Farewell, fighters: A list of former UFC champs and more MMA notables who retired in 2022

The MMA world said goodbye to more than 35 notable fighters in 2022, from former UFC champions to future UFC Hall of Famers and more.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently fighters from the era that helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves to move on to the next chapters in their lives.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete and, perhaps more importantly, get a payday will continue to drive fighters back, even well beyond their expiration dates.

In 2022, there was an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are retired, and we have a list of those who opted to walk away last year.

‘TUF: Brazil 2’ winner Leonardo Santos retires from MMA: ‘It’s time to hang up the gloves’

11-fight UFC veteran and “TUF” winner Leonardo Santos has decided to hang up his gloves.

[autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] has decided to hang up his gloves.

Santos (18-6-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC), said he had no intentions of retiring prior to his fight with Jared Gordon at UFC 278 on Aug. 20. The 42-year-old Nova Uniao fighter said he still had the passion for the sport, and saw no reason to stop.

However, after losing to Gordon by unanimous decision and dropping his third straight fight overall, Santos has had a change of heart. He took to Instagram to announce the news with a statement in Portuguese.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CiQ0PlJIVDh/

Santos exits the sport with a winning record. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace entered the UFC in 2013 by winning Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” with a submission of William Macario. In 11 UFC fights, Santos’ career highlights include knockouts of former interim title challenger Kevin Lee and current 2022 PFL finalist Stevie Ray.

[vertical-gallery id=411868]

UFC 278 salaries: Kamaru Usman, Jose Aldo top list of disclosed payouts

Former champions Kamaru Usman and Jose Aldo lead the way with six-figure paydays in Utah.

UFC 278 payouts have been released by the overseeing commissioning body.

Wednesday, MMA Junkie received a list of disclosed earnings from Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission head Scott Bowler, which oversaw the Aug. 20 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City.

Atop the list of payouts is former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag], who pocketed $500,000 for his head kick knockout loss to [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]. Edwards earned $350,000 with his upset victory.

Co-headliner winner [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] earned $130,000 for his win over [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag], who earned $200,000. Rockhold openly criticized fighter pay in the lead-up to the bout.

Former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] took home $400,000 for a loss to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], who earned $198,000.

Heavyweight [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] also pocketed $240,000 for his win over [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] ($36,000) on the prelims.

Scroll below to see a full list of payouts. It’s important to note the figures only represent the disclosed pursues. Performance bonuses, locker room bonuses, and additional compliance bonuses are not included.

UFC 278 post-event facts: Leon Edwards’ last-minute knockout enters record book

Leon Edwards’ knockout of Kamaru Usman was one of the latest finishes in the history of UFC championship fights.

The UFC’s ninth pay-per-view event of the year took place Saturday with UFC 278 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

The main event saw a new champion crowd, with [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) scoring a fifth-round knockout of [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) to claim the welterweight title, making history in the process.

For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 278.

UFC 278 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Luke Rockhold nets $11,000 in farewell fight

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 278 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $226,000.

SALT LAKE CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 278 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $226,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 278 took place at Vivint Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 278 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili [/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Wu Yanan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Harry Hunsucker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Luis Saldana[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]A.J. Fletcher[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Francisco Figueiredo[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jay Perrin[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel da Silva[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,814,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $11,981,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

[vertical-gallery id=2573312]

Jared Gordon def. Leonardo Santos at UFC 278: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jared Gordon’s unanimous decision win over Leonardo Santos at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] at UFC 278 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. (Photos by Jeffrey Swinger, USA TODAY Sports)

42-year-old Leonardo Santos has no plans to retire from MMA: ‘If I’m happy with this, why stop?’

Leonardo Santos is not ready to retire just yet.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] is not ready to retire just yet.

Despite being 42, Santos (18-5-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) says the passion for MMA is still there and he’s still willing to go through the trenches in the gym.

“Everyone asks me about this,” Santos told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC 278 media day. “If I’m happy – if I want to pay the price to stay there with young guys, trying to kill myself everyday, like two, three times a day, make a diet, cut weight – if I’m happy with this, why stop?

“I’m thinking, what am I going to do if I don’t do this? I still find out. I try, but it’s hard. I try to find out something like maybe I’ll open my gym, teach, maybe be a cornerman. It’s hard.”

Santos will look to snap a two-fight skid when he faces Jared Gordon (18-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 278 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

“He’s tough,” Santos said. “The lightweight division is crazy. You look at the rankings and you see No. 30, 50 – it’s only tough guys. It’s the hardest weight class in the UFC, easy.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

[vertical-gallery id=411868]

[listicle id=2572179]

5 fights added to UFC 278 in Salt Lake City, headlined by Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2

Check out the up-to-date UFC 278 lineup including five new additions to the Aug. 20 card in Salt Lake City.

Previously announced, welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) will defend his title against top contender [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in a rematch of their December 2015 clash.

Also on the card, former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (31-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) battles [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and middleweights [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] square off in a long-awaited matchup.

Monday, the promotion officially announced 12 fights are set for the event. Five of the fights were not previously reported. Scroll below to see the new additions followed by the official lineup.

UFC on ESPN 31 video: Clay Guida pulls off epic comeback, becomes first to submit Leonardo Santos

Clay Guida pulled off one of the biggest comebacks of 2021 against Leonardo Santos on Saturday at UFC on ESPn 31.

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] pulled off one of the biggest comebacks of 2021 against [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 31.

After nearly getting finished with strikes in the first round, Guida (37-21 MMA, 17-15 UFC) rallied in a major way and became the first man to submit Santos (18-5-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) in MMA competition in the lightweight matchup, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out the finish below (via Twitter):

Guida had a brutal first two-plus minutes in the opening round, as Santos crushed him with a hard left body kick that had him reeling. Santos emptied the gas tank with punches to the body and a knees to the head – one of which dropped Guida – and had the fight on the cusp of a stoppage on multiple occasions.

Somehow, Guida survived and regained his composure. He took Santos down with one minute remaining in the round and started hammering with rabbit punches until the end of the round.

Guida came up with all the energy and momentum to start Round 2. He took Santos’ back, locked in a rear-naked choke and finished the fight at the 1:21 mark.

“He had me hurt real, real bad,” Guida said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “We needed that one. Wrestling got us here. That’s the one that got us the victory.”

Up-to-date UFC on ESPN 31 results include:

[vertical-gallery id=1807038]

[vertical-gallery id=1807041]

[listicle id=1805904]

UFC on ESPN 31 predictions: Can ex-champ Jose Aldo upset Rob Font?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 31 main card, featuring Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo.

Font
vs.
Aldo
Fiziev
vs.
Riddell
Crute
vs.
Hill
Guida
vs.
Santos
Allen
vs.
Curtis
Gall
vs.
Morono
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 200-109
aldo2021
Aldo
(51%)
riddell2021
Riddell
(52%)
crute2021
Crute
(69%)
santos2021
Santos
(67%)
allen2021
Allen
(76%)
morono2021
Morono
(75%)
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 203-106
font2021
Font
fiziev2021
Fiziev
crute2021
Crute
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 197-112
aldo2021
Aldo
fiziev2021
Fiziev
crute2021
Crute
guida2021
Guida
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 193-116
trophy copy 2014 Champion
font2021
Font
riddell2021
Riddell
hill2021
Hill
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 192-117
aldo2021
Aldo
riddell2021
Riddell
hill2021
Hill
santos2021
Santos
curtis2021
Curtis
gall2021
Gall
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 191-118
font2021
Font
fiziev2021
Fiziev
crute2021
Crute
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 190-119
trophy copy 2020 Champion
aldo2021
Aldo
riddell2021
Riddell
crute2021
Crute
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 186-123
aldo2021
Aldo
fiziev2021
Fiziev
crute2021
Crute
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 184-125
trophy copy 2018 Champion
aldo2021
Aldo
fiziev2021
Fiziev
crute2021
Crute
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
gall2021
Gall
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 180-129
font2021
Font
fiziev2021
Fiziev
hill2021
Hill
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
gall2021
Gall
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 179-130
trophy copy 2017 Champion
font2021
Font
fiziev2021
Fiziev
hill2021
Hill
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 179-130
font2021
Font
riddell2021
Riddell
hill2021
Hill
guida2021
Guida
curtis2021
Curtis
gall2021
Gall
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 178-131
aldo2021
Aldo
fiziev2021
Fiziev
crute2021
Crute
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
2021: 120-73
aldo2021
Aldo
riddell2021
Riddell
hill2021
Hill
santos2021
Santos
allen2021
Allen
morono2021
Morono

The UFC starts to wind down 2021 this week in Las Vegas with a former champion at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) takes on former featherweight champ [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) at bantamweight. Font is a -150 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Aldo is +120. But our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are siding with the slight underdog, Aldo, by the narrowest possible margin at 7-6.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at lightweight. Fiziev is a slight -130 favorite, and he’s got an 8-5 edge from our pickers.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at light heavyweight. Crute is a -180 favorite, but he has just a 7-6 lead in the picks.

Longtime fighter [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] (36-21 MMA, 16-15 UFC) takes on [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) at lightweight. Santos is a -180 favorite and has a big 11-2 picks lead.

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC) fights [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] (27-8 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at middleweight in what is a quick turnaround for Curtis. Allen is the biggest favorite on the entire card at -350, and he’s got an 11-2 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at welterweight. Morono is a -180 favorite, and he’s got a big 9-4 lead from our staff pickers.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Aldo (51 percent), Riddell (52 percent), Crute (69 percent), Santos (67 percent), Allen (76 percent) and Morono (75 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

[vertical-gallery id=1803053]