News emerged this week that former UFC lightweight title contender, Donald Cerrone (36-17-1 NC MMA, 23-14-1 NC UFC) has re-entered the drug testing pool and plans on making a return to the Octagon in 2025.
“Cowboy” fought in the UFC 38 times from 2011 until 2022 and also competed 10 times in the WEC. He has revealed his ambition to make that walk twice more to fulfil his dream of competing 50 times across the two promotions.
3 UFC Legends Who Came Back…And Won
Fighters rarely improve during time away from the sport, but there are exceptions to that rule. Let’s take a look at three UFC legends who returned successfully to the Octagon after a prolonged hiatus.
First of the UFC Legends: George St-Pierre
The name George “Rush” St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) is a staple on any fan’s ‘Mount Rushmore’ of MMA. The Canadian superstar dominated the UFC’s welterweight division for many years, making ten successful defences of his belt before relinquishing the title and walking away from the sport after beating Johnny Hendricks in November 2013.
St-Pierre ruled the roost at 170 lbs during a star-studded era and racked up wins over such legendary names as Matt Hughes, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy and BJ Penn to go down in history as one of the greatest champions in the history of the sport.
His departure in 2013 was shrouded in mystery, with St-Pierre refusing to confirm if he was officially retiring. He left the door open for a return for four years, and that time finally arrived in 2017 after Michael Bisping laid claim to the middleweight world title that Anderson Silva had held for so long.
With the veteran Bisping clearly in the twilight of his career, it was obvious that St-Pierre’s decision to return and fight for a championship belt was down to the fact that this was a very winnable fight.
That ultimately proved to be the case at UFC 217 as the former welterweight champion picked up the pace after a slow start, taking “The Count” to the canvas in the third round and securing a rear naked choke finish.
Having achieved his goal of becoming a two-weight world champion, St-Pierre repeated his trick of vacating the title and walking away from the sport once again, never to return.
It’s rumoured that “GSP” has since sounded out the possibility of testing the waters in the world of boxing, but UFC president Dana White refused to allow him out of his UFC contract to do so.
Dominick Cruz Among the UFC Legends
Younger MMA fans may know Dominick Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) primarily as one of the sport’s best-known color commentators, but for fight fans of a certain vintage, “The Dominator” is one of the greatest champions to have ever graced the sport and falls into the UFC legends category.
WEC bantamweight champion Cruz became the inaugural UFC 135 lb. champion when the WEC was swallowed up by the world leader back in 2010. After getting off to an impressive start to his Octagon career by beating both Urijah Faber and Demetrious Johnson, Cruz tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
To make matters worse, his body rejected the cadaver ligament he received in his surgery, meaning he was forced to undergo the entire surgical process a second time.
Not wanting to hold up the division, Cruz vacated his title and focused on his recovery. As he was preparing to come back to face then-champion Renan Barao in 2014, he tore his groin muscle, resulting in a further seven months on the sidelines.
Cruz finally returned later that year at UFC 178, almost three years after the win over “Mighty Mouse”. He blew Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki away in spectacular fashion that night and earned an instant shot at the reigning 135 lb champion T.J. Dillashaw.
In a miraculous turn of events, Cruz emerged victorious after a scintillating five rounds against Dillashaw, finally reclaiming the championship belt that he never lost. He went on to successfully defend it a few months later against his old rival Urijah Faber, before losing to Cody Garbrandt in his next outing.
Injuries have played their part in limiting his activity in the years since, but 39-year-old Cruz still considers himself an active fighter and hopes to have “one last dance” inside the Octagon early in 2025.
Jon “Bones” Jones In Upper Echelon of Heavyweight UFC Legends
The subject of more headlines than most in 2024, the discourse around Jon Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) throughout his long UFC tenure has centred around his antics outside of the Octagon far more than his achievements inside it.
After beating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to win the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 128 way back in 2011, “Bones” went on to completely dominate the division over the next nine years, eventually relinquishing his belt seemingly out of boredom, before announcing his plans to move up and challenge for the heavyweight title.
The time Jones spent bulking up in preparation for the move became extended due to an ongoing contract dispute with the UFC, and it was more than three years before he eventually returned.
When he did finally make that walk, it was to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 (in the wake of Francis Ngannou’s departure from the UFC after a contract dispute of his own).
Jones steamrolled his French opponent inside the opening round to claim the belt but an injury kept him out for another eighteen months before his recent return against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. The victory only reaffirmed his status among the UFC legends.
After such a storied career inside the Octagon, the heavyweight champion also looks likely to be involved in one of the biggest fights of 2025 and continue to cement himself in the UFC legends category.
Almost 17 years in, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the support from all you nutty Bones Jones supporters. You’ve been with me through the grinding years, the rivalries, every setback, and every victory. The strength and passion y’all give me fuels my fire—every round, every… pic.twitter.com/2hyuqqJoHG
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) December 4, 2024
