Information emerged this week that former UFC light-weight title contender, Donald Cerrone (36-17-1 NC MMA, 23-14-1 NC UFC) has re-entered the drug testing pool and plans on making a return to the Octagon in 2025.
“Cowboy” fought within the UFC 38 instances from 2011 till 2022 and in addition competed 10 instances within the WEC. He has revealed his ambition to make that stroll twice extra to fulfil his dream of competing 50 instances throughout the 2 promotions.
3 UFC Legends Who Got here Again…And Received
Fighters hardly ever enhance throughout time away from the game, however there are exceptions to that rule. Let’s check out three UFC legends who returned efficiently to the Octagon after a chronic hiatus.
First of the UFC Legends: George St-Pierre
The title George “Rush” St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) is a staple on any fan’s ‘Mount Rushmore’ of MMA. The Canadian famous person dominated the UFC’s welterweight division for a few years, making ten profitable defences of his belt earlier than relinquishing the title and strolling away from the game after beating Johnny Hendricks in November 2013.
St-Pierre dominated the roost at 170 lbs throughout a star-studded period and racked up wins over such legendary names as Matt Hughes, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy and BJ Penn to go down in historical past as one of many biggest champions within the historical past of the game.
His departure in 2013 was shrouded in thriller, with St-Pierre refusing to substantiate if he was formally retiring. He left the door open for a return for 4 years, and that point lastly arrived in 2017 after Michael Bisping laid declare to the middleweight world title that Anderson Silva had held for thus lengthy.
With the veteran Bisping clearly within the twilight of his profession, it was apparent that St-Pierre’s choice to return and combat for a championship belt was all the way down to the truth that this was a really winnable combat.
That in the end proved to be the case at UFC 217 as the previous welterweight champion picked up the tempo after a gradual begin, taking “The Rely” to the canvas within the third spherical and securing a rear bare choke end.
Having achieved his objective of turning into a two-weight world champion, St-Pierre repeated his trick of vacating the title and strolling away from the game as soon as once more, by no means to return.
It’s rumoured that “GSP” has since sounded out the potential of testing the waters on this planet of boxing, however UFC president Dana White refused to permit him out of his UFC contract to take action.
Dominick Cruz Among the many UFC Legends
Youthful MMA followers might know Dominick Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) primarily as one of many sport’s best-known shade commentators, however for combat followers of a sure classic, “The Dominator” is without doubt one of the biggest champions to have ever graced the game and falls into the UFC legends class.
WEC bantamweight champion Cruz turned the inaugural UFC 135 lb. champion when the WEC was swallowed up by the world chief again in 2010. After getting off to a formidable begin to his Octagon profession by beating each Urijah Faber and Demetrious Johnson, Cruz tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
To make issues worse, his physique rejected the cadaver ligament he acquired in his surgical procedure, which means he was pressured to bear your entire surgical course of a second time.
Not wanting to carry up the division, Cruz vacated his title and targeted on his restoration. As he was getting ready to come back again to face then-champion Renan Barao in 2014, he tore his groin muscle, leading to an additional seven months on the sidelines.
Cruz lastly returned later that 12 months at UFC 178, nearly three years after the win over “Mighty Mouse”. He blew Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki away in spectacular trend that evening and earned an immediate shot on the reigning 135 lb champion T.J. Dillashaw.
In a miraculous flip of occasions, Cruz emerged victorious after a scintillating 5 rounds in opposition to Dillashaw, lastly reclaiming the championship belt that he by no means misplaced. He went on to efficiently defend it just a few months later in opposition to his outdated rival Urijah Faber, earlier than dropping to Cody Garbrandt in his subsequent outing.
Accidents have performed their half in limiting his exercise within the years since, however 39-year-old Cruz nonetheless considers himself an lively fighter and hopes to have “one final dance” contained in the Octagon early in 2025.
Jon “Bones” Jones In Higher Echelon of Heavyweight UFC Legends
The topic of extra headlines than most in 2024, the discourse round Jon Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) all through his lengthy UFC tenure has centred round his antics outdoors of the Octagon excess of his achievements inside it.
After beating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to win the UFC mild heavyweight title at UFC 128 method again in 2011, “Bones” went on to utterly dominate the division over the subsequent 9 years, finally relinquishing his belt seemingly out of boredom, earlier than asserting his plans to maneuver up and problem for the heavyweight title.
The time Jones spent bulking up in preparation for the transfer turned prolonged as a result of an ongoing contract dispute with the UFC, and it was greater than three years earlier than he finally returned.
When he did lastly make that stroll, it was to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 (within the wake of Francis Ngannou’s departure from the UFC after a contract dispute of his personal).
Jones steamrolled his French opponent contained in the opening spherical to say the belt however an harm saved him out for an additional eighteen months earlier than his current return in opposition to Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. The victory solely reaffirmed his standing among the many UFC legends.
After such a storied profession contained in the Octagon, the heavyweight champion additionally seems prone to be concerned in one of many greatest fights of 2025 and proceed to cement himself within the UFC legends class.
Nearly 17 years in, and I couldn’t be extra grateful for the assist from all you nutty Bones Jones supporters. You’ve been with me via the grinding years, the rivalries, each setback, and each victory. The energy and keenness y’all give me fuels my hearth—each spherical, each… pic.twitter.com/2hyuqqJoHG
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) December 4, 2024
