A brief history of MMA's notorious un-retirements

from MMA Junkie on Jan 14, 2017
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In a sport in which the word “retirement” just doesn’t seem to carry as much meaning as it does in other professions, we take a look at some of the successful, unsuccessful and yet-to-be-seen returns of fighters who may have tried, but just couldn’t resist the call of the cage.

Mirko Filipovic

A Google search with the terms “Cro Cop” and “retirement” is probably a slightly confusing experience for someone who hasn’t been around MMA for too long.

And that’s something Mirko Filipovic (35-11-2 MMA) himself will probably admit, considering his most recent announcement came with a “this is definitely it” disclaimer.

If it really is it, the 42-year-old striker certainly picked a good moment. After all, he’s walking away on a much better note than two years ago – when he called it quits amidst a doping controversy that took a few turns for the weird. Suspended for two years by USADA, he returned in 2016 and finished three opponents to win the Rizin FF tournament a decade after winning the PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix.

If this this time – unlike the last (or the one in 2012 after a TKO loss to Roy Nelson, or the one in 2013 at the appropriately named “Final Fight” event) – sticks, Cro Cop leaves behind a 35-11-2 MMA record, some seriously wobbled heads and certainly one of MMA’s most loyal fanbases.

Fedor Emelianenko

Whether it’s due to his habit of demolishing very large and dangerous men or just the aloof, no-big-deal demeanor he’s always displayed in the process, Fedor Emelianenko (36-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) exerts a pull over MMA fans that modern science couldn’t explain.

While we seem to have secured some “Last Emperor” violence – and some rad sweater action – for now, that wasn’t the case in 2012 when, after tearing through Pedro Rizzo, Emelianenko announced a retirement that he maintained for three years before a Rizin FF return.

Whatever happens after his Bellator debut, Emelianenko’s career is already the stuff of legends. Before the three-fight skid kicked off by Fabricio Werdum in 2010, he’d gone on a crazy 27-fight run that included the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman – and basically everyone who looked scary at the time.

And the fact that he has fought this many opponents in this many stages and none of it involved an octagon certainly adds to the mystique of a man whom we’ll probably always be curious about.

Brock Lesnar

For a guy who’s only had seven UFC fights, ex-heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) certainly managed to make all sorts of impact.

Lesnar originally decided to walk away from MMA in 2011, following a TKO loss to Alistair Overeem. “Tonight was the last time you’ll see me in the octagon,” he said, citing his years-long battle with diverticulitis as the real motive behind his decision.

As it turned out, it wasn’t the last time. His UFC 200 return, however, was shrouded in controversy from the get-go – with Lesnar only beginning to get tested by USADA in the five-week period prior to the fight. Collective raising of eyebrows aside, the bout went on, and Lesnar walked away with the win and a considerable chunk of money after a less-than-exciting affair.

The plot thickened when Lesnar failed both in- and out-of-competition drug tests. His fine and one-year suspension, however, didn’t suffice for an understandably irate Hunt, who then decided to take legal action against the UFC, Lesnar and UFC President Dana White.

Quite the comeback, indeed.

B.J. Penn

A name that MMA fans in every part of the globe recognize, belts in two weight divisions and a spot in the UFC’s Hall of Fame. “Legacy” is a big word, but one that certainly applies to what B.J. Penn (16-10-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC) will leave behind whenever he follows through with one of his retirements.

Penn was first pulled out of retirement – or semi-retirement, as he put it – back in 2012, when a then-22-year-old Rory MacDonald caught his attention. After losing that one, Penn returned in 2014, dropping his third fight to Frankie Edgar in an uninspired display that had many people thinking he maybe just didn’t have much more to give.

While at the time Penn, himself, seemed to agree with that, things changed. In 2016, he announced he’d be ready not only to come back, but to pursue a third title to add to his collection. It took some time – and three canceled bouts – but it seems like he’s finally set for his return this Sunday, against a hungry and young Yair Rodriguez.

Whether he’s able to rekindle the spark that once had us glued to our televisions, it remains to be seen. But Penn does seem to carry the unique ability to retain people’s interest in finding out.

Chael Sonnen

If there’s one thing Chael Sonnen (28-14-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC) has shown, it’s that, with the right amount of unapologetic self-confidence, a man can talk his way out of (and into) a lot.

A three-time UFC title challenger, Sonnen has been involved in his fair share of controversy – both in and out of the octagon – but has managed to escape the incidents relatively unscathed. One of them, of course, was the multiple failed drug test that led to his retirement back in 2014, following a canceled UFC 175 appointment.

It was a weird situation overall: Sonnen, who was originally supposed to face fellow “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” coach Wanderlei Silva, ended up paired with Vitor Belfort after the Brazilian coach failed to secure his license. The matchup, of course, ended up being short-lived.

Sonnen got a fine, a two-year suspension and announced a retirement that he’s now set to end at Jan. 21 against Tito Ortiz at Bellator 170. We’re yet to see if cage rust will be a factor against fellow veteran Ortiz, but, judging by the lead-up so far, his tongue remains sharp as ever.

Randy Couture

As far as successful un-retirements go, Randy Couture’s is certainly a uniquely inspiring case.

After calling it quits in 2006 following a knockout by Chuck Liddell in their third octagon encounter, the ex-two-division champ decided not only to come back, but to challenge Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight belt. The then-43-year-old went on to beat Sylvia and successfully defend his title against Gabriel Gonzaga before Brock Lesnar whisked the title away in 2008.

Couture fought five more times, amassing a respectable 3-2 record before suffering a highlight-reel knockout by the hands – well, foot – of Lyoto Machida. The 53-year-old has since been “happily retired” from MMA despite some attempts to drag him back using an eternally dangling carrot named Fedor Emelianenko.

Tito Ortiz

Former UFC light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz (18-12-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) was on a 1-5 slump when he first called it quits back in 2012. The sourness of the situation was only made worse by then-final opponent Forrest Griffin – who not only beat Ortiz in what was set to be his swan song, but also stole his thunder with some untimely shenanigans.

In spite of having his moment pretty much ruined, Ortiz moved forward with retirement. Focusing on his management duties, he often spoke about the relief of giving his continuously surgically repaired body some rest.

Still, even amidst the praise for his newly painless life, he’d hint at un-retirement at every other interview.

So it wasn’t that surprising that a little less than two years later Ortiz was getting his hand raised, this time after submitting Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 120. Now, set to headline Bellator 170 against fellow un-retired Chael Sonnen, Ortiz plans on hanging up his gloves for real this time.

Stephan Bonnar

Stephan Bonnar’s (15-9 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) original retirement fight wasn’t a particularly proud moment.

After taking a short-notice scrap against then-middleweight champ Anderson Silva at UFC 153, the UFC Hall of Famer not only suffered his first full-on TKO (the other two were doctor stoppages), but he also ended up testing positive for steroids. It was, overall, a rather sad note to end an otherwise exciting and groundbreaking career.

Almost two years later, his dislike for Tito Ortiz was enough to lure “The American Psycho” back. But, after a bad-blood-fueled promotion, he ended up dropping a split-decision loss at Bellator 131’s headliner and hasn’t fought since.

That was in November 2014. Apart from the occasional “maybe, who knows, if something really good comes along” comment, the 39-year-old seems to be managing to resist the pull of the cage.

Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie (15-2-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has never been a big fan of the word “retirement,” which makes sense considering that, at the end of the day, the UFC’s original tournament champion seems to always find his way back into the cage – even if that means taking an almost decade-long break.

Gracie made his most recent comeback this past February, stopping Ken Shamrock in what would be the Brazilian UFC Hall of Famer’s first TKO win. Gracie had last fought nine years prior to that Bellator 149 appointment, decisioning Kazushi Sakuraba (while Gracie later tested positive for anabolic steroids, the result was never overturned).

This may have been the biggest, but certainly wasn’t the first career gap for Gracie – who told MMAjunkie he simply wasn’t getting that many phone calls.

If you ask Gracie now, chances are he’ll tell you the same thing he told Combate after the Shamrock scrap: He’s not retired, just on a break.

Considering his history, it’s hard to doubt it.

Jose Aldo

OK, let me explain. UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (26-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) deserves a nod if nothing else for the mere fact his retirement may very well have been the shortest in UFC history.

Aldo made waves late last year when he said he was through following the announcement that then-featherweight champ Conor McGregor would be facing then-lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez to try and become the first UFC champion to hold simultaneous belts in two divisions. It was the tipping point for an already-dissatisfied Aldo, who then said he was not looking for a way out of his UFC contract – he wanted out of MMA altogether.

Things eventually got back on track. With newly crowned lightweight champ McGregor relinquishing his featherweight belt, Aldo was reinstated as the UFC’s 145-pound undisputed champ and has even been involved in some controversy with interim titleholder Max Holloway since.

While Aldo would have left a list of accomplishments behind regardless, a retirement now would certainly have meant a rather premature end to a career that still has some serious leg-mangling potential.