What's the criteria for no longer being in your prime?

[Felya]

Is it one loss? This is MMA so fluke wins and losses happen all the time.

Is it 2 losses in a row?

 

[Sansnom]

What kind of question is that?

There is no set criteria. It's just something that happens gradually.

 

[Klaavical]

When your body starts to look like a flat tire and you're making excuses for your losses.

 

[cmw43]

When you start slowing down and losing your tools and performing worse than you used to.

You can be winning and still be out of your prime depending on the level of competition.

It's not even always physical, sometimes you can't maintain that fire to train and perform.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

When you lose a fight, according to Fedor sycophants. Therefore, losses are never legit because they weren't against Fedor in his prime.

 

[Toco]

performing worse than in your prime?

 

[cmw43]

When you lose a fight, according to Fedor sycophants. Therefore, losses are never legit because they weren't against Fedor in his prime.

Fedor's own coaches said going into the Arlovski fight in 2009 that his heart wasn't in the training any more and he was slowing down.

 

[Thenewguysnm1]

If you lose you’re out of your prime if you win your back-Sherdog
The criteria for being out of your prime is when you are slowing down and it’s clearly obvious.

 

[HHJ]

What kind of question is that?

There is no set criteria. It's just something that happens gradually.

This. Fedor and Canderson declined years before they started losing.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

When you start getting KTFO by a stiff breeze is always a good sign

 

[mkt]

Is it one loss? This is MMA so fluke wins and losses happen all the time.

Is it 2 losses in a row?

There's no absolute criteria, but I kind of like 2 losses. GSP didn't leave his prime after the Serra loss. Neither did Cain after the JDS loss. Even elite fighters are human and can have a bad night or get caught. But when it happens twice, I think it's safe to say you're no longer at the top. BJ is a good example. While the two Edgar losses were a bit controversial, he clearly peaked by that point and started a very ugly decline afterwards.

 

[GiSP]

Age is a leading factor to me. But age doesn’t apply to all athletes equally. For most pro sports the age of about the mid to late 30s is very close to the end of your pro career.

By 40 you’re definitely amongst an elite group if you’re near the top of your sport.

With age comes a decline in performance obviously. So age is my answer.

Especially since most fighters suffer defeats during their “primes”.

 

[Prince Nephilim]

Its speculative, but once a pro hits over the age of 35.

That is not saying that they still can't be in top form or the best shape of their life to compete.

With today's science the new prime can be up to and even over 40. Genetics and how one takes care of their body also play a factor

 

[F1980]

You can pretty much see it on someone’s face

 

[tenniswhiz]

When you get your brain rearranged by an upper cut, remain conscious, and your knee gives out instead.

 

[mkt]

When you lose a fight, according to Fedor sycophants. Therefore, losses are never legit because they weren't against Fedor in his prime.

My favorite is when you're a 34-year old HW but you lose to a 40-year old MW....cause he was in his prime and you weren't!

 

[britelights1124]

Post your favorite moment of "past prime."

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

When you lose a fight, according to Fedor sycophants. Therefore, losses are never legit because they weren't against Fedor in his prime.

Never according to others. Lets face it, Fedor when he lost to Werdum, like Muhammad Ali when he lost to Trevor Berbick, and Babe Ruth in his last year of baseball when he hit .181, was as good as he ever was. Fedor like Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth was a can crusher who got exposed when he faced real competition.

Its actually a pretty interesting list. Shaq O'Neil, who many thought was one of the greatest NBA centers ever, was exposed by the time he was 35. Usain Bolt, who was supposed to be the fastest sprinter ever, was exposed last year when he only came in 3rd in the world championships -- clearly he was never fast. And look at Gretzky's last year in the NHL, or Tiger Woods golf lately --- obviously neither were ever very good, people just thought that until they were exposed. And Anderson may have looked like one of the MMA GOAT's, but like Fedor he was exposed (actually exposed both at the start of his career by Chonan and at the end by a number of guys).

The list goes on and on ... because athletes never leave their primes, they are only exposed.

Sports fans are pretty funny that way; athletes themselves realize that get older or lose motivation to train or run into psychological or substance abuse problems. Fans think athletes are machines that run at the same level until they die.

 

[HHJ]

My favorite is when you're a 34-year old HW but you lose to a 40-year old MW....cause he was in his prime and you weren't!

Fedor in his prime can never be defeated.

 

[Local Plata]

If you ask sherdog fanboys, its losing once to someone way better than you, but you're too much a fanboy to admit it.

Conor is out of his prime and/or doesn't even care or even train anymore because hes a multi billionaire playboy GOAT.

 

[DLX]

Usually loss of speed, tentativeness, and gun shyness are the tale tale signs.