I would have thought USADA would have diminished the success of the "older" fighters, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I thought this was a young person's sport, and that most of the champs and top contenders would be in their mid to late 20's. But that's not the case. 7 of the 11 UFC champs (if Aldo wins) are over 30.
HW - Stipe (34 - defending title against 33 yr old JDS, and just defeated 36 yr old Ubereem. Stipe won the title from then 38 yr old Werdum)
LHW - DC (turns 38 next month - defending title against 32 yr old Rumble - before that beat 41 yr old Andy)
MW - skipping until the end because is the most interesting
WW - Woodley (turns 35 in two months - defending title against 34 yr old Wonderboy - before that won title from Lawler, who turns 35 next month)
LW - Connor (28 - but defeated then 32 yr old Alvarez for the belt, who took it from then 31 yr old RDS)
FW - Aldo vs. Holloway (Aldo is favored - he is 30)
BW - Garbrandt (youngest champ at 25 - but just won it from Cruz who turns 32 next month, or we would still have a 30+ yr old BW champ. Cruz's last defense was against 37 yr old Faber)
FW - Mighty Mouse (30 - just as good now, if not better, than when he was 25 - last title defense was against Tim Elliott, who turned 30 the same month as the bout)
WMMA SW - Joanna Champ (29 - last defense was against 31 yr old Karolina Kowalkiewicz)
WMMA BW - Nunes (28 - last defense was recently over Rousey, who turned 30 earlier this month)
WMMA FW - de Randamie (32 - just defeated 35 yr old Holm and the other top contender, Cyborg, is 31)
Mens MW (this division especially, and is also the most stacked) - Bisping (turns 38 in a couple weeks - last defense was against 46 year old Hendo who almost beat him. Next fight is against Romero, who will turn 40 (April) by the time they fight. Other top contenders include Jacare (37), Rockhold (32), Weidman (32), Mousasi (31). Andy (41) was ranked #7 before his recent win and even Vitor is still somewhat in the mix (Top 10) and turns 40 in April. If Bisping fights GSP, like he wants - GSP wil be 36 by then)
That makes for 7 (if Aldo wins) of the 11 UFC champs 30 years or older and all except Garbrandt (who just won it from 31 yr old Cruz) are at least 28.
It seems it is not a good idea to start hyping real young fighters as the next greatest thing. All of the champs except for Garbrandt are at least 28 and the majority are over 30. And a number of champs/top contenders are in their mid to late 30s.
I thought USADA would result in far fewer older fighters being champs or being in position for a title shot. That's not the case. Maybe it's evened the playing surface some, and it looks as though you can still excel at this sport well into your mid to late 30s, because there is a bit less of a roiding advantage for some.
Older guys have had more years to develop their skillset. Anderson Silva was 30 when he came to the UFC.
It's tough to trump experience with athleticism in MMA.
Also the age of a HW matters little compared to the other weights classes.
The last thing to go for a fighter normally is his power. If you have power(and most every HW does) then you can train, knowing that it will not be gone form you anytime soon.
buddie - It's tough to trump experience with athleticism in MMA.True. Good post OP
Because athletes do not hit their prime until 27-33 years old?
This is fascinating. None of those champions are really attributte based fighters. They're either very well rounded: Mighty Mouse, Stipe, Cormier, Woodley, or very good at the one thing they do: Conor and Joanna,
Guys like Silva, Vitor, GSP, Rumble, etc. rely on their physical attributes more than a mastery of any one area of the game.
StevetheWeasel -buddie - It's tough to trump experience with athleticism in MMA.
This.
Learning and mastering skills is important in a sport, and especially one with so many variables and ways to win.
If you take care of yourself, there isn't much - if any- physical decline of any sort between twenties and thirties. Whatever minor diminishing of physical attributes might occur is often more than offset by the greater skill levels and experience one accrues during those additional years.
Of course, that's not true across the board. Some people age really poorly, collect a lot of injuries, etc.
Both really good posts.
And a very good point that I missed that you mentioned at the end - potential injuries.
As tough a sport as this is and as many injuries as these people suffer, just in training, and not even in actual competition - it's amazing to me how many are still at top form in their mid to late 30s. Especially w/ USADA supposedly catching agents that help both performance, weight cutting, and recovery/injury healing expediting.
Bobby Lupo -
This is fascinating. None of those champions are really attributte based fighters. They're either very well rounded: Mighty Mouse, Stipe, Cormier, Woodley, or very good at the one thing they do: Conor and Joanna,
Guys like Silva, Vitor, GSP, Rumble, etc. rely on their physical attributes more than a mastery of any one area of the game.
IDK bout the that in terms of the guys you lised.
Silva is a master Muay Thai guy for mma. His mastery of striking is what cared him so long after his prime. As i said before, power is normally the last thing to go on a fighter. The first 2 things are reflexes and pure speed. His peak in thos areas were long ago. He would not still be fighting well today if he was not a master striker.
GSP was a great athlete but he was a great wrestler aswell.
BruteDion -Also the age of a HW matters little compared to the other weights classes.
The last thing to go for a fighter normally is his power. If you have power(and most every HW does) then you can train, knowing that it will not be gone form you anytime soon.
Totally agree w/ you on the power thing. Just look at what 46 year old Hendo did to Bisping w/ a couple Hbombs that landed, albeit slower than the first fight. Literally broke Bisping's face and put him on a 6 month medical suspension - and that was w/ Bisping winning.
I guess what's surprising to me is it's not just HW. LHW, MW & WW are also flooded w/ guys in their mid to late 30s. I would think the loss of speed and reflexes would be a bigger deal at these weight classes, but they too seem to be dominated by buys who are well into their 30s.
I think it terms of peak physical athletic performance its safe to say its usually around 26 right?
I think the ages just go to show that the peak median age for MMA at this time is around 30-35 and that those extra years are usually the difference between good and great. The gradual decline in peak athletic performance is offset by the improvement in skills and experience.
I do think though that around that 35+ age the decline can come sure and swift. Anyone who is performing at championship level after 35 is doing something very right and is possibly having some very good luck.
Berser_KED - I think it terms of peak physical athletic performance its safe to say its usually around 26 right?
I think the ages just go to show that the peak median age for MMA at this time is around 30-35 and that those extra years are usually the difference between good and great. The gradual decline in peak athletic performance is offset by the improvement in skills and experience.
I do think though that around that 35+ age the decline can come sure and swift. Anyone who is performing at championship level after 35 is doing something very right and is possibly having some very good luck.
Well put. Non-HW guys like DC, Bisping, Jacare, Andy, Woodley, Wonderboy & Romero are having some good luck to go along w/ their great skills.
Just shows what a total freak Hendo was. Come so close to finishing Bisping again and winning the MW belt at 46 yrs old.
I think we'll eventually see another 45+ yr old HW champ (Couture was 45) because age isn't as big of a deal when you're huge and have power.
But I think "granite chin, freak of nature" Hendo would have been the only 46 yr old UFC MW champ ever.
28-32 is when most guys are in their prime in MMA, experience means a lot and top guys hardly fight these days.
Recently heavily promoted by the UFC/WME-IMG:
Paige VanZant - Age 21-22: Lost and was finished in 2 of last 3 bouts
Sage Northcutt - Age 19-20: Also lost and was finished in 2 of last 3 bouts
Alexa Grasso - Age 23: Touted before her last bout as one of the next big things at SW (she had merely 1 win in the UFC over a 7-6 fighter) - but was just completely dominated by an unranked, but more experienced (32 yr old) fighter.
Point being - They really need to stop promoting the hell out of young fighters they want so badly to be title holders/contenders, when they haven't reached near their peak or potential.
And the current state of MMA obviously shows us that the odds are it will be around 3-6 years before they will even be in their prime and/or gained enough experience to be legit, IF they even become it then, as there is no guarantee.
"I think it terms of peak physical athletic performance its safe to say its usually around 26 right?"
Depending on the sport, I would say 22-23 is usually the peak.
BruteDion -Bobby Lupo -
This is fascinating. None of those champions are really attributte based fighters. They're either very well rounded: Mighty Mouse, Stipe, Cormier, Woodley, or very good at the one thing they do: Conor and Joanna,
Guys like Silva, Vitor, GSP, Rumble, etc. rely on their physical attributes more than a mastery of any one area of the game.IDK bout the that in terms of the guys you lised.
Silva is a master Muay Thai guy for mma. His mastery of striking is what cared him so long after his prime. As i said before, power is normally the last thing to go on a fighter. The first 2 things are reflexes and pure speed. His peak in thos areas were long ago. He would not still be fighting well today if he was not a master striker.
GSP was a great athlete but he was a great wrestler aswell.
I'm going to both agree and disagree about Silva. He's an elite strikier for MMA no question, and during his run of dominance he was a MT specialist with a BJJ BB
Anderson hasn't won a fight in 5 years. Against Leben and Franklin, Silva was the most dangerous man in the clinch. He was frighteningly accurate. Contrast with Silva getting uppercutted by Brunson last night in a clinch Anderson initiated. Anderson stopped being a Muay Thai master in the cage over a decade ago. He abandoned his clinch game for years.
Anderson was a reflex fighter like Roy Jones. It allowed him to do all that Matrix shit and clown guys as badly as he did former LHW champ Forrest Griffin. But, once age slowed him down, he couldn't play the same game against Chris Weidman. He was just a hundreth of a second slower, but that's the difference between highlight reel defense, and being the victim of a highlight reel KO.
Anderson was also a known casualty of USADA
EckY - 28-32 is when most guys are in their prime in MMA, experience means a lot and top guys hardly fight these days.
Agreed. To become proficient at the multiple ranges of fighting MMA takes longer than skill development in other single focus sports. Primes come a bit later in MMA.
In most other sports once an athlete passes 27, they're on the downside.
JDS is 33!?!
I thought he was way older
Bobby Lupo -BruteDion -Bobby Lupo -
This is fascinating. None of those champions are really attributte based fighters. They're either very well rounded: Mighty Mouse, Stipe, Cormier, Woodley, or very good at the one thing they do: Conor and Joanna,
Guys like Silva, Vitor, GSP, Rumble, etc. rely on their physical attributes more than a mastery of any one area of the game.IDK bout the that in terms of the guys you lised.
Silva is a master Muay Thai guy for mma. His mastery of striking is what cared him so long after his prime. As i said before, power is normally the last thing to go on a fighter. The first 2 things are reflexes and pure speed. His peak in thos areas were long ago. He would not still be fighting well today if he was not a master striker.
GSP was a great athlete but he was a great wrestler aswell.
I'm going to both agree and disagree about Silva. He's an elite strikier for MMA no question, and during his run of dominance he was a MT specialist with a BJJ BB
Anderson hasn't won a fight in 5 years. Against Leben and Franklin, Silva was the most dangerous man in the clinch. He was frighteningly accurate. Contrast with Silva getting uppercutted by Brunson last night in a clinch Anderson initiated. Anderson stopped being a Muay Thai master in the cage over a decade ago. He abandoned his clinch game for years.
Anderson was a reflex fighter like Roy Jones. It allowed him to do all that Matrix shit and clown guys as badly as he did former LHW champ Forrest Griffin. But, once age slowed him down, he couldn't play the same game against Chris Weidman. He was just a hundreth of a second slower, but that's the difference between highlight reel defense, and being the victim of a highlight reel KO.
Anderson was also a known casualty of USADA
I always wondered if Andy was.....say 32 instead of 38, if the clowning and matrix reflex stuff would have also worked against Weidman and he would have gotten another W.
Or if Weidman (and Rockhold, for that matter) was just plain better and it wouldn't have mattered how old Andy was.
And then we found out Andy was a doper, which made me reconsider his entire title reign. I'm sure some of the guys he beat were also dopers, but I don't think they all necessarily were.
MacReady - JDS is 33!?!
I thought he was way older
Yeah, only 33. And he just turned 33 less than 2 weeks ago. He does look a lot older.