- JPdachamp27
- 5th Degree Black Belt
- Member Since 2021.01.23
My MMA Rankings
Best UFC Fighters to Retire in 2022
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1
- José Aldo
- "Junior"
- 32-8-0
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Of the four champions on our list, I chose Aldo as my top spot. The King of Rio went undefeated for over eight years with nine title defenses between the WEC and UFC. Even a late-career rebound at bantamweight proved the true greatness of Jose.
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2
- Joanna Jędrzejczyk
- 16-5-0
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Another all-time great, the Boogey woman was a machine at 115, violently taking the title from Esparza and defending it five times. While she never truly bounced back from the losses to Namajunas, she was later involved in one of the greatest fights of all time against Weili Zhang is a for sure future HOF member.
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3
- Frankie Edgar
- "The Answer"
- 24-11-1
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The final surefire HOF on this list, the Answer has earned his place among the all-time greats. With wins over greats like BJ Penn, legendary comebacks against Grey Maynard, and a resurgence at featherweight that took him all the way to a title shot, Frankie spent nearly eight hours in the Octagon, amassing 18 wins, 11 performance bonuses, and three title defenses.
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4
- Luke Rockhold
- 16-6-0
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The final champion on the list narrowly passes Cerrone due to the strength of his wins, as well as his Strikeforce title run. With big-name wins over Jacare, Bisping (the first time), Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman don't let Luke's late career ****iness and cringy-ness take away from his prime greatness. With 15 wins between Strikeforce and the UFC, and 13 of those wins coming by finish, Rockhold should be remembered as a high entertainment fighter.
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5
- Donald Cerrone
- "Cowboy"
- 36-17-0, 2 NC
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Cowboy may have come up short in all his biggest fights, but 23 wins are notable. Cerrone holds wins over other champs like Eddie Alvarez, Benson Henderson, and Charles Oliviera is the UFC record holder for the most knockdowns (20). He is tied for the most performance bonuses (18) in company history. With an anyone, anytime, anywhere attitude, we can all wish Cowboy the best as he transitions to acting full-time.
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6
- Zabit Magomedsharipov
- 18-1-0
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Choosing to pursue a career in medicine, the UFC will never know what violent Abe Lincoln could've been. 6-0 in the UFC with four performance bonuses, the spinning attacks and creative submissions of Zabit will live on... and so will Dr. Magomedsharipov's patients too!
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7
- Uriah Hall
- "Prime Time"
- 17-11-0
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While Prime Time never quite lived up to his TUF 17 hype as the spiritual successor to Anderson Silva, he still racked up 10 UFC wins, including a highlight-reel finish of Gegard Mousasi, and a late-career win over Silva himself. Hall's inconsistency may have plagued him, but at his best he could hang with the top fighters of his era.
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8
- Eddie Wineland
- 24-16-1
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The inaugural WEC Bantamweight champion may have lost five of his final six fights, but in his prime, Wineland was a real warrior, with a kill or be killed mentally. Finishing opponents in 19 of his 24 career wins, Wineland should be remembered as a scrappy brawler, instead of only remembered for his late career downturn.
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9
- Roxanne Modafferi
- "The Happy Warrior"
- 25-20-0
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The Happy Warrior's 25-20 record doesn't tell her full story. A WMMA pioneer, Roxy fought everyone thrown at her, getting a Flyweight Title fight as a TUF finalist replacing the injured Sijara Eubanks. With notable wins over Maycee Barber, Barb Honchak, and Andrea Lee (twice) Roxy wasn't just the coolest nerd and nicest person, she was a great fighter in her own right.
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10
- Jessica Eye
- "Evil"
- 15-11-0, 1 NC
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While her UFC run was hit or miss and she basically retired to avoid being released, Eye still fought for a title, defeating talented fighters like Katlyn Chookagian, Leslie Smith, and Viviane Araujo, and had one of the best 2018's of any fighter in the UFC.