As 2024 comes to a close, we are reminded of all the young stars coming into prominence in mixed martial arts. From Ilia Topuria’s meteoric rise to championship status, to Joaquin Buckley thoroughly dismantling the old guard against Colby Covington, new promising blood is beginning to flow in the sport.
Looking Back on Those Who Retired From MMA This Year
However, while budding contenders and champions are starting to make their mark, the veterans who were once hailed as the best of their time have decided to hang up their gloves for good. From former titleholders to perennial fan-favorites, some of the most accomplished fighters to ever do it walked away from the game this year, and now, it’s time to put the spotlight on them for one last time.
Satoshi Ishii
MMA record: 25-13-1
Date of debut: Dec. 31, 2009
Date of retirement: March 3, 2024
Unlike most heavyweight combat sports athletes, Satoshi Ishii may just have the most diverse martial arts pedigree out of anyone else that has ever competed in the 265-lb division. Starting off his journey in fighting by becoming a world-class Judoka (even winning gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing), Ishii would dabble in other sports, including submission grappling, professional boxing, and kickboxing. In grappling, he managed to score a victory over previous UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir.
In MMA, the Japanese-Croatian defeated a small handful of some of the top heavyweights of the sport’s early modern era, such as Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Kazuyuki Fujita, and another former UFC champion in Tim Sylvia.
He also has crossed paths with other legendary figures in the sport, ranging from revered names like Quinton Jackson, Mirko Cro Cop (twice), Fedor Emelianenko, and current 205-lb standout Jiří Procházka. Ishii has had three different championship belts wrapped around his waist at different points in his career, which included the HEAT Heavyweight Championship, Serbian Battle Heavyweight Championship, and Inoki Genome Federation Championship.
Making his last walk to the cage last year, Ishii faced Danilo Marques at PFL 8, losing via unanimous decision. He then announced his retirement from the sport a year later on March 3, 2024.
2008 Olympic gold medalist and MMA veteran Satoshi Ishii has announced his retirement from MMA.
What a world tour of a career he's had. 🗺️ pic.twitter.com/OkjzMHQYdw
— Violent Money TV (@ViolentMoneyTV) March 4, 2024
Matt Brown
MMA record: 24-19
Date of debut: Oct. 8, 2005
Date of retirement: May 4, 2024
For almost two decades, Matt Brown wowed audiences across the world. First coming into prominence during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter season seven, the then 13-fight veteran breezed past his first two opponents with a pair of first round knockouts. Although he would be eliminated from the tournament after a submission defeat to eventual winner Amir Sadollah, Brown was allowed to compete on the show’s live finale, where he starched Matt Arroyo in the second round.
From here, “The Immortal” rose to become a respected name in the UFC’s 170-lb class. While he never got the chance to fight for gold (losing his sole title eliminator bout to Robbie Lawler), Brown still managed to bring down elite-level competition like Chris Cope, Diego Sanchez, and Stephen Thompson during his tenure. Though, these wins pale in comparison to what can be considered the Ohio native’s lasting legacy in the promotion; being the all-time leader in UFC welterweight knockouts with 13. He also is tied with heavyweight finisher Derrick Lewis for the second most knockouts in the company’s history at 13 as well.
Announcing his exit from MMA earlier this year, Brown leaves behind a deep admiration from fellow fighters and fans. What’s more, he takes his leave riding a three fight bonus streak, including two Performance of the Night Awards of Dhiego Lima and Court McGee.
Not doing it again. I’m out. That’s the announcement. My life will now be dedicated to serving others. Growing others in the martial arts and building businesses that can help the community and the world. pic.twitter.com/lWxE1RLEK2
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) May 4, 2024
Carla Esparza
MMA record: 19-8
Date of debut: Feb. 19, 2010
Date of retirement: Oct. 5, 2024
In the annals of women’s combat sports history, Carla Esparza has undoubtedly slotted her place amongst the greatest female fighters of all time.
Off the back of a stellar collegiate wrestling career, Esparza found amazing success after transitioning to mixed martial arts, going 9-2 during her first three years as a professional. This included a productive stint in the all-female fighting organization, Invicta FC, where she captured their inaugural strawweight strap. She was then casted to compete on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter, defeating Angela Hill, Tecia Pennington, and Jessica Penne to advance to the competition’s finale. There, she submitted future UFC rival Rose Namajunas to claim the Ultimate Fighter title, but also to become the first-ever UFC Strawweight Champion.
Esparza didn’t get the chance for a long reign, however, as she would be dethroned quickly by a surging Joanna Jędrzejczyk in her first defense. This loss kickstarted a nearly ten year road back to title contention, setting up a rematch with then champion Namajunas for a second time. Although the fight was less than stellar, “Cookie Monster” prevailed to regain her spot at the top, before ultimately losing it to Weili Zhang. She then announced her bout with Tecia Pennington last October was going to be her retirement fight, one that Esparza lost by split decision.
Stipe Miocic
MMA record: 20-5
Date of debut: Feb. 20, 2010
Date of retirement: Nov. 16, 2024
Across MMA’s storied timeline of heavyweight champions, Ohio’s Stipe Miocic stands out as a clear contender for the title of Greatest of All Time.
Possessing an accredited background in college wrestling and boxing (holding a Golden Gloves title), Miocic bulldozed his way through his first six opponents before signing with the UFC in 2011. Making short work of Joey Beltran, Philip de Fries, and Shane del Rosario, the 265-lb bruiser met his loss against Stefan Struve.
The loss did little to slow the momentum of Miocic, because other than another defeat to Junior dos Santos two years later, he managed to dominate his way into his first world title match with Fabrício Werdum, knocking out the Brazilian in superb fashion to win the belt.
He then went on to embark on one of the best title runs in heavyweight history, defending his strap three times during his first reign as champion before having his strap taken by Daniel Cormier. Nabbing the belt back in a subsequent rematch for Miocic, the firefighter sent “DC” into retirement following an immediate run back with a unanimous decision, etching his fourth overall title defense.
He would then lose his place on the summit in a runback bout with Francis Ngannou, being starched violently by the Cameroonian.
Taking three years off from the sport, Miocic returned to competition last month opposite current heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, falling short of his last attempt at gold at UFC 309 after being dropped by a spinning back kick and finished with ground-and-pound. He formally announced his departure from MMA in his post-fight interview.
Demetrious Johnson
MMA record: 25-4-1
Date of debut: Aug. 15, 2009
Date of retirement: Sept. 6, 2024
When it comes to the conversation of naming the best fighter to ever do it, Demetrious Johnson is a man whose name continually appears at the forefront.
Compiling a 9-0 amateur record before turning professional in 2009, Johnson joined one of the top MMA organizations in the world at the time, the WEC, after winning his first three fights by stoppage.
While he did lose his promotional debut to Brad Pickett, “Might Mouse” continued to shine in the company with two more wins before being brought into the UFC following them buying out the WEC. Defeating both Norifumi Yamamoto and Miguel Torres in three months, Johnson vied for the bantamweight title versus Dominick Cruz, suffering a unanimous decision loss.
However, with the UFC putting on a tournament to debut its newly-instated flyweight division, Johnson made the drop down to 125-lb for the first time, where he proceeded to win the competition and the belt with wins over Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez.
This began the most dominant title reign in MMA history, with Johnson racking up 11 straight title defenses before dropping the strap to Henry Cejudo five years later.
He was then traded to ONE Fighting Championship in a history-making trade for their former welterweight king Ben Askren. Despite the new setting, Johnson continued to excel, winning the company’s flyweight strap. Although he did end up losing his title against Adriano Moraes in a devastating knockout finish, “Mighty Mouse” showcased his greatness for one last time by not just beating Moraes in nearly similar fashion in the rematch, but also winning their trilogy bout by unanimous decision.
With nothing else left to prove after a star-studded career, Johnson formally announced his retirement last September, retiring on top as champion and also being inducted into the ONE FC Hall of Fame in the process.
