Before unceremoniously retiring, legends Fedor Emelianenko and Chuck Liddell each illustrated the extremely volatile nature of top-flight mixed martial artists.
After essentially going unbeaten for over nine years—with the exception of a controversial doctor-stoppage loss that he later avenged with ease—Emelianenko promptly lost his spot at the top of the sport’s pound-for-pound rankings by getting finished in succession by Fabricio Werdum, Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson in Strikeforce.
Once the UFC’s most feared light heavyweight, Liddell made his fall from grace just as swiftly, dropping five of his last six bouts after defending his belt four times between August 2005 and December 2006.
The same gloomy scenario may soon unfold for several former dominant fighters who’ve hit road blocks in their prolific careers.
Here are six fighters on the downside of their careers.