It’s interesting to speculate about the futures of some of the UFC’s most prominent performers, including several former champions, as 2023 draws near. Some UFC competitors are likely nearing the end of their careers and may decide to call it quits in 2023.

Your UFC 282 odds depend on how well these fighters prepare for the new year, and we have taken the liberty to analyze some potential fighters that may retire soon. 

Shogun Rua

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua has announced his intention to retire from fighting. After his January match with Ihor Potieria, which he has already said he will not attend, he will retire.

Shogun turned 41 in November, and he appears to be nearing the end of his career. Twenty years will have passed since 2023, when he made his debut in PRIDE, the promotion where he became famous. It will also be thirteen years since he won the UFC lightweight championship by knocking out Lyoto Machida.

Shogun has endured incredible pain and suffering due to his many operations, and the time has come for him to retire. On the contrary, he should have given it more thought sooner.

Lawler Robbie

Robbie Lawler, a former UFC welterweight champion, may retire at the end of 2023.

As one of the most feared fighters in the organization’s history, “Ruthless” defended his welterweight championship against legends Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit in 2014 and 2016.

In recent years, however, he’s hit hard times. Lawler’s only victory in his previous six fights came against an older opponent, Nick Diaz, in 2021. He hadn’t been knocked out since losing to Bryan Barberena in July 2016. This was his first loss in over a year.

Can ‘Ruthless ‘End in 2023? Indeed, that’s something you can do. A further severe setback, especially if he is stopped, might be the end for the former champion, who appeared disheartened after his loss to Barberena.

Andrei Arlovski

If you exclude his absence from 2008–2014, Andrei Arlovski is the longest-tenured fighter currently signed with the UFC. The ex-heavyweight champion first competed in the octagon in the year 2000. Yet at 43 years old, is ‘The Pitbull’s’ time finally up? In 2023, it’s not out of the question.

Thus, he might call it quits if he suffered another devastating defeat like the one he did against De Lima in 2023.

Conor McGregor

Even though it would be devastating for the UFC if Conor McGregor decided to retire from mixed martial arts in 2023, it wouldn’t be completely unexpected.

It’s safe to say that “The Notorious” is still the biggest draw in the promotion. However, many fans have questioned how much he still has left in the tank since he suffered a significant leg injury in his fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021.

His legacy is already set in stone; he will always be the first athlete to hold two UFC titles at once. In addition, he has amassed an incredible fortune throughout the years, particularly from his bout with Floyd Mayweather.

Therefore, if ‘The Notorious’ has a poor showing in his comeback to the octagon, this will likely be the end of his time with the promotion and the mixed martial arts industry.

Tony Ferguson

A fighter’s UFC contract could be in jeopardy if they go on a losing streak of any significant length. The promotion is unlikely to release a past champion, though, as they often give them the freedom to make their own decisions. He was one of the lowest bets on UFC.

That may be the case for Tony Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion who has dropped five straight bouts. The last time he was out of the top 10 lightweights was seven years ago, but this week was the first time in that long. So, in 2023, ‘El Cucuy’ will retire.

2023 is but a few days away. We can only hope these fighters have enough in them to continue bringing us the best of UFC and hope that the UFC odds don’t change too much to get our favorite the easy way.