I think it's time for two great warriors to retire the gloves

Azrael40

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Joseph Benevidez who came so close to winning the flyweight belt no longer has the speed, energy, or power to fight at an elite level.

And this one pains me most. Thiago Muherta Santos who was once my favorite assassin super athletic striker has had knee surgery on both his knees and he's lost his speed and ability to move. Thiago used to have an incredible kicking game, his left leg to the body or head was death to his opponent and he can barely turn his hip over into it anymore. Also he can't explode into it with any distance or speed at all. He can't move after a couple leg kicks and he is a stationary target lunging at his opponent and never able to close distance. Thiago used to be able to leap, tumble, charge, and explode into punches and kicks across the octagon in the blink of an eye.

It's time for both these veterans to hang up the gloves before they start to take more damage. Santos defense is still pretty good and he doesn't take a lot of damage, but Joseph Benevidez is a standing punching bag and getting KO'd or concussed in every fight.

These men are both legends of the sport and a great part of the history of their divisions. Both came so close to winning championships but failed to execute that final kill shot when the time was right.
 
Dos Santos is the first one that comes to mind for me.
 
Santos was a favourite of yours but you still don't know his nickname?
 
Joseph Benevidez who came so close to winning the flyweight belt no longer has the speed, energy, or power to fight at an elite level.

And this one pains me most. Thiago Muherta Santos who was once my favorite assassin super athletic striker has had knee surgery on both his knees and he's lost his speed and ability to move. Thiago used to have an incredible kicking game, his left leg to the body or head was death to his opponent and he can barely turn his hip over into it anymore. Also he can't explode into it with any distance or speed at all. He can't move after a couple leg kicks and he is a stationary target lunging at his opponent and never able to close distance. Thiago used to be able to leap, tumble, charge, and explode into punches and kicks across the octagon in the blink of an eye.

It's time for both these veterans to hang up the gloves before they start to take more damage. Santos defense is still pretty good and he doesn't take a lot of damage, but Joseph Benevidez is a standing punching bag and getting KO'd or concussed in every fight.

These men are both legends of the sport and a great part of the history of their divisions. Both came so close to winning championships but failed to execute that final kill shot when the time was right.
Good calls.
Watching Benevidez is depressing. He puts his heart into it, and you can even see the desire, but as the fight(s) wears on, you can see the realization in his eyes that he's lost already. Ouch.

And good call, Santos' kicking-game was MIA, and he looked way slower. Watching Big Nog's stand-up game comically deteriorate towards the end because of his stiff hips and knees (and shoulder, and back, and blind eye, and elbow, . . . ) was rough for me. That being said, I'd love to see Santos get a W or two against lower opponents to see if he can figure something out, but it looks doubtful. That being said, Shogun hung around and changed his style to maintain some longevity, so who knows.
 
Joe B was a tough one.

Maybe a few more. Not sure where his mindset is.

Not a big fan but he seemed sincerely distraught that he lost that fight.

I'm sure going home to Megan O. always soothes the pain.
 
Depends. Jan is 38 and better than ever. People hit their primes at different times.
There’s a bit more to it than the numerical age.

Jan is 38, at LHW , sans Jon Jones.
He seems to be hitting his personal peak having adapted a style that is not based on speed or agility. Hats off to him for that.

Thiago Santos is 37, iirc. Similar to Jan who turned 30 this week. But he had an explosive style based on movement which is now compromised by numerous serious knee injuries.

If we were to compare them to cars, Jan and Thiago may be the same model year, but Thiago has higher mileage and has been in serious accidents which damaged multiple systems.

Joe B is late 30s at flyweight, where speed is paramount, and he has been fighting at the elite level for well over a decade. He took beatings from Figgy which dealt significant damage, both physical and mental. Throughout his entire career he had hope of winning a title, having been close and even holding a win over Cejudo. That hope (and the motivation that Goes with it) is gone.
 
Santos was a favourite of yours but you still don't know his nickname?
I obviously know his nickname. I just don't know exactly how to spell it and I don't care to know how to spell it.
 
There’s a bit more to it than the numerical age.

Jan is 38, at LHW , sans Jon Jones.
He seems to be hitting his personal peak having adapted a style that is not based on speed or agility. Hats off to him for that.

Thiago Santos is 37, iirc. Similar to Jan who turned 30 this week. But he had an explosive style based on movement which is now compromised by numerous serious knee injuries.

If we were to compare them to cars, Jan and Thiago may be the same model year, but Thiago has higher mileage and has been in serious accidents which damaged multiple systems.

Joe B is late 30s at flyweight, where speed is paramount, and he has been fighting at the elite level for well over a decade. He took beatings from Figgy which dealt significant damage, both physical and mental. Throughout his entire career he had hope of winning a title, having been close and even holding a win over Cejudo. That hope (and the motivation that Goes with it) is gone.

Well said. I agree with all your observations.
 
Joseph Benevidez who came so close to winning the flyweight belt no longer has the speed, energy, or power to fight at an elite level.

And this one pains me most. Thiago Muherta Santos who was once my favorite assassin super athletic striker has had knee surgery on both his knees and he's lost his speed and ability to move. Thiago used to have an incredible kicking game, his left leg to the body or head was death to his opponent and he can barely turn his hip over into it anymore. Also he can't explode into it with any distance or speed at all. He can't move after a couple leg kicks and he is a stationary target lunging at his opponent and never able to close distance. Thiago used to be able to leap, tumble, charge, and explode into punches and kicks across the octagon in the blink of an eye.

It's time for both these veterans to hang up the gloves before they start to take more damage. Santos defense is still pretty good and he doesn't take a lot of damage, but Joseph Benevidez is a standing punching bag and getting KO'd or concussed in every fight.

These men are both legends of the sport and a great part of the history of their divisions. Both came so close to winning championships but failed to execute that final kill shot when the time was right.
Santos should fight somebody ranked around 10ish before I assume hes completely done. He just fought 2 of the top 5 guys in the world
 
Tbf, Askar Askarov is really good and looks like a possible future belt holder at flyweight. I was a little disappointed with him taking his foot off the gas in the 3rd though.

Joseph B's time as a title contender is most likely over.
 
I'd say give Joe one more fight against a lower tier guy. He really should swallow his pride and train with Duane Ludwig.
 
To be fair, Askarov missed weight and didn't even try to cut the extra pound. That could've been responsible for the strength and power advantage he seemed to have over Benavidez.
 
i think Santos still has a couple years left to have some competitive fights. he might not make it back to contender status, but he can still make a good living and be a good litmus test.

joe b unfortunately, im not sure where he goes from here. getting up there in age, and it seems that the young talent at the division may be passing him by. they are all too well rounded and can match his once formidable speed now.
 
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