2024 MMA retirement tracker: A list of those who hung up the gloves

(This story was updated to add new information.)

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

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

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

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

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

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 Penne

Source: In-cage announcement after decision loss to Gillian Robertson at UFC 303.

Darren Stewart

MMA debut date: June 7, 2014

Retirement date: Aug. 27, 2024

Age: 33

Record: 16-10 with two no contests

Source: Social media announcement

Demetrious Johnson

MMA debut date: Aug. 15, 2009

Retirement date: Sept. 6, 2024

Age: 38

Record: 25-4-1

Notable wins: Henry Cejudo, Joseph Benavidez, Miguel Torres, Adriano Morres

Source: Special announcement at ONE Championship 168

Matt Schnell

MMA debut date: Sept. 14, 2012

Retirement date: Sept. 7, 2024

Age: 34

Record: 16-9

Notable wins: Jonathan Martinez, Marco Beltran, Louis Smolka, Jordan Espinosa, Tyson Nam, Su Mudaerji

Source: Left gloves in cage after loss at UFC Fight Night 242

Kanna Asakura

MMA debut date: Oct. 4, 2014

Retirement date: Sept. 29, 2024

Age: 26

Record: 20-7

Notable wins: Mei Yamaguchi and Rena Kubota

Source: Left gloves in ring after loss at Rizin FF 48

Carla Esparza

MMA debut date: Feb. 19, 2010

Retirement date: Oct. 5, 2024

Age: 36

Record: 19-8

Notable wins: Felice Herrig, Bec Rawlings, Rose Namajunas (twice), Maryna Moroz, Virna Jandiroba, Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson

Source: Announced ahead of her fight with Tecia Pennington at UFC 307 that it would be her final bout, and she left her gloves in the cage after a controversial decision loss.

Daniel Pineda

MMA debut date: April 13, 2007

Retirement date: Oct. 19, 2024

Record: 28-17

Notable wins: Tucker Lutz, Herbert Burns

Source: Announced in the cage following a unanimous decision loss to Darren Elkins at UFC Fight Night 245.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 2024 MMA retirement tracker: A list of those who hung up the gloves