Five MMA Fighters Who Went Out on Top
The temptation to keep fighting until you’re a broken-down shell of your former self can be overpowering. Somehow, these five fighters managed to resist it.
Bas Rutten
Bas Rutten’s legendary run as a professional fighter ended with 22 consecutive fights without a loss. After defeating pioneers including Frank Shamrock, Maurice Smith and Guy Mezger during his Pancrase career, Rutten joined the UFC and won the vacant heavyweight title by split decision over Kevin Randleman at UFC 20.
Serious knee and biceps injuries forced Rutten into retirement, but seven years later he returned for one final bout. He stopped Ruben “Warpath” Villareal at WFA: King of the Streets in July 2006 and retired for good without having tasted defeat in more than 11 years.
Genki Sudo
Genki Sudo was known for unforgettable entrances and an inventive submission game. At the height of his popularity, following a first-round triangle-choke victory over Damacio Page at Premium 2006 Dynamite!!, Sudo announced to the Tokyo Dome crowd that his fighting career was over.
He had won eight of his final nine fights, including victories over Mike Brown, Royler Gracie and Hiroyuki Takaya, making him a rare example of an MMA fighter leaving while still in his prime.
Phillip Miller
Phillip Miller went through his entire professional career without a loss. In just three years he compiled a 16-0 record, including a decision over Jake Shields, a sweep of the eight-man World Vale Tudo Championship 14 tournament and two UFC victories.
After leaving the UFC amid a pay dispute, Miller eventually lost his motivation to continue fighting and pursued a career in law enforcement instead. His perfect professional record remained intact.
“I’d never want to quit on a loss. I mean, I couldn’t. Even if I lost a fight, I would have to come back and fight again.”
Cung Le
After a 17-0 run in Sanshou kickboxing, Cung Le transitioned to MMA and opened his career with five straight stoppage victories in Strikeforce. He then defeated Frank Shamrock for the promotion’s middleweight title when Shamrock could not continue after three rounds because of a broken arm.
Rather than immediately defending the belt, Le shifted his attention toward acting, landing roles in films including Fighting, Pandorum and Tekken.
Rickson Gracie
Rickson Gracie’s most visible fights came in the 1990s, when he won the 1994 and 1995 Vale Tudo Japan tournaments before recording two armbar victories over Nobuhiko Takada in PRIDE.
His final professional MMA fight came against Pancrase veteran Masakatsu Funaki at Colosseum 2000. After nearly 13 minutes, Gracie secured a rear-naked choke and Funaki went unconscious rather than tap. Gracie then left competition behind and continued teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu.