My original question with the hottest promo error.....:
Aside from BJ Penn, who obviously came back, has anyone left the UFC while at the top of their game? And i'm not talking about the stars from the earlier promotion, I'm talking about since the UFC has become the hottest MMA promo in the US.
What I really meant to say:
Since the UFC's economic hey day began 3 years ago, has any STAR fighter no longer under contract left the UFC for another promotion?
Let's see if it was the one error
Frank
I was gonna say Frank Shamrock
pulver was never the same after he left
kerr was never the same he had one or 2 maybe decent fights in pride but not the same
Spratt sort of did.
Randy Couture left when he was a bigger star than ever, not sure what you define as his peak, but it was his peak in popularity and arguably performance as well.
I can't believe no one has mentioned this man.
Royce Gracie
slowandweak - Frank
Which is why I said during the UFC's current hot period. Frank left well before the UFC was the animal it is today.
Mad Xyientist - Randy Couture left when he was a bigger star than ever, not sure what you define as his peak, but it was his peak in popularity and arguably performance as well.
Randy never officially left to fight in another promo
Pulver, Penn, Frank were the first that came to mind for me.
Also, Murilo Bustamante won the UFC MW title at UFC 35 over Dave Menne, defended against Matt Lindland, and then left.
He lost three straight in PRIDE to start out, so I'd say he left at his peak and went downhill from there.
What is the question? Has anyone ever left the UFC except for all the fighters who left the UFC for reasons that I will deem exceptions?
No, no one has ever left the UFC ever.
Frank Shamrock.
Belfort's highpoint was probably his 44 second starching of Wanderlei. He went to Pride immediately afterward.
Frank, Pulver and Bustamante. BJ had lost to Pulver and drawn with Uno when he left.
Mad Xyientist - What is the question? Has anyone ever left the UFC except for all the fighters who left the UFC for reasons that I will deem exceptions?
No, no one has ever left the UFC ever.
sorry, retard, i thought i was pretty specific. The UFC was not a super popular promotion until right around the middle to end of TUF season 1. This is when the promotion really started to make money. This is when the casual fan made the promo what it is today. There's a million fighters you can list from back in the day that left to make more money elsewhere and became international stars, obviously. My question is, since the UFC has become the biggest MMA promotion in the US, has any of their marquee talent left at the top of their game?
Frank Shamrock. Murilo Bustamante. Mark Kerr. B.J. Penn. Josh Barnett. Mark Coleman. Royce Gracie. Guy Mezger. Tito Ortiz. Randy Couture. Jens Pulver. Andrei Arlovski. Yves Edwards
Other than them, almost nobody.
Bas left after beating Randleman for the title. He didn't fight again for 7 years.
Brandon Vera. When he said he was going to take Heavyweight title and then drop down to Light Heavyweight, people believed him. He took a year off because of business issues and hasn't been the same since.
Besides him technically, I'd say Royce and Frank for sure.
OK, I reread the question and would say Brandon Vera and Randy Couture, technically.
"Has anyone ever left the UFC between UFC 75 and UFC 76 while they were 25 years old, had red hair, and subsequently won 9 fights in a row with a calf slicer?"
Frank Mir left during his prime...