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The UFC is home to some of the greatest combat sports athletes in the world. Unfortunately, they are often the last person to realize when they should retire. Whether it's due to their egos being unable to stomach the thought of no longer being elite competitors, or outright delusions, athletes often forge on in search of greener pastures even after repeated failures.
While athletes remaining active well past their prime is commonplace, the consequences are more severe in MMA. Fighters who refuse to walk away from the sport overexpose themselves to CTE. Mixed martial arts is dangerous by default.
However, once a fighter is no longer capable of staying competitive against their foes, the danger becomes more pronounced. UFC fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre, both of whom retired without sustaining much damage, are rarities.
What is more common is a fighter suffering back-to-back losses until either a family member or the UFC itself intervenes. In recent memory, Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone was on a winless streak that included 6 losses and 1 no-contest.
While 'Cowboy' eventually retired after surrendering to a guillotine choke against Jim Miller, other fighters were more stubborn. This list explores 5 UFC fighters who are still active in mixed martial arts but refuse to retire despite their long losing streaks.
#5. Sam Alvey
Before 2018, Sam Alvey was a serviceable MMA fighter with a respectable 33-10 (1) record. Unfortunately, his matchup against Antônio Rogério Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 137 was the beginning of the end. Rather, it should have been. Alvey underwent a downward spiral unlike any other.
Over the next two years, 'Smile'n' found himself lost. He was on a 4-fight losing streak and on course for a fifth consecutive loss. However, a draw against Da Un Jung spared him the humiliation.
Following the draw, 4 more losses followed to bring Alvey's winless run to 0-8-1. The promotion released him sometime this year. But 'Smile'n' is yet to retire and seems intent on plying his trade in a different promotion.
#4. Héctor Lombard
Héctor Lombard entered the UFC with a fair amount of hype behind him. The limited success he enjoyed in the promotion coincided with Ronda Rousey's rise as an MMA superstar. Thus, the Cuban phenom's background as an Olympic judoka led to a surge of interest in his skill-set given 'Rowdy's' own past in Olympic judo.
Alas, Lombard wasn't nearly as successful as Rousey. His first matchup in the promotion was a loss to Tim Boetsch. While the 44-year old's subsequent bout was a knockout win over feared leg-lock specialist Rousimar Palhares, it didn't herald what came after.
Héctor Lombard lost his next bout against Yushin Okami. The loss was followed by back-to-back wins over Nate Marquardt and Jake Shields, and they remain the last wins of Lombard's career. The Cuban then embarked on a seven-fight winless streak that led to his departure from the Dana White led promotion.
Unfortunately, Héctor Lombard refused to retire. Now, he is signed with Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC promotion. His debut was anything but successful after an illegal knee left the 44-year old unable to continue against Thiago Silva.
#3. Antônio Silva
Brazilian heavyweight Antônio 'Bigfoot' Silva is a 265'er from yesteryear. His MMA debut was in 2005 and his career peaked in 2013 when he faced Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title. A large and imposing presence, 'Bigfoot' owns victories over legendary foes like Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski and Fedor Emelianenko.
However, his career will not be remembered for any of those upsets. Instead, Silva's legacy is being challenged by his own decision to compete well past his prime. After going on a 1-6-1 run after his win over Overeem, Silva was released from the UFC.
His last win was against Soa Palelei at UFC 190. Since then, the Brazilian has lost 8 consecutive fights, 7 of which were by knockout. Despite not having tasted victory since 2015, Silva last fought 14 days ago. 'Bigfoot' lost to Zabit Samedov at Mix Fight Championship via first-round knockout.
#2. Tony Ferguson
While the previous three entries had longer winless streaks than Tony Ferguson, none of them ever reached the career heights that he did. Thus, his fall from grace is prominent, and his continued refusal to retire is even more disheartening. 'El Cucuy' was once the boogeyman of the UFC lightweight division.
At UFC 216, he captured the UFC interim lightweight title. It remains the greatest achievement of his career alongside his legendary 12-fight win streak. However, Tony Ferguson's run came to a brutal end at the hands of Justin Gaethje. At UFC 249, 'El Cucuy' lost for the first time in 8 years.
While he hoped to rebound from the loss, his subsequent matchup with Charles Oliveira was a one-sided defeat. The 38-year old looked uncharacteristically timid. His third bout since his loss to Justin Gaethje was a repeat of his loss to 'do Bronx'. The former interim champion was outgrappled by Beneil Dariush.
What followed was a brutal knockout loss to Michael Chandler, and then a fourth-round submission loss to Nate Diaz in a bout where Tony Ferguson finally looked his age.
At 38 years old with a five-fight losing streak, 'El Cucuy' was called on to retire by Daniel Cormier. The former interim champion remains defiant, however, vowing to continue fighting.
#1. Renan Barão is a former UFC bantamweight champion
At one point, Renan Barão was on a 32-fight unbeaten streak with 31 wins and 1 no-contest. His dominance and explosive Muay Thai skill-set drew comparisons to fellow Brazilian and all-time great José Aldo. At UFC 165, 'The Baron' flattened Eddie Wineland with a spinning back-kick to defend the interim bantamweight title he had captured a year prior.
After Dominick Cruz's recurring injury issues kept him sidelined, Renan Barão was promoted to undisputed champion. His first official title defense as the undisputed champion was a rematch with Urijah Faber. The Brazilian crushed his foe and Dana White declared him the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Alas, Urijah Faber's then teammate T.J. Dillashaw soon ended his reign. At UFC 273, Dillashaw styled on Barão in one of the most dominant title-bout performances in the promotion's history. While Barão lost the championship, he rebounded with a win to earn a rematch. His second loss to Dillashaw was just as brutal as the first.
Barão struggled to recover, losing his subsequent bout. While he briefly snapped the first losing streak of his career with a win at UFC Fight Night 95, it led to nothing. Instead, Barão lost his next 5 bouts and was released from the promotion.
While he has not fought since 2019, he has been scheduled to fight multiple times in other promotions. However, those matchups were canceled for one reason or another. Most recently, he was booked to fight at ARES FC 7 in June but withdrew.
