Whose career had the best setting of the sun?

[Choco]

The GOAT, the invincible, 16-0 Phillip Miller.

Destroyed British MMA (Their best MW, and their best LHW) in UFC38 & UFC40, stuck two fingers to Dana and the Frittatas, instead of bowing down to them like the rest did, gave his first and only loss to a Barzilian WVC veteran in his farewell fight, and left to join LAPD to fight crime in the mean streets of LA.

/thread.

 

[wigglestick]

I don't think anyone will ever do it better then GSP, leaving with WW title, coming back to win MW title and leaving again. This guy beats everyone he fights and screwed over the UFC twice, such a goat

 

[HHJ]

GSP
Chris Lytle

Most people have bad career ends.

 

[HHJ]

Anderson went out beating top 7 ranked KO machine Brunson at 42 years old.

That fight sucked. No one would wanna retire like that. An exciting loss is better

 

[GuanoApes]

Igor Vovchanchyn.

 

[Bodil]

Anderson went out beating top 7 ranked KO machine Brunson at 42 years old.

1-4-1 streak Silva... that idiot can't win fights without sticking needles up his ass. Says a lot about you being a fan

GSP

Leaves with the belt, comes back, leaves with another belt

Can't do it better than that

This... I'm not sure why this is even a thread... GSP has had the best career by a landslide than any MMA fighter ever. He's in a league of his own.

 

[Martialarts123]

Mark Munoz

 

[Ozze]

Don't like GSP career ending because it didn't feel like it.
He still had fights left in him. And this shit show comeback was no good.

I'll vote for Matt Hughes as well. Lost to a better guy, fought a few more times, recognized the game passed him by, left when there's not much more to offer.

 

[Arkham's Notorious Geyser]

Conor mcgregor, for holding 2 titles at the same time.

I am sure we have seen the last of him in UFC. Seems to be scared to fight people his size.

That's not true at all, before he stepped in the Ring with Floyd he took on a man three times his size in Super Heavyweight Nate Diaz.

I agree though Conor could have continued to be great but is in kind of a rut right now.

 

[Rockapotomuss]

Evan Tanner

 

[boingyman]

Only person I can think of is GSP, although some may comlplain about his close decision against Big Rigg. His comeback to get the MW strap was a good return sail off into the sunset, yet again some will complain it was against a fluke champ.

Sadly one of the hardest to watch was BJ, especially since I'm a huge fan.

 

[Fight Professor]

Cole Konrad
Cody Pfister

 

[superpunch]

Couture got karate-kid-kicked right in the god damn face. It sent one of his teeth flying.

That was a good exit?

Compared to most fighters, yes. going out by karate kick to a great in his prime > losing by KO to some dude on the undercard then going 0-5 in Bellator or something

taking into account his coming back for the hw title of course

 

[Hotora86]

If Machida would have retired instead of moving to Bellator he'd be the obvious pick.

 

[superpunch]

Don't like GSP career ending because it didn't feel like it.
He still had fights left in him. And this shit show comeback was no good.

I'll vote for Matt Hughes as well. Lost to a better guy, fought a few more times, recognized the game passed him by, left when there's not much more to offer.

Thing is, GSP really didn't have fights left in him.

Hendricks almost took his head off. The new breed at 170 like Tyron Woodley has a certain dynamic and power combination in their striking that the old guard didn't have and that GSP was always vulnerable to. GSP had also lost a step with his knee injuries. He was at that exact point where guys start going 0-4 (KO) and get forced to retire. He stopped at that last second right before it happened.

If Anderson retired before Weidman, fools would be like "he still had fights in him!!" That's where GSP was.

He took advantage of a weak old guard fighter winning a fluke fight to take the MW title. Then he retired again. Stomach issues or not, he knew what was going to happen against guys like Romero, Rockhold, etc. There's a reason he didn't come out of retirement to fight Chris Weidman or Luke Rockhold but did return to fight against Bisping.

GSP probably will never admit those things to the public. No one would. But he's incredibly self aware and has a great head on his shoulders, more so than any other fighter.

 

[Aluminati]

And then gets banned on here by @Peteyandjia. Legendary.

For, of all things, being a keyboard warrior. Those street fighting stories from him and Remco are shit that legends are made of.
Knocks out Tito Ortiz, loses a decision to one of the GOATs, robs a bank from $80 million pounds and spends a decade getting conjugal visits and fathering illegitimate children.

 

[Benoitthegr8]

 

[AnimalMutha]

Evan Tanner

 

[MuddyFugger]

Randy retired with a kick to the face. GSP might retire twice winning two belts. Nobody has come close to that... I am not really a GSP fan either... but kicking biz's ass was great!

 

[chinarice]

We all know that MANY fighters stay ast their prime and don't know when to call it a career so, I wanna know what everyone else thinks on who had the best closing?

My picks:

Couture &
Hendo

and, I would say Yoel but he seems to be in his prime.

GSP because he went out as the lineal WW champ, returned from retirement, became the lineal MW champ and will retire as that as well..

Retiring as the lineal WW and MW champ sounds pretty solid to me!