Let's play a game! Name a fighter and when they should have retired.

[Question]

I think i'll go Jim Miller. Now is a good time for him.

I remember him going on a pretty bad skid a few years back, like late 2010's and thought that was it. Luckily he was able to bounce back by fighting some lower competition, but yeah at this age and mileage it seems time.

Put him up against a fighter on a similar level on some prelims of a PPV or a main card of a FN seems like a good spot(In front of a crowd tho). For opponent I'm not sure, maybe Tony if they're still willing to give him another fight.
That being said I feel like Tony's so washed that Jim most likely beats him up pretty badly.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

Rousey retired too soon

 

[Question]

Kevin Lee after losing to D-Rod, I know he got a win after.... Buuut that win was also him struggling against an old ass Diego Sanchez that he couldn't finish.

 

[Ancient Warrior]

Arlovski should’ve retired more than a decade ago. Probably after he got KO’ed by Kharitonov.

 

[Flower2dPeople]

Shogun should've retired after the Coleman loss in Pride.

 

[bambammccoy]

Anderson after Bonnar.

He should've let the next generation start fighting for his belt. He was 40 years old #1 P4P and 16‐0 in the UFC and fuckin around in other divisions for fun. He could've had a comeback fight some years after and made a bazillion dollars.

 

[jko1355]

Anderson after the second Chael fight. He had done everything and was done... he was clearly slowing down and older... I mean the Bonnar fight could have been a send off fight against another older fighter but if he retired after chael 2 he'd be considered the number 1 goat

 

[laleggenda27]

Aldo should have retired after beating Mendes in Rio at 179. There was already speculation that he was considering retiring before the fight. Even though he was young, he had been fighting professionally for a decade, five of those years as champion. And he clearly wasn't the same fighter he used to be--possibly a by-product of his motorcycle accident.

It was the perfect way to go out--the King of Rio defending on home soil. If he had called it a career before the Conor loss (and subsequent losses), there would be no debate about who's the FW GOAT. And some people might argue he's the MMA GOAT.

 

[ipowerslapmywife]

DC agrees with you. He said himself that he wish he retired after Stipe 1. His back was gone after that and he never felt the same.

Stipe would’ve beaten him at either time. Remember the first fight he only won due to the eyepoke

 

[biscuitsbrah]

Morales after losing to cejudo

 

[StonedLemur]

With the power of hindsight, name a fighter and the prime time they should have retired.

Here's my undebatable example:
Renan Barao- Off of his second win against Faber when he was at 34-1. Otherwise, he would then face TJ Dillashaw and have one of the worst fall-offs in MMA history.

Here's a more debatable example:
Frankie Edgar- Off of his title loss to Max Holloway. You could argue he should have retired off a win, or before he ever was knocked out, but I'd say it would be most suiting to end his career on a title fight.

Tony...and right after the Gaethje fight.

 

[filthybliss]

BJ Penn after beating Hughes, he'd be thrown into GOAT convos if he left the rest of his career to our imaginations

 

[fedorthegoat777]

BJ right before getting KOd by a fat drunk

To be fair, he should have retired long before the fat drunk.

 

[Fight Professor]

Fedor after Pride fell apart. His legacy would have been untouchable.

 

[ryun253]

Some random

Fedor after Pride fell apart. His legacy would have been untouchable.

After Arlovski would've been a good stopping point

 

[Cobra 03]

Cro Cop. He should have retired after his PRIDE Open weight championship, instead of coming to the UFC and looking very ordinary.
Chuck Liddell. He should have retired after Rashad Evans fight.....or sooner!

 

[Ginja_Ninja]

Matt Hughes could still be in GOAT conversations if he retired after the 2nd BJ fight.

• Had like 8 title defenses
• Dominated just about every fight
• Avenged his only title fight loss to BJ with a finish
• Finished the future GOAT in GSP
• Finished the legend in Gracie

If he split right before the second GSP fight people would remember him a lot different.

 

[Harlekin]

Every fighter before his first loss after a long streak will be mentioned a hundred times obviously

 

[doggo]

Crocop should have never lost to Gonzaga Dammit!!!

So yeah after Eddie sanchez or pride GP 2006

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Punk should have retired from competing in MMA in 2014.

In all seriousness, at the height of Carlos Condit, I had some terrible prophecy where I detailed the few ways I thought he could be beat: Dropping 2 rounds in a 3 rounder to a wrestler; losing a 5 rounder to only the most super cardio of grapplers like GSP/Shield/ or Diaz; robbery; and the only way he's getting finished is submitted by Maia; or injury.

Then all 5 of those options happened in 7 fights with 2 wins in between. The loss to Lawler was extremely disheartening, and although I think Maia was going to submit Carlos, I do think Carlos would normally have been able to fight it off more than he did, so I think he wasn't in it anymore at this time. But dropping 3 rounds to Magny is the nail in the coffin. That should not have happened, and that surely was the mark that it was time.

No hindsight necessary, there. I kinda handed in the hope card at that point. No amount of bias was going to overrule what I knew