Why do some fighters start declining (e.g., Ellenberger) at even young ages?

[Kwik Kick]

Jake Ellenberger is 2-8 is last 10 fights and has been finished in his last three. I believe he was only around 29 or 30 yrs old when this losing streak started. What generates this sort of decline in a fighter? Is it just wear and tear makes their bodies slower, less reactive in there? Or there chin typically just goes? Or some guys just can't keep their skills at a high enough level?

Ellenberger is an odd case because he was a contender at one point and then just fell off. I know he had a lot of fights pre-UFC, so perhaps he's worn more than most. But I think you see this with some other guys around his age (e.g., Michael Johnson), so just curious what is typically the explanation to this.

 

[elreece]

punched in da head.

Some people cant take it

 

[Deleted member 546119]

usada

 

[DarkneT]

Jakes had a lot of fights man

His record before coming to the UFC was a career in itself

 

[flowoftruth]

because dey suck bro

 

[VVarhead]

Everyone's body is different. Some people stay in their prime until 36, some decline at age 30.
Barao declined at a young age, too. That's because he has so many fights, he's old in fighting years.

Some guy on here explained this very well, recently. Unfortunately I can't remember his nickname. But he was telling about how NFL Athletes often retire once they hit 30 years old and explained why and shit.

 

[zxyss25]

Ellenberger has faced some very very good competition as of late, much harder opponents that when he was rising up the UFC

If he was facing fighters like Diego Sanchez, John Howard, Mike Pyle, Sean Pearson now, hed probably also be winning

Give him someone like James Krause, Josh Burkman, Court McGee and see how he does

 

[Sapp]

Not everyone is a Roy Nelson who can take hellacious beatings one after the other and still somehow seem to get tougher with age.

 

[EGarrett]

Jake Ellenberger is 2-8 is last 10 fights and has been finished in his last three. I believe he was only around 29 or 30 yrs old when this losing streak started. What generates this sort of decline in a fighter? Is it just wear and tear makes their bodies slower, less reactive in there? Or there chin typically just goes? Or some guys just can't keep their skills at a high enough level?

Ellenberger is an odd case because he was a contender at one point and then just fell off. I know he had a lot of fights pre-UFC, so perhaps he's worn more than most. But I think you see this with some other guys around his age (e.g., Michael Johnson), so just curious what is typically the explanation to this.

USADA started their new UFC testing program in June 2015, a lot of guys "suddenly declined" then.

 

[acannxr]

Jake Ellenberger is 2-8 is last 10 fights and has been finished in his last three. I believe he was only around 29 or 30 yrs old when this losing streak started. What generates this sort of decline in a fighter? Is it just wear and tear makes their bodies slower, less reactive in there? Or there chin typically just goes? Or some guys just can't keep their skills at a high enough level?

Ellenberger is an odd case because he was a contender at one point and then just fell off. I know he had a lot of fights pre-UFC, so perhaps he's worn more than most. But I think you see this with some other guys around his age (e.g., Michael Johnson), so just curious what is typically the explanation to this.

I subscribe to the 9 year rule theory.

Ellenberger started to decline around the 8-9 year mark (his first losing streak), and this was pre-USADA.

 

[Paynebringer]

Some guys are tougher than good at mma fighting...

 

[Horriblehim]

U to the SADA

 

[DOMMA]

usada

There are obviously a lot of variables; injuries, confidence, head trauma, diminished drive..... but many fighters, including Ellenberger fell off significantly since enhanced testing began. USADA seems to be the consistent factor in nearly all of the fighters whose performance suddenly diminished.

 

[Gio]

For Jake, he just didn't stepped up when it counted the most. Wasn't mentally prepared enough imo. And yes, I think USADA has to do with it. Ellenbeger used to look big and bulky

 

[neverwas]

CTE is my guess.

 

[DOMMA]

A little evidence to support my statement above - look at the reduction in mass:
earlier - successful:

More recent - in midst of a significant fall off in performance:

 

[YouKnowWhat?]

because your coach sucks

 

[Minnja]

A little evidence to support my statement above - look at the reduction in mass:
earlier - successful:

More recent - in midst of a significant fall off in performance:

You're using a picture of him hulking out after a win compared to weigh in pics

Here is a weigh in against Diego Sanchez, prior to his losing streak:

Jake's downslide started happening before USADA. Since then he's also spent some time with GOAT Edmund.

I am not saying the guy is for sure 100% clean or anything but to use those pictures is pretty silly. He had 25 professional MMA fights in a 5ish year span BEFORE the UFC. He also was a collegiate wrestler despite having no wrestling experience meaning he did this as an adult. A lot of wear and tear is a better explanation than straight up saying it's all because of USADA. Again, he started losing BEFORE USADA. And how he loses his fights now is typical to how he has always lost them (drops/hurts the other fighter but can't finish then gets dropped/hurt himself, inability to pull the trigger)

 

[datfnguy]

Wear at tear on the body from lots of fights.

 

[M4D SCIENTIST]

Jake Ellenberger is 2-8 is last 10 fights and has been finished in his last three. I believe he was only around 29 or 30 yrs old when this losing streak started. What generates this sort of decline in a fighter? Is it just wear and tear makes their bodies slower, less reactive in there? Or there chin typically just goes? Or some guys just can't keep their skills at a high enough level?

Ellenberger is an odd case because he was a contender at one point and then just fell off. I know he had a lot of fights pre-UFC, so perhaps he's worn more than most. But I think you see this with some other guys around his age (e.g., Michael Johnson), so just curious what is typically the explanation to this.

Although most people in here attribute this to wear n tear, I believe this is a confidence thing. We’ve seen it happen over n over again, where fighters start losing, and once their confidence waivers, they become a completely different fighter.

Anthony Pettis has spoke about this, but he calls it his “swag”. We saw it happen with barao after the TJ fights. There’s a reason why fighters say this game is 90% mental. Once you lose the “I’m the best in the world” mentality, and start allowing doubt n fear to creep into your head, it’s the beginning of the end unless you find a way to turn it around.