10 MMA and Boxing Retirements That Will Happen in 2024

2024 is a big year for combat sports. MMA saw the historic UFC 300 event, huge bouts such as Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier and the return of legends such as Jose Aldo, while boxing recently saw the great Oleksandr Usyk become the first undefeated heavyweight champion.

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But there have been some sad events in the world of mixed martial arts this year. Although it's by no means guaranteed, these 10 fighters could potentially retire by the end of 2024. Some of them may be in the best of times, but everyone's life comes to an end.

Ten UFC welterweight Nick Diaz is well past his prime

The welterweight division is set to return in August.

Legendary fighter Nick Diaz returned to the Octagon in September 2021 for a rematch against Robbie Lawler. After more than six years away from the cage, he lost by knockout in the third round. Nearly three years later, he's back to face welterweight contender Vicente Luque.

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The matchmaking here is questionable at best – Luque hasn't been in great form recently but is still ranked and beat former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos last August – and Diaz hasn't been keen to fight much recently and a loss here could be his downfall.

9 Former champion Deontay Wilder has suffered major damage.

'The Bronze Bomber' has lost four of his last five boxing bouts

Deontay Wilder is fresh off another one-sided defeat by Zhang Zhilei in Saudi Arabia, with the former heavyweight champion vowing before the fight that he would retire if he suffered another defeat.

For now, Wilder isn't retired, but it seems like it might be time to do so. “The Bronze Bomber” is one of the greatest punchers of all time, the best of all time, but he's not going to be like that anymore.

8 Dustin Poirier has opened up about his retirement plans

“The Diamond” is fresh off a loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302.

Unlike most of the other fighters on this list, Dustin Poirier is arguably the greatest fighter of all time, and although he lost to Islam Makhachev in his third attempt at the UFC title, he put up an incredible fight against the Russian.

But Poirier has publicly stated that he doesn't want to fight again, and even if the former interim champion fights again this year, it's unlikely he'll be able to continue fighting through 2025.

7 Tony Ferguson has needed to retire for years.

“El Cucuy” has incredibly lost seven games in a row

Okay, so Tony Ferguson is a true legend. He never held the lightweight title, but he did win a share of it in 2017. Plus, his resume is second to none and his 12-fight winning streak is legendary.

That being said, Ferguson is way past his prime and it's really tough to watch him fight. The man who was once considered a potential challenger for Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently on a seven-fight losing streak and is taking on Michael Chiesa for one last fight, but win or lose, it has to be over now.

6 Dereck Chisora ​​has had enough of the damage

'Del Boy' to face Joe Joyce in July

Dereck Chisora ​​is one of the most entertaining fighters in the heavyweight division. Whether in front of the microphone or in the ring, “Del Boy” has been entertaining fans for nearly two decades. While he has never won a world title, he has come close.

But the clock is ticking for the 40-year-old Chisora. He has a big fight coming up against hard-hitting Joe Joyce, a loss that would likely see him gone.

Five Stipe Miocic to retire after loss to Jon Jones

The former UFC champion is now 41 years old.

Stipe Miocic hasn't fought since a second-round knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021. Despite going nearly four years without a win, the former champion will get the chance to fight Jon Jones for heavyweight gold later this year.

Miocic will be 42 when he faces “Bones,” and with a career outside of mixed martial arts, he's likely to retire whether he wins or loses.

Four Jon Jones hints his next fight will be his last

'Bones' admits he has no interest in facing Tom Aspinall

Yes, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic could very well be a double retirement bout. While the latter hasn't spoken much about retirement, “Bones” has, and Jones has consistently hinted that his next fight will be the last of his historic career.

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The UFC heavyweight champion has expressed an interest in facing Alex Pereira, but the bout seems unlikely to happen. Given the choice between fighting interim champion Tom Aspinall or retiring, Jones said he plans to choose the latter.

3 Errol Spence Jr. to return to the ring later this year

'The Truth' has been hinting at retirement since his loss to Terence Crawford

Errol Spence Jr. hasn't fought since his knockout loss to Terence Crawford last July. Despite activating his rematch clause to face “Bad” again, the rematch never materialized. Instead, Spence Jr. will face Sebastian Fandora later this year.

The former champion has already admitted that this fight could very well be his last, and given the amount of money Spence Jr. has made, the fights he's beaten and his age, retirement seems more likely in 2024.

2 Jim Miller is rapidly approaching the end of his career.

“A10” hasn't fought since his loss at UFC 300.

Jim Miller recently returned to action against Bobby Green at UFC 300 in April. Despite wins at UFC 100 and 200, he suffered a loss to “The King” on fight day. Heading into UFC 300, some fans predicted that this would be Miller's final fight.

But while he claims that's not the case, Miller's last fight left him badly injured, and combined with his age and a history of Lyme disease, his MMA career is all but over.

1 Tyson Fury to retire after another loss to Oleksandr Usyk

The “Gupsy King” has already been defeated twice

Last month in Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury suffered the first loss of his career against Oleksandr Usyk in a historic bout that saw “The Cat” win by split decision. After the loss, Fury invoked his rematch clause in December.

A loss would almost certainly see “The Gypsy King” retire. Fury could keep fighting if he wins, but that's not guaranteed. He's already retired twice and has a ton of money to fall back on. Plus, he's already established himself as one of the best heavyweights of all time. There's nothing he can do except fight Anthony Joshua.