Does the Prime of an MMA fighter usually happen when they're in their 30's?

[Steve-French]

I just added up all of the current UFC champions and the average age is 30. I also averaged the age of all of the UFC HW champions when they won the belt and the average age was 37. I know not everybody is the same, but it seems like the athletes in MMA peak later vs other sports.

Does it have to do with the time it takes to hone striking and grappling skills, or is the talent pool just shallow? Personally I think it takes longer to become a well rounded martial artist. There are exception of coarse. Jon Jones for example, but he's a freak athlete.

 

[Franklin U.]

It all depends on fighter, longevity- damage but id range it 27 -35 depending on individual

 

[IloveTHIS]

It all depends on fighter, longevity- damage but id range it 27 -35 depending on individual

Yea, its 100% individual. Some guys will enter and leave their prime before they are even 26. Others wont be at their prime until 40. Just depends.

 

[Bacco]

Is likely 25-30

In MMA seem later because many start train later than in other sports, so they're still green while hitting theyr physical prime

Also depend on style/type of fighters, who rely on speed/explosivity suffer Father Time much more than those who rely on power/strenght

Strenght last longer than speed

 

[linvillegorge]

You just don't know until it's over. It varies by individual and also weight class. Lots of guys in the middle weight ranges peak in their early 30s. A lot of HWs peak in their mid-late 30s. The lighter weight classes tend to age quicker. The lighter the weight class, the more emphasis there is on speed and reflexes and those are usually the first things to go when a fighter starts to decline. The heavier weight classes are more about strength and power and those are generally the last things to go.

 

[Franc Mittelo]

Not according to Fedor fans. If you are 30 with 10 years in the game, you are "out of your prime."

 

[GaveOverForYou]

Depends on how many fights they had at that age.

 

[JayJayFrench]

I think it's due to it being a young sport. These huge athletes were drawn to football, of which between the NFL and CFL a couple of thousand guys could make a living. Barely a hundred guys could make any kind of living in mma, so why dedicate yourself to it? With scholarships and college degrees available to football players, even if you didn't make the big leagues you had a diploma to fall back on. And with the football culture in the US, the players were big men on campus and were given decent jobs even though they never turned pro.
Maybe it's the case, I don't fucking know.

 

[Dozer .]

It’s about mileage, not about age.

 

[trident]

There's "age" and there is "cage age" and I think the latter is often a factor. If you survive the latter, the former will get you eventually, see Hendo

 

[UL]

it happens when they start losing

just ask the fans of bj penn

when edgar whooped him
he magically left his prime

 

[Towerworld]

I just added up all of the current UFC champions and the average age is 30. I also averaged the age of all of the UFC HW champions when they won the belt and the average age was 37. I know not everybody is the same, but it seems like the athletes in MMA peak later vs other sports.

Does it have to do with the time it takes to hone striking and grappling skills, or is the talent pool just shallow? Personally I think it takes longer to become a well rounded martial artist. There are exception of coarse. Jon Jones for example, but he's a freak athlete.

Yes unless your Fedor; his prime goes off and on like a light switch.

 

[Typrune Goatley]

Not according to Fedor fans. If you are 30 with 10 years in the game, you are "out of your prime."

Fedor was 33 and 34 years old when he finally lost. He also had about 35 fights around that time. He went 10 years undefeated before that. How many HWs have even gone 5 years without a loss? Let alone 30+ fights unbeaten?

Yes unless your Fedor; his prime goes off and on like a light switch.

10 years undefeated is not a light switch. That is a very long prime and long streak and it was a slow gradual decline that you can see if you actually watched fights.

 

[Towerworld]

it happens when they start losing

just ask the fans of bj penn

when edgar whooped him
he magically left his prime

Same with Fedor goes from Best Martial Artist on the planet from before the werdum fight, to old and past prime afterward.

 

[DanAndroid]

Prime is a useless concept.

 

[DanAndroid]

Also in regards to other sports the reason you don't see as many 35+ people is because they take more damage. One NFL season is 17 weeks not counting post season, and lasts half a year if that. They compete more, so they deteriorate faster. If fighters fought 16 times in 6 months they would retire earlier.

 

[Towerworld]

Fedor was 33 and 34 years old when he finally lost. He also had about 35 fights around that time. He went 10 years undefeated before that. How many HWs have even gone 5 years without a loss? Let alone 30+ fights unbeaten?


10 years undefeated is not a light switch. That is a very long prime and long streak and it was a slow gradual decline that you can see if you actually watched fights.

This point works against you, how would 30 fights deal so much damage to him and his career while he was barely hit by those cans.

How was it a "slow gradual decline" when he had the two best wins of his career right before he lost?

Anyways considering the fact that Hendo was 10 years older than him and had more fights, more losses the argument of him losing on account of being "past prime" is pretty damn weak.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

I would say 28-33 is your prime for most.

 

[GOATER]

Everybody has different genetics, life experiences, etc...Just like anything else, everybody is different.


But yes, most MMA fighters seem to be in their prime at late 20s to early 30s....but that doesn't mean, we should hold everybody to the same standard.

 

[Willek]

The prime years of a fighter is whatever internet forum members say it is.