Anderson Silva is the outlier in all of this. He's a speed/reflex fighter who is as good or better than he's ever been at age 37. He defies almost every MMA truism. The Chute Boxe gym wars didn't take years off of his career like so many former team mates, he's as quick as he's ever been 10 years past his athletic peak.
Vitali was never a speed, skill, technique or talent guy. He's a big dude fighting in a God awful HW era. The guy holds his hands at his waist and throws arm punches, yet no one can beat him. Shows how much today's HWs suck
33-35 imo.
It's more about the length of time a fighter has been in the sport than how old they are. Fighting from 20 years old to 30 isn't really any different than fighting from 25 to 55. It's cumulative wear and tear that brings a fighter low.
I disagree.
Physiologically speaking, male performance starts dropping off at 35, losing 1% of muscle mass/bone density per year with no work done. Reflexes start dropping off in fighters mainly due to punishment, not natural aging.
What I think has much more to do with dropping off is how long your career is. After 10 or 15 years of fighting the human brain and body just can't take it any more, and starts to show that wear and tear.
I think anyone has about 10-15 years of fighting in them, no matter what age they start at.
Personally I plan to have my first fight next year, and I'll be 31. Most people will say this is too old, but I say fuck that. I have no major injuries, I have taken very little punishment in my life, my reflexes are just as good as they were when I was 16 in the dojo, so why not? The way I look at it there is a lot of guys in the UFC that would happily trade their body for mine, I have like Zero fight mileage, and no major physical issues at all.
There is nothing saying I can't have a good career for the next 5 years, not saying I'm trying to be champion but I feel healthy and fast enough to hang with anyone. Should I just quit before I even try because I'll be 31 in Feb?
I don't think so.
And the myth of Anderson Slowing down is just that, a myth.
Perpetuated mainly by every MMA writer trying to look like fucking nostrodamus in the case that Anderson loses.
All I see is the best, fastest, most confident Anderson ever.
Bobby Lupo - 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.
Eh... yes and no
the real problem in MMA went from being predominantly a fight of skill to defeat an opponant to a sport which has predominantly become a grind of endurance/athleticism to earn points and win the favor of a judge, fan, promoter
Age, craftiness and experience are the winning tools for the first version, but the older guys cant compete with what is now the new 'preferred outcome' in a sporting event...
As far as skill, honestly I think the 'Skill' of fighters as a whole have gone down not improved in the last several years. More guys are turning MMA into an elite conditioning event with only rudimentary knowledge of the base fighting styles. I mean, lets face it 10 years ago if you were in the UFC your had to be freakin good... now its cluttered with guys who wouldnt be the best fighter in there home town, let alone the world!
...which is why fights are more stagnant and boring then ever, but you notice someone who is particularly great in something fairly easy because he stands out
my 2cent
... oh and 25-35 years old is still the prime when it come to general athleticism
MO Smith?
BUFFGEO -Bobby Lupo - 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.
Eh... yes and no
the real problem in MMA went from being predominantly a fight of skill to defeat an opponant to a sport which has predominantly become a grind of endurance/athleticism to earn points and win the favor of a judge, fan, promoter
Age, craftiness and experience are the winning tools for the first version, but the older guys cant compete with what is now the new 'preferred outcome' in a sporting event...
As far as skill, honestly I think the 'Skill' of fighters as a whole have gone down not improved in the last several years. More guys are turning MMA into an elite conditioning event with only rudimentary knowledge of the base fighting styles. I mean, lets face it 10 years ago if you were in the UFC your had to be freakin good... now its cluttered with guys who wouldnt be the best fighter in there home town, let alone the world!
...which is why fights are more stagnant and boring then ever, but you notice someone who is particularly great in something fairly easy because he stands out
my 2cent
This is ridiculous, fighters are much more skilled nowadays in comparison to fighters 10 yrs ago for the most part. Some fights are boring because there isn't a large gap in skill or athleticism between fighters which leads to stalemates and less excitement. 
...
Depends on what type of fighter you are. If you're in the lighter classes and are a scrambling/wrestling/spaz type you aren't going to be going for the title past 32/33. If you're a heavyweight with A+ striking skills you probably could hold the UFC title till you are 40 years old. The attributes preferred for weight classes changes, as you go from the lighter to heavier classes speed and reflexes are less of a factor.
YHTOMIT2001 -BUFFGEO -This is ridiculous, fighters are much more skilled nowadays in comparison to fighters 10 yrs ago for the most part. Some fights are boring because there isn't a large gap in skill or athleticism between fighters which leads to stalemates and less excitement.Bobby Lupo - 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.
Eh... yes and no
the real problem in MMA went from being predominantly a fight of skill to defeat an opponant to a sport which has predominantly become a grind of endurance/athleticism to earn points and win the favor of a judge, fan, promoter
Age, craftiness and experience are the winning tools for the first version, but the older guys cant compete with what is now the new 'preferred outcome' in a sporting event...
As far as skill, honestly I think the 'Skill' of fighters as a whole have gone down not improved in the last several years. More guys are turning MMA into an elite conditioning event with only rudimentary knowledge of the base fighting styles. I mean, lets face it 10 years ago if you were in the UFC your had to be freakin good... now its cluttered with guys who wouldnt be the best fighter in there home town, let alone the world!
...which is why fights are more stagnant and boring then ever, but you notice someone who is particularly great in something fairly easy because he stands out
my 2cent
I think the point he's making is that yes, fighters today know how to strike and know how to perform submissions...but that they don't do either one of those things particularly well. Whereas ten years ago, the guys fighting were usually very skilled in their primary area, be it striking or grappling. Being so-so at everything doesn't lead to the same domination as being great in one thing.
Like a lot of people, I think it's more miles on the clock than age, compare 2 men of 30; one who's been punched in the head thousands of times and one who hasn't and you'll most likely see differences. However, I won't say it's entirely that, age DOES have a very definite effect on physiology and to throw a curve ball; everyone differs. Some, like Bernard Hopkins, Randy Couture and even Herschel Walker will be competitive into their 40's, some will be shells of men by age 30
Its not about age as much as years in the sport and damage taken 
There is no way it's 30. Some men are jus gettin in there physical peak around that time. It's all in how you take care of your body plain and simple!
OnlyTheStrongSurvive - Its not about age as much as years in the sport and damage taken <img src="/images/phone/droid.png" alt="Phone Post" border="0" style="vertical-align:middle;"/>
This. I think damage taken and injuries are more pertinent than age.
Ttt
BUFFGEO - ... oh and 25-35 years old is still the prime when it come to general athleticism
lol do you play sports or work out trust me after 30 you definetly slow down
31 here feel like a thousand
decline starts at 28 and with 30 its all over
for a natural fighter!
Shotokanman - I disagree.
Physiologically speaking, male performance starts dropping off at 35, losing 1% of muscle mass/bone density per year with no work done. Reflexes start dropping off in fighters mainly due to punishment, not natural aging.
What I think has much more to do with dropping off is how long your career is. After 10 or 15 years of fighting the human brain and body just can't take it any more, and starts to show that wear and tear.
I think anyone has about 10-15 years of fighting in them, no matter what age they start at.
Personally I plan to have my first fight next year, and I'll be 31. Most people will say this is too old, but I say fuck that. I have no major injuries, I have taken very little punishment in my life, my reflexes are just as good as they were when I was 16 in the dojo, so why not? The way I look at it there is a lot of guys in the UFC that would happily trade their body for mine, I have like Zero fight mileage, and no major physical issues at all.
There is nothing saying I can't have a good career for the next 5 years, not saying I'm trying to be champion but I feel healthy and fast enough to hang with anyone. Should I just quit before I even try because I'll be 31 in Feb?
I don't think so.
And the myth of Anderson Slowing down is just that, a myth.
Perpetuated mainly by every MMA writer trying to look like fucking nostrodamus in the case that Anderson loses.
All I see is the best, fastest, most confident Anderson ever.
Actually there are alot of physiological studies which show that reflexes start dropping off noticably for most men in their early 30's. Strength/muscle mass/bone density drops off more slowly as you note.
And if you don't want to bother looking at the journals, you need only look at Olympic results, or results in sports like tennis which are based on reflexes - the last few decades very few top players have been able to hold on into their 30's. Samprass for instance called it quits at about 30 because he couldn't be the best anymore, Federer started losing at about 30. Some of that is, as you say, wear and tear, but the athletes themselves talk of losing that half-step (ie reflexes).
And again, few scoring titles or MVP's in major sports over the age of 30, few Olympic medals after the age of 30. Admittedly also attributeable to years in training, but tied together with physiological studies suggests that physical performance is dropping for most men at that age.
Note that not all. There are MVP's won over the age of 30, there are gold medals won over the age of 30. But its under 10%. So check your genes; if you've the right ones, you might be like Gordie Howe and still be playing at superstar level at the age of 40.
EpicConfessions -
This