MMA Fighting Careers That Came Back to Life

Randy Couture retired, but came back to win the UFC heavyweight belt. (AP Images)

Every year around Easter, things come back to life. Flowers and trees bloom, animals come out of hibernation and people rise from the grave... sometimes to feast on the flesh of the living, or sometimes just to say, "Hey, why'd you nail me to that cross? That was not cool, but I forgive you because nobody's perfect – except me, because I'm the son of God. Now let's all enjoy some hollow chocolate Easter bunnies."

Now it's that special time again, when leaves sprout, petals yawn open and tiny beasts push their dewy heads up through the moist soil to squint at the sun once more. Through some ridiculous coincidence, the world of mixed martial arts is also presently enjoying a rebirth of sorts, as certain fighters try to rejuvenate their careers, like toads thawing in the sun after spending a long winter frozen like a rock underground.

Randy "The Natural" Couture

Couture pulled off the greatest comeback in mixed martial arts history when he came out of retirement after a year away from the UFC to face Tim Sylvia in March 2007. No one gave Couture a chance against the larger, younger knockout specialist, but at UFC 68: Uprising, "The Natural" proved the world wrong, giving Sylvia a five-round beating to win the UFC heavyweight championship.

Couture's victory over Sylvia still resonates as one of the most impressive performances in MMA history. Incredibly, "The Natural" went on to defend his belt against another younger, larger fighter, Gabriel Gonzaga, whom he beat by TKO in the third round.

Now, locked in a court battle with UFC owners, Couture is cooling his heels on the sidelines again but intends on coming back once his legal woes have been settled to face top-ranked Russian Fedor Emelianenko. A win there would bump his match with Sylvia to second place in the list of "most impressive comeback fights ever."

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