The next gen is very different from the last one. It is becoming like NFL well after 30 its over.
Anderson Silva is defying logic, probably because the guys that have been fighting him have mysteriously been old also.
Fighters are trying the foutain of youth but its not working with trt.
List of fighters that fell off after 30
Rampage
Wanderlei
Tito
Hughes
Faber
Fedor
Cro Cop
Forrest
GSP looked way less dominate against shields and has been out for ever
The thing is MMA is now highly competitive just like NFL, and when all things being equal, age is a huge advantagre.
The next gen is very different from the last one. It is becoming like NFL we after 30 its over.
Anderson Silva is defying logic, probably because the guys that have been fighting him have mysteriously been old also.
Fighters are trying the foutain of youth but its not working with trt.
List of fighters that fell off after 30
Rampage
Wanderlei
Tito
Hughes
Faber
Fedor
Cro Cop
Forrest
GSP looked way less dominate against shields and has been out for ever
The thing is MMA is now highly competitive just like NFL, and when all things being equal, age is a huge advantagre.
GSP fought the last 3 rounds of the Shields fight with one eye.
And blowing out your knee has nothing to do with age.
Young guys do it too..
Not all many fighters are better after 30.
There are tons of ways for fighters to take care of their bodies better now than ever 
Bas called it his peak, fwiw.
30, no.
35, definitely (with a few exceptions).
Guess you never heard of that guy Randolph Coiffure
FreightTrain - 30, no.
35, definitely (with a few exceptions).
I'd agree more with this than OP
randy couture is a last generation fighter,
simply put the UFC champs are mostly under 30 now
HW Dos Santos 28
LHW Jones 24
MW Anderson 37
WW GSP 31 hasnt fought since he was 29 Condit 27
LW Henderson 27
FW Aldo 25
BW Cruz 26
kyleburkle - randy couture is a last generation fighter,
simply put the UFC champs are mostly under 30 now
HW Dos Santos 28
LHW Jones 24
MW Anderson 37
WW GSP 31 hasnt fought since he was 29 Condit 27
LW Henderson 27
FW Aldo 25
BW Cruz 26
Ok. You've made an observation that is rather obvious. Thanks for that.
I would say that both Dan Henderson and Anderson Silva improved after 30. Same with Chael Sonnen. Hitting 30 means nothing. It has more to do with fighter mileage and how you adapt your training.
I also feel Brian Stann and Michael Bisping are still improving.
I hope not! Turned 29 in March
Very interesting article I remembered from a year ago that argues that after the 9th year of professional fighting your career takes the biggest drop. It's worth a read:
http://www.fightopinion.com/2011/06/19/9-year-rule-mma-ufc/
I wish I was 30
ChaelsBallTastesSalty - Very interesting article I remembered from a year ago that argues that after the 9th year of professional fighting your career takes the biggest drop. It's worth a read:
http://www.fightopinion.com/2011/06/19/9-year-rule-mma-ufc/
This was an interesting read. Explains guys like Stevenson, Fickett, Karo, Riggs washing out because their bodies and/or minds are fried from grinding so long.
Historically speaking 35 is the "magic" number...it's when almost every combat sport "great" began to lose to the other elite. It's not that they begin to suck at 35, but they are not who they once were, they no longer lord over a division with utter dominance. It's when the up and coming elite begin to be able to make it a fight.
Many even begin to drop off at 34...but 35 is some weird wall in combat sports when the people considered "the greatest" start to have competitive fights and even begin losing.
To fight beyond that mark is a serious gamble in my mind if you are a champ concerned about legacy anyway. If you are content to pick off the up and comers who aren't quite ready for the best of the best then you can fight past 35 generally...but 35 is the end of being a champion in most cases.
People like Silva are a rarity...and he should think long and hard about continuing in the face of a biological certainty. His technical mastery is what has allowed him to continue to reign...because there has already been the first signs of "slowing down" strictly from an athletic perspective. When does 1 inch of clearance when slipping a punch become 3/4 of an inch? 1/2 inch? 1/4...and then it lands. This kind of stuff can happen very quickly...in a matter of months. His technique will allow him to stay dangerous long LONG after he's retired...but when does his body cease to allow him to execute like he does now?
Who knows...but I think he should call it a career soon.
I think in previous generations it was advantageous to be over 30 with a lengthy background in one area (Quest guys and wrestling, BTT and BJJ) but those days are over and with the training available to guys leveling the playing field, it makes youth, athleticism and the intangible 'fighter's heart/will' more important factors.
I think MMA will be like other sports where 25-27 are an athlete's peak years.
Thirty is past peak for athletes in general - something like 5% of Olympic gold medals have been won by athletes over the age of 30, only 10% of NBA MVP's by athletes older than 32 (and most of those to Jordan), most scoring titles are won in the NHL and NBA by athletes under the age of 30 and so on. So for about 5% of the population, their peak athleticism goes past 30, the rest are seeing real decline (and there are a lot of sports physio journal articles on that).
Against that, an athlete's skills continue to increase even as their athletic performance decreases. So for a few years in the early 30's you can get increasing skills compensating for decreasing physical abilities
At what age athletes are over the hill dependends a lot on what their base is. Athletes who's prime abilities are physical, especially speed/reflexes, age quickly. You see this with Roy Jones Jr, who started losing at age 34, or Samprass, who went from unbeatable in tennis to not being able to get to a major final at the age of 30, or Fedor, who's boxing coach admitted two years before he started losing that he was slowing down a lot, or even with Gretzki, who though he wasn't fast, had very fast reflexes and could instantly analyze play, and then became quite ordinary about age 34 when that was gone.
Athletes who are more skill or strength based (strength holds on the longest of any physical attribute, often into the 50's - the first power lifter to squat 1000 pounds did it at age 47) can go until 40 or so. Gordie Howe played in the NHL until age 43 - he was never fast, but always skilled and very strong. Anderson Silva hasn't dropped off yet, Vitalli Klitschko is still champ at age 40, Bernard Hopkins still winning in mid-40's (and easily beat Roy Jones Jr when they were in their 40's, whereas RJJ beat Hopkins when they fought in their prime).
So the answer is, like everything with humans: it depends. Speed based figthers are going to drop off in their early 30's, skill and strength fighters who know how to slow the fight down (Hopkins, Couture) are going to last long.