UFC: Chuck Liddell and 10 Fighters Who Retired Too Late

Mixed martial arts was piggybacked by the likes of these proverbial legends in the sport, who reigned dominant in their heyday as champions or notable figures.

However, like with every reign, all good things must come to an end.

Case in point: Chuck Liddell, who is arguably the greatest light heavyweight to have ever lived. The prestigious honor is no stretch, as "The Iceman" was an early dominant force in the organization, having bested several world-class opponents in devastating fashion.

However, the knockout artist would later succumb to his own lopsided losses at the tail end of his career and blemished his legacy because of it, much like these men who called it quits just a little too late.

Matt Hughes

The UFC Hall of Famer rose to prominence when he reigned as the organization's welterweight champion, recognized as one of the pound-for-pound best in the sport.

With victories over the likes of Frank Trigg, BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre anchoring his list of accolades, Hughes has cemented his legacy in the sport thanks to his seven title defenses over two title reigns, making him the first two-time welterweight champion (the second being the aforementioned GSP).

However, Hughes has since seen better days.

The 38-year-old has been victim to consecutive knockout losses to the likes of Penn and former title challenger Josh Koscheck, having dropped five of his nine outings inside the Octagon.

Following his loss to Koscheck at UFC 135 this September, Hughes stopped short of officially calling himself "retired," though UFC president Dana White has since gone on record saying that the Illinois native should officially hang them up. 

Royler Gracie

One of the leading men of the Gracie clan, Royler has left a memorable legacy both in the Jiu-Jitsu circuit and the mixed martial arts world.

Royler was not as equally successful as a fighter, though he consistently fought against top-level competition such as UFC veterans Kazushi Sakuraba, Genki Sudo, "Kid" Yamamoto and Dream Bantamweight Grand Prix champ Hideo Tokoro. 

The Gracie fighter came out of retirement for a farewell fight against top 135-pound star Masakatsu Ueda, who is well regarded as one of the best in his division. In the end, Gracie, 45, turned in an uninspired decision loss to the Japanese star.

Royler exited the sport with a 5-5-1 record overall with the September loss to Ueda. 

Royce Gracie

The prolific Gracie fighter, Royce was the UFC's first shining star.

The touted submission specialist, the smallest man in the no-holds-barred tourney, laid claim to three separate tournament titles at UFC 1, 2 and 4. 

His list of victims includes Kimo Leopoldo and former champions Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock.

Royce will forever be remembered as the man who revolutionized the sport by helping to introduce mixed martial artists to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which came courtesy of his late and great father Helio Gracie.

The sixth-degree black belt has competed as a professional, first stepping foot inside the ring opposite rival Kazushi Sakuraba, who owned victories over a slew of Gracie fighters, including Royce back in May of 2000 under the Pride banner.

Royce exacted revenge by taking home a controversial decision victory over the Japanese star in 2007, where afterwards the former UFC star tested positive for anabolic steroids, though he refuted those claims. 

Prior to the over-the-hill Sakuraba victory, Royce fell victim to a savage one-sided beating at the hands of then UFC champion Matt Hughes, who controlled the submission specialist on the mat, nearly submitting him before settling for ground-and-pound blows inside of the first round.

For all intents and purposes, the 44-year-old is retired, though he has recently hinted at a possible return when he vied for a spot on the UFC Rio card this August. 

Mirko Cro Cop

The former Pride star made his way to the UFC in 2007, having been widely recognized as one of the undisputed best in the heavyweight division.

The Croatian star left the Japanese promotion after having earned the Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006, besting the likes of Ikuhisa Minowa, Hidehiko Yoshida, then Middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva and finally Josh Barnett—finishing all men en route to the prestigious title.

A K-1 veteran, Cro Cop left behind a legacy of devastating knockout victories over top opposition, though he failed to recreate his success inside the Octagon, where he went 4-6 under the UFC banner.

In his last three outings with the organization, Cro Cop left 0-3 and suffered knockout losses to the likes of Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub and Roy Nelson, respectively.

Finally, with the fans and media alike calling for his retirement, the legendary fighter left little doubt about his future.

After his loss to Nelson at UFC 137, he proclaimed "I was treated like a king from the beginning. It's in my best interest that this is my farewell fight. Thanks, everybody."

Dan Severn

One of the few men who have entered the UFC Hall of Fame, Dan Severn has left behind a long and storied career. 

The former Olympic wrestler first made his way to the Octagon in 1994 at UFC 4, making it to the finals opposite of Royce Gracie, losing by submission in the waning moments of the fight.

Eventually, Severn earned tournament titles at UFC 5, Ultimate Ultimate 1995 and finally the UFC Superfight title in 1996 when he bested Ken Shamrock en route to a decision victory.

Though he no longer competes under the Zuffa banner, Severn has not allowed the loss of big league status to halt his rise, as the 53-year-old continues to plug away on the regional circuit, compiling an overall record of 100-18-7. 

Now, Severn says retirement is imminent and will be official come 2012.

"The Beast" has failed to acquire another bout since this May, so we may have already seen the last of the proverbial mixed martial arts legend. 

Matt Lindland

A perennial contender in the middleweight division, Matt Lindland, in his heyday, was one of the best men to enter the 185-pound class.

A former UFC title challenger, Lindland holds notable victories over the likes of Travis Lutter, Ricardo Almeida, Phil Baroni, Joe Doerksen, Niko Vitale and former champion Pat Miletich. 

His long list of accolades makes Lindland one of the best middleweight fighters to ever enter the Octagon, despite having failed to capture the prestigious middleweight title.

However, Lindland has long had a suspect chin, which was originally exposed by the heavy-handed David Terrell some years ago.

The Olympic wrestling silver medalist has gone 2-5 in his last seven outings with all losses having ended before the final bell.

Heavy hitters Vitor Belfort and Robbie Lawler were among the men to have savagely shut off the lights of the 41-year-old, who only recently made his retirement official—sort of. 

Kevin Randleman

Former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman was one of the most feared men in his early years as a mixed martial artist.

A wrestling powerhouse, Randleman parlayed his two NCAA Division I titles en route to an early successful mixed martial arts career, where he paved his way through the Vale Tudo circuit before entering the Octagon in 1999.

In just his second fight with the organization, Randleman won the vacant heavyweight title when he bested the Lion's Den's own Pete Williams, who had knocked out Randleman's teammate, former champion Mark Coleman. 

"The Monster" later defended his title against Brazilian striker Pedro Rizzo before eventually making his way to the Pride circuit where he became an instant success.

There, Randleman earned stoppage victories over the likes of Murilo Rua and the touted Mirko Cro Cop, making him the first man to defeat the Croatian with a knockout finish in MMA.

Now, Randleman has dropped nine of his last eleven bouts and is currently riding a four-fight losing streak against the likes of Zuffa veterans Mike Whitehead, Stanislav Nedkov, Roger Gracie and submission ace Baga Agaev, respectively. 

Randleman, 40, wrestled with the idea of retirement before succumbing to the thought earlier this year. 

Mark Coleman

The UFC's original heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman has already solidified his place in mixed martial arts.

The wrestling powerhouse first made waves in July 1996 when he entered the Octagon thanks to his highly successful amateur wrestling career, which brought him an NCAA Division I title and a spot on the United States Team, having placed seventh in 1992 at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Coleman went undefeated in his first six outings as a professional, earning the UFC 10 and 11 tournament titles before clinching the inaugural heavyweight championship by submitting Dan Severn in under three minutes.

Coveted as "the godfather of ground-and-pound," Coleman parlayed his accolades in the Octagon overseas when he entered Pride. There, "Hammer" won the first Open Weight Grand Prix, taking home the prestigious title in 2000, besting a field of 16 men. 

However, over the years, Coleman has become less and less the dominant force he was in his heyday and more and more the 46-year-old he is today. 

Coleman has lost three of his last four outings, his last of which came at the hands of fellow UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, who submitted him with a second-round rear-naked choke, prompting his exit from the promotion. 

Coleman has since mulled over the idea of retirement since the 2010 loss, though he is willing to return to action for a select few fights only. 

Randy Couture

One of the larger-than-life legends in the sport, Randy Couture is possibly the most deserving of UFC Hall of Fame honors.

A former five-time UFC champion, Couture captured two titles as a light heavyweight and three as a heavyweight, most recently at UFC 68, when he came out of retirement to take on then champ Tim Sylvia. 

Couture was a decided underdog, but the Olympic wrestler proved his meddle when he dropped the 6'8" behemoth and controlled every round thereafter, taking home a decision victory and reclaiming the title.

He made a successful defense of his title soon after by deftly defeating then top dog Gabriel Gonzaga with a third-round TKO.

"The Natural" would later drop two consecutive bouts to the likes of Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He could have retired there, but Couture continued to plug away and then dropped back to 205 and took a contentious split-decision win over Brandon Vera.

Couture looked awesome in bouts with the aforementioned Mark Coleman and UFC newcomer James Toney—an 0-0 fighter who came in based on his merit as a world-class boxer.

Against lower level competitors, Couture shined. But, when the 48-year-old took on Lyoto Machida at UFC 124 this April, he was quickly dispatched with a second-round KO.

Chuck Liddell

The most dominant light heavyweight champion in UFC history, Chuck Liddell was one of the earlier faces of the organization, and rightfully so.

En route to the title, Liddell defeated a slew of notable opponents, including Kevin Randleman, Jeff Monson, Renato Sobral. Vitor Belfort and Alistair Overeem before meeting with then champion Randy Couture for the title.

In their first outing, Couture bested Liddell with a third-round TKO. "The Iceman" made the necessary adjustments to stave off takedown attempts from the Olympian and knocked him out in a little over two minutes in the opening round.

Consecutive title defenses against the likes of Jeremy Horn, Renato Sobral (again), Couture (again) and finally Tito Ortiz highlighted Liddell's reign as king.

However, after a knockout loss to rival Quinton Jackson at UFC 71, Liddell hasn't been the same since.

Liddell suffered another loss to the unheralded Keith Jardine in his next outing before picking up a "Fight of the Night" performance in a victory over the lauded Wanderlei Silva.

Next, Liddell went winless in knockout losses to former champions Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua and Rich Franklin.

Initially, UFC President Dana White wanted to see Liddell exit the sport after the loss to Jardine, though the UFC Hall of Famer continued to plug away.

Finally, after his last loss to Franklin, Liddell called it quits and now presides as a UFC executive, becoming the vice president of business development.