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UFC fighters walking back on their promises of retirement is nothing new.
Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar returned from a 5-year retirement for a one-off fight at UFC 200. Afterwards, several attempts were made to coax 'The Beast' back into active fighting.
Brock Lesnar courted the UFC's interest and entertained potential fights with the likes of Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. Alas, his bout with Mark Hunt remains his last appearance inside the octagon as 'The Beast' reaffirmed his retirement.
As demonstrated by Lesnar, reconsidering one's retirement is not unheard of in MMA. In fact, it is quite common.
While fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ronda Rousey seem intent on honoring their promises to stay retired, other fighters have struggled. Whether they surrender to a resurgence of their competitive itch, or simply regret walking away from MMA earlier than they might have wanted to, fighters usually return.
Recently, Kevin Holland announced his retirement in what may or may not be a negotiating tactic. As a fighter in the prime of his youth, his return is likely. Thus, this list looks at 5 UFC fighters who couldn't stay retired.
#5. Urijah Faber, UFC bantamweight
Urijah Faber is an odd case when it comes to the retirement of MMA fighters. Despite three fights for the undisputed title, Faber never captured UFC bantamweight gold. After an unsuccessful featherweight run, Urijah Faber returned to bantamweight. There, he suffered back-to-back losses to Jimmie Rivera and longtime rival Dominick Cruz.
While he managed to bounce back with a win over Brad Pickett, 'The California Kid' announced his retirement from MMA. What renders Faber's retirement odd is that from a physical standpoint, he hasn't declined at all. He looked just as fast and as explosive as he was in his heyday. What troubled him was the stylistic evolution of modern-day MMA fighters.
Perhaps due to feeling physically good in the gym, Faber returned to MMA 3 years later. His first bout since his retirement was a 46-second knockout over Ricky Simón. Unfortunately, his subsequent matchup was a brutal knockout loss to future bantamweight champion Petr Yan. 'The California Kid' is yet to announce a second official retirement despite not having fought since 2019.
#4. Miesha Tate, UFC women's bantamweight
For the longest time, Miesha Tate has been a top contender in the UFC women's bantamweight division. Back in late 2013, she became the first woman to survive past the 1st round against Ronda Rousey. Unfortunately, her survival counted for nothing as she lost the bout regardless.
However, 3 years after her second loss to 'Rowdy', 'Cupcake' earned another title fight after a 4-fight win streak.
At UFC 196, she secured an upset win over Holly Holm to finally capture promotional gold. Miesha Tate next faced Amanda Nunes, immediately dropping the title to the Brazilian. Her subsequent bout was unsuccessful as she lost to Raquel Pennington in a dispirited effort.
Despite retiring after the loss, 'Cupcake' returned 5 years later against the then 44-year old Marion Reneau.
While the former champion secured the win, it came against a fighter on a 4-fight losing streak. 'Cupcake's' next two bouts were losses in which she looked too slow and too old to compete at the highest level. Regardless, she is yet to retire for a second time.
#3. Alexander Gustafsson, UFC light heavyweight
Despite two fierce attempts, Alexander Gustafsson failed in his bid to claim UFC light heavyweight gold. His matchup with Jon Jones has been officially penned into the storybook of MMA legends after their induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. Furthermore, his bout against Daniel Cormier was a Fight of the Year contender in 2015.
However, it gave little comfort to 'The Mauler.' The Swede dusted himself off and embarked on a 2-fight win streak over future light heavyweight champions Jan Błachowicz and Glover Teixeira. The victories earned him a third crack at the divisional throne. Unfortunately, Gustafsson lost to Jones again in their highly anticipated rematch.
What next ensued was a stunning defeat to Anthony Smith in front of his hometown. After surrendering to a rear-naked choke, Alexander Gustafsson announced his retirement to his fellow Swedes.
However, after months of speculation, Gustafsson expressed an interest in returning.
In 2020, Alexander Gustafsson made his return in a heavyweight bout. His opponent was Fabrício Werdum and 'The Mauler' lost via 1st-round armbar. Like most fighters who return from retirement, the two-time title challenger remains a fighter on the roster.
#2. Georges St-Pierre, retired UFC welterweight and middleweight
By 2013, Georges St-Pierre was burnt out. The Canadian great spent nearly 11 years with the UFC before a surprisingly difficult bout against Johny Hendricks led to an ugly departure from the promotion. Dana White was furious with 'GSP' and exclaimed that the legendary Canadian owed it to the promotion to walk back on any talks about a sabbatical.
Nevertheless, St-Pierre vacated his welterweight title and embarked on a hiatus from the sport. His initial retirement ended 4 years later when Georges St-Pierre returned to face the then reigning middleweight champion Michael Bisping. It was clear to many involved that a chance at MMA immortality against a favorable matchup like Bisping was what convinced St-Pierre to return.
Even 'The Count' himself accused 'GSP' of such before their clash. At UFC 217, the Canadian's return proved successful. He defeated Bisping in the 3rd round via rear-naked choke to claim a second title. Alas, St-Pierre's return was short-lived as he vacated the title a mere 34 days after capturing it.
Despite the promotion's best efforts to use him as a bargaining chip to convince Khabib Nurmagomedov to abandon his own retirement, Georges St-Pierre has not fought since.
#1. Marlon Moraes, former UFC bantamweight
At one point, Marlon Moraes was one of the most dangerous bantamweights in the world. The Brazilian was a powerful striker whose blend of Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu rendered him a difficult foe for anyone in his division. As a former WSOF bantamweight champion, he entered the UFC with a tremendous amount of hype.
While his first bout in the promotion was a split-decision loss to Raphael Assunção, Marlon Moraes rebounded quickly. He amassed a 4-fight win streak that included a 1-minute knockout over future bantamweight title-holder Aljamain Sterling and a 1st round submission win over Raphael Assunção in a rematch. Unfortunately, a TKO loss to Henry Cejudo for the title was the beginning of the end.
Although his subsequent bout with José Aldo was a split-decision win, many believe that Marlon Moraes was unfairly awarded the win. What followed was a 4-fight losing streak, with every loss being a knockout. Without the ability to absorb strikes anymore, 'Magic' announced his retirement.
Months later, however, Moraes reversed his decision. He signed with the PFL, the rebranded organization where he once reigned as the WSOF bantamweight champion. 'Magic' declared his intention to take part in the PFL's featherweight tournament next year and claim the $1 million prize.
