gold and headed back into retirement, meaning that, once again, nobody had a chance to knock him off the top.
While White and company clearly weren’t happy with St-Pierre’s decision, it’s safe to say that on both occasions, ‘GSP’ knew precisely the right time to get out of the game, proving to be one of the smartest fighters of all time as well as one of the greatest.
