The Perfect Retirement Fights for 10 MMA Legends

A lot of MMA fans are considering this weekend’s UFC 137 event to be their last chance to see Mirko Cro Cop in action.

It makes sense, after all, since Cro Cop has lost his last two fights and has looked like a shell of his former self since he made his Octagon debut way back in 2007, but there is still a lot of sadness as we prepare to watch one of the greatest fighters of all time step away.

As much as fans want to see the former PRIDE legend walk away with a win on Saturday, Roy Nelson’s granite chin makes this a horrible matchup for Cro Cop, and it is highly possible that one of the greatest strikers of all time will go out on a loss, much like Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture before him.

But if Cro Cop were to return for another fight, who would be the perfect opponent for him to fight that would make for an exciting battle and still allow him to go out on top?

Here is the best possible final fights for 10 MMA legends who are nearing retirement.

Mirko Cro Cop

Perfect Matchup: Stefan Stuve

Cro Cop needs someone who will take the fight to him, while leaving enough openings to give him a chance to counter.

Which means Stefan Struve was born for this fight.

Struve vs. Cro Cop would be a potential Fight of the Year candidate, and if Cro Cop was able to somehow kick Struve in the head and put him to sleep, it would be the perfect way to end his career. 

Wanderlei Silva

Perfect Matchup: Jorge Rivera

The former PRIDE middleweight champion has been mediocre during his UFC career, but his fans are so committed that he is still getting high-profile fights on PPV.

But Wanderlei has lost four of his last eight fights by knockout and his once legendary chin is quickly becoming his most vulnerable point, so it is probably getting close to his time.

The key to Wanderlei is finding him a fight where he can slug it out and have a little bit of time to end the fight, and Jorge Rivera fits the bill.

Rivera has some decent power, but Silva should be able to hang in there and land a big shot.

Sean Sherk

Perfect Matchup: Clay Guida

Every once in a while, I look at the UFC lightweight roster and realize I completely forgot Sean Sherk was still competing.

Sherk has actually been pretty good when he’s fought, beating Evan Dunham in his last fight at UFC 119.

But Sherk is spotted about as often as Carmen Sandiego these days, and he is likely only going to fight once or twice more before he decides to call it quits.

Sherk was set to fight Clay Guida a little over a year ago, and the fight would still be an extremely good one, as Sherk would likely be able to neutralize Guiida’s smothering wrestling. 

Forrest Griffin

Perfect Matchup: Tito Ortiz

Forrest may have a few years left on his body, but it seems like his heart isn’t in the fight game anymore.

A fighter with no desire to compete can easily get hurt, so let's hope that Griffin decides to call it a career sooner rather than later.

As far as a matchup goes, why not a rubber match with Tito Ortiz?

Both of their first two fights were close and entertaining, and Forrest seems to have a bit of an edge over Ortiz.

Tito Ortiz

Perfect Matchup: Stephan Bonnar

People have been expecting to see Tito either get cut or retire for a few years now, but recently Ortiz has made a bit of a comeback, beating Ryan Bader at UFC 132 and putting up a decent fight on short notice against Rashad Evans just a month later.

But Tito has to be about done, and it would be nice to give “the Huntington Beach Bad Boy” one last win inside the cage.

A fight against Stephan Bonner would be winnable and entertaining enough for Tito to feel good about it before walking away.

Who knows, Tito may even be able to rain down some of his world-famous ground and pound to finish the fight.

Kenny Florian

Perfect Matchup: Nate Diaz

A lot of people predicted we had seen the end of Kenny Florian after he lost to Jose Aldo earlier this month, but recently Kenflo announced that he was willing to give the lightweight division another run.

Florian is obviously a top fighter in both the lightweight and featherweight divisions, but he is getting up there in age and is unlikely to ever earn another title shot, so it might be time to retire soon.

A fight with Nate Diaz would be incredibly fun to watch. Florian would have an opponent who would happily test him in all areas, and it is almost a given that someone will finish the fight.

Rich Franklin

Perfect Matchup: Michael Bisping

Few fighters have done as much in this sport as Rich Franklin, but he seems as willing to admit that his time is almost up as anyone on this list.

Franklin has a pretty well-rounded skill set, but fans prefer to watch him stand and trade punches, so a fight with Michael Bisping at middleweight would be good for him.

Franklin would be a huge fan favorite in the fight, and he would be able to throw his punches without the fear of being hit, since Bisping has very little power in his hands.

Matt Serra

Perfect Matchup: Yoshihiro Akiyama

It seems likely that Matt Serra is going to be remembered more for his upset win over GSP than his career as a whole, but Serra is a hell of a fighter who is a great ambassador for the sport.

It would actually be nice if Serra just retired now, as his fight with Chris Lytle at UFC 119 seemed to fit his career perfectly, but it looks like he’ll go and fight at least one more time.

A fight between Serra and Yoshihiro Akiyama would be extremely exciting no matter where it went, and it would be hard to imagine a scenario where both fighters don’t look good and come out with a bonus check in the process.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Perfect Matchup: Mark Hunt

One of the toughest fighters in the history of the sport, Nogueira has a legion of fans that are hoping for one last run from the former PRIDE and UFC champion.

Nogueira started it off nicely with a knockout win over Brendan Schaub at UFC 134, but his career is still nearing the end, and it would be nice to see him retire with his legacy unharmed.

Throw him in there against Mark Hunt and let him do what he does best, which is take a few shots before locking in a fight-ending submission, and then throw him a retirement party when it’s over.

Matt Hughes

Perfect Matchup: Dennis Hallman

Dana White seems to think that Hughes is already done, but Hughes seemed pretty certain he was going to fight again after his loss at UFC 135.

If he decides he wants to take one last fight, why not let him try and get revenge against Dennis Hallman, who along with GSP and BJ Penn is one of only three fighters with multiple victories over Hughes?

It would be a decent farewell fight for the UFC Hall of Famer and would let him get back one of those losses he suffered early in his career.