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2024 MMA retirement tracker: A list of those who hung up the gloves
MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.
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.
2024 has already seen a number of notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).
Malcolm Gordon
Malcolm Gordon
MMA debut date: Oct. 19, 2012
Retirement date: Jan. 21, 2024
Age: 33
Record: 14-8
Notable wins: Francisco Figueiredo and Chris Kelades
Source: Gordon's retirement announcement
Mark Madsen
Mark Madsen
MMA debut date: Sept. 26, 2013
Retirement date: Jan. 31, 2024
Age: 39
Record: 12-2
Notable wins: Clay Guida and Vinc Pichel
Source: Madsen's retirement announcement
Felice Herrig
Felice Herrig
MMA debut date: Feb. 21, 2009
Retirement date: Feb. 10, 2024
Age: 39
Record: 14-10
Notable wins: Alexa Grasso and Cortney Casey
Source: Herrig's retirement announcement
Jamie Pickett
MMA debut date: Sept. 24, 2011
Retirement date: March 2, 2024
Age: 35
Record: 13-11
Notable wins: Jhonoven Pati on DWCS, Joseph Holmes and Laureano Staropoli in the UFC
Source: UFC Fight Night 238 post-fight news conference
Tyson Pedro
MMA debut date: Sept. 23, 2013
Retirement date: March 2, 2024
Age: 32
Record: 10-5
Notable wins: Khalil Rountree Jr., Paul Craig in the UFC.
Source: UFC Fight Night 238 in-cage interview after loss to Vitor Petrino.
Satoshi Ishii
MMA debut date: Dec. 31, 2009
Retirement date: March 3, 2024
Age: 37
Record: 25-13-1
Notable wins: Tim Sylvia, Perdo Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Philip De Fries, Heath Herring
Source: Tokyo Sports
Joanne Wood
MMA debut date: Feb. 25, 2012
Retirement date: March 9, 2024
Age: 38
Record: 17-8
Notable wins: Cortney Casey, Valerie Letourneau, Andrea Lee, Jessica Eye, Maryna Moroz
Source: In-cage announcement after split decision win over Maryna Moroz at UFC 299.
Mike Grundy
MMA debut date: Sept. 13, 2014
Retirement date: April 27, 2024
Age: 37
Record: 12-4
Source: Social media announcement
Thiago Alves
MMA debut date: June 30, 2001
Retirement date: April 28, 2024
Age: 40
Record: 23-15
Notable wins: Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, Patrick Cote
Source: BKFC: KnuckleMania 4 post-fight press conference
Matt Brown
Matt Brown
MMA debut date: Oct. 8, 2005
Retirement date: May 4, 2024
Age: 43
Record: 24-19
Notable wins: Stephen Thompson, Tim Means, Diego Sanchez
Source: Social media announcement
Heather Hardy
Heather Hardy
MMA debut date: June 27, 2017
Retirement date: May 7, 2024
Age: 42
Record: 2-2
Source: Social media announcement
Brennan Ward
MMA debut date: Feb. 23, 2008
Retirement date: June 28, 2024
Age: 36
Record: 17-9
Source: In-cage announcement after submission loss to Magomed Umalatov at 2024 PFL 6
Michelle Waterson-Gomez
MMA debut date: Feb. 16, 2007
Retirement date: June 29, 2024
Age: 38
Record: 18-13
Notable wins: Angela Hill, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jessica Penee
Source: In-cage announcement after decision loss to Gillian Robertson at UFC 303.
Darren Stewart
Darren Stewart
MMA debut date: June 7, 2014
Retirement date: Aug. 27, 2024
Age: 33
Record: 16-10 with two no contests
Source: In-cage announcement after decision loss to Gillian Robertson at UFC 303.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 2024 MMA retirement tracker: A list of those who hung up the gloves
