The final years of Tito Ortiz’s career haven’t exactly gone as the MMA legend would have hoped. Aside from a submission win over Ryan Bader that has since been written off by many as a fluke, Ortiz hasn’t won since his third fight with Ken Shamrock in October 2006.
However, Ortiz will have a chance to leave the sport on a high note at July’s UFC 148, when he will meet Forrest Griffin in a rubber match that is expected to bring a close to the 37-year-old’s career. The former champions traded split-decision victories in their first two meetings, so the third bout between Ortiz and Griffin is expected to be another close and entertaining fight.
As MMA’s first generation of great fighters continue to age, there are sure to be more fighters who join Ortiz in retirement in 2012. Here are a handful of retirement fights we’d like to see for some of the sport’s great fighters before this year comes to an end.