Alexander Gustafsson and 4 other UFC fighters who should consider retirement

#2. Holly Holm - Former UFC women's bantamweight champion

After her dominant victory at UFC 193, Holly Holm was the undefeated women's bantamweight champion. She had just stunned the world by defeating Ronda Rousey in one of the most shocking upsets in the promotion's history, with many fans convinced she was set for a long reign as the divisional queen. Unfortunately, their expectations were dashed soon afterward.

Holm faced Miesha Tate at UFC 196, picking 'Cupcake' apart for four rounds before surrendering a takedown en route to a rear-naked choke loss and relinquishing the championship belt she hadn't held for even a year.

Just one fight after handing Rousey the first loss of her professional MMA career, Holm herself suffered the first loss of her own MMA career to a rival of Rousey's, no less.

The loss led to a downward spiral in Holm's career. In the seven fights after defeating Rousey, Holm went 2-5 before finally amassing a win streak. Alas, that lasted no more than two fights before she lost an uneventful bout to Ketlen Vieira in a matchup where Holm's speed and footwork were nowhere to be found.

With her 41st birthday mere months away and little prospect of recapturing the title, Holm would be wise to consider retirement considering the number of losses she's accumulated in recent years as she ages.

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#1. Alexander Gustafsson - UFC light heavyweight

Alexander 'The Mauler' Gustafsson has never captured a world championship in the octagon despite challenging for it twice. The light heavyweight contender is best known for his entertaining wars with Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. While Gustafsson has always been a determined fighter with a wealth of self-belief, he is on an evident decline.

The Swede is 35 years old and 0-4 in his last four fights. While the combination of his age and losing streak is concerning, so is the context of his losses. His losing streak includes a defeat to Anthony Smith. 'Lionheart', while a strong fighter, is 36-16 and will likely not go down as am elite mixed martial artist or championship-caliber fighter.

Furthermore, his most recent loss came against Nikita Krylov. Krylov is neither the most powerful puncher in the world nor so skilled that anyone expected him to run through Gustafsson the way he did. Yet, 'The Miner' needed no more than a minute and seven seconds to knock the Swede unconscious.

With all four of his losses coming by way of knockout or submission, the 35-year-old is at a crossroads in his career, with retirement a better option than taking unnecessary damage when his championship prospects no longer exist.