5 terrible MMA comebacks

These five MMA fighters tried fighting past their best, and it only brought out their worst.

Here are the five worst comebacks in MMA history.

5. Ken Shamrock

There is no denying Shamrock was one of the most influential athletes during the early days of MMA, and it’s a shame he stayed around as long as he did.

With his body falling apart and unable to compete even at a menial level, Shamrock attempted an ill-advised comeback at the age of 51 against Kimbo Slice.

Shamrock was put down by Slice in an effort so terrible that many thought he threw the fight.

That wasn't the end, though. Shamrock fared just as well in a first-round knockout loss to Royce Gracie in his final fight.

4. Ronda Rousey

After Holly Holm kicked her head in and took Rousey’s title, the rowdy one was never the same.

Battling depression and flirting with a change in career following the defeat, Rousey was drawn back in, at the behest of Dana White, to face rising star Amanda Nunes. It was obvious in the buildup to the fight that Rousey was mentally checked out, which did her no favors. Nunes battered her for a shocking 48-second loss.

Though Rousey finally left the fight game for a short stint in the WWE, her final appearance in the octagon was one everyone saw coming.

3. B.J. Penn

"The Prodigy" was the first fighter to win the lightweight and welterweight titles, but his initial departure from the sport couldn’t have come any sooner.

Penn stepped away from the sport in 2012 on a losing streak but came back two years later to get beaten up by Frankie Edgar.

Somehow, Penn thought it would be a good idea to return three years later, and he was horribly beaten up in each of his four final fights.

2. Renzo Gracie

The Gracie family is well known for its contribution to spread Brazilian jiu-jitsu all over the world, and many were fierce competitors, but Renzo banked off a name for opportunities.

After a DQ win over Frank Shamrock, Gracie was out of the sport for three years, until he was lured to the UFC for a payday against Matt Hughes.

Not surprisingly, the 43-year-old was torn to shreds under the UFC's bright lights in a dreadful bout.

1. Chuck Liddell

Liddell was so badly damaged at the end of his run in the UFC that White publicly begged for the “Iceman” to retire, and the world breathed a sigh of relief when the fighter finally called it quits in 2010.

The former light heavyweight champ had already showed signs of a fighter who needed to be saved from himself, but he couldn’t resist the lure of one last bout with rival Tito Ortiz, and the public saw a hollowed-out shell of a legend, barely able to string a sentence together.

The freak show ended as everyone expected, with Liddell beaten down in the first round.

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