Golden Era of the Middleweight Division (Stats)

acannxr

acannxr

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The Heavyweight version of this thread is here.
The Light Heavyweight version of this thread is here.
The Welterweight version of this thread is here.
The Lightweight version of this thread is here.

I'm going to attempt to determine the best time period in the Middleweight division (using annual data from 2002-2021).

Criteria:
  • Average age of the top ten fighters for each year.
  • Total ranked fighters in the division for each year.
  • Number of turnovers in the top ten (fighters who made the top ten who weren't in it the previous year).
  • All of the above data was based on January 1st for each year.

1.jpg


Year | Average Age

2002: 27.8
2003: 27.7
2004: 28.5
2005: 28.9
2006: 31.9
2007: 32.2
2008: 30.7
2009: 29.7
2010: 31.7
2011: 31.4
2012: 32.4
2013: 32.6
2014: 33.4
2015: 33.8
2016: 33.8
2017: 33.3
2018: 34.3
2019: 32.6
2020: 32.0
2021: 32.1
AVG: 31.5

Timeframe with youngest average age: 2002-2011.

1.jpg


Year | Total Fighters

2002: 112
2003: 143
2004: 222
2005: 266
2006: 314
2007-present: 400
AVG: 353

Timeframe with most total fighters: 2007-present.

1.jpg


Year | Turnovers

2002: 0
2003: 7
2004: 6
2005: 3
2006: 5
2007: 3
2008: 5
2009: 4
2010: 5
2011: 4
2012: 5
2013: 3
2014: 5
2015: 4
2016: 3
2017: 2
2018: 2
2019: 3
2020: 3
2021: 1
AVG 3.65

Timeframe with most turnovers: 2003-2015.

When you look for the most overlap with the above three results, then the Golden Era of the Middleweight Division would be from 2007-2011.
 
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Age ≠ quality of fighter. So yeah, I don't agree with all of your criteria, but it's interesting all the same. The turn over stats do confirm what I've been suspecting for a while, though, in that the rankings seem to be more and more stagnant these past few years. It seems like once you're ranked these days, you can pretty much lose 2-3 fights in a row, sometimes even more before you become unranked.
 
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fortheo said:
Age ≠ quality of fighter. So yeah, I don't agree with all of your criteria, but it's interesting all the same. The turn over stats do confirm what I've been suspecting for a while, though, in that the rankings seem to be more and more stagnant these past few years. It seems like once you're ranked these days, you can pretty much lose 2-3 fights in a row, sometimes even more before you become unranked.
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We can debate quality, but it's ultimately subjective.

These were the top Middleweights from 2008-2011:

Jake Shields
Dan Henderson
Ronaldo Souza
Luke Rockhold
Gegard Mousasi
Vitor Belfort
Demian Maia
Chael Sonnen
Michael Bisping
Anderson Silva

Personally I think the above ten fighters, collectively, are laughably superior to the current top ten.
 
acannxr said:
The Heavyweight version of this thread is here.
The Light Heavyweight version of this thread is here.

I'm going to attempt to determine the best time period in the Middleweight division (using annual data from 2002-2021).

Criteria:
Average age of the top ten fighters for each year.
Total ranked fighters in the division for each year.
Number of turnovers in the top ten (fighters who made the top ten who weren't in it the previous year).
All of the above data was based on January 1st for each year.



Year | Average Age

2002: 27.8
2003: 27.7
2004: 28.5
2005: 28.9
2006: 31.9
2007: 32.2
2008: 30.7
2009: 29.7
2010: 31.7
2011: 31.4
2012: 32.4
2013: 32.6
2014: 33.4
2015: 33.8
2016: 33.8
2017: 33.3
2018: 34.3
2019: 32.6
2020: 32.0
2021: 32.1
AVG: 31.5

Timeframe with youngest average age: 2002-2011.



Year | Total Fighters

2002: 112
2003: 143
2004: 222
2005: 266
2006: 314
2007-present: 400
AVG: 353

Timeframe with most total fighters: 2007-present.



Year | Turnovers

2002: 0
2003: 7
2004: 6
2005: 3
2006: 5
2007: 3
2008: 5
2009: 4
2010: 5
2011: 4
2012: 5
2013: 3
2014: 5
2015: 4
2016: 3
2017: 2
2018: 2
2019: 3
2020: 3
2021: 1
AVG 3.65

Timeframe with most turnovers: 2003-2015.

When you look for the most overlap with the above three results, then the Golden Era of the Middleweight Division would be from 2008-2011.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

Anderson Silva and Gegard Mousasi, baby.
 
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Age doesn't matter shit, fighters are coming to the ufc later cause mma is wayyyy more competitive nowadays plus most sports stars do start their prime or keep their prime longer in this day and age. Sports evolve and so does the science behind it
 
Sad how trash the division's gotten

The combination of speed and power has always made me enjoy fights in the division perhaps more than any other
 
There’s never been a golden age of mw. The division has always been an embarrassment. Even during prime Andy’s run he was still the guy that got held on his back for most of the fight by ryo chonan.
 
HHJ said:
Yea.
Click to expand...
Well I’ve watched that fight more than a few times n Anderson was on his back for most of the fight… being held down by a lightweight ufc flop out … n when he went to the ufc there were no power wrestlers to exploit this obvious weakness in his game and as soon as there was… he lost not soon after… looks like a case of a garbage division full of sloppy brawlers to me

discouraging to see his son saying he’s gonna do a Full kickboxing run before he even goes to mma… the kid needs to get his ass in the wrestling room ASAP or else he’s gonna have the same massive holes in his game that his dad had
 
snugglecakes said:
Well I’ve watched that fight more than a few times n Anderson was on his back for most of the fight… being held down by a lightweight ufc flop out … n when he went to the ufc there were no power wrestlers to exploit this obvious weakness in his game and as soon as there was… he lost not soon after… looks like a case of a garbage division full of sloppy brawlers to me

discouraging to see his son saying he’s gonna do a Full kickboxing run before he even goes to mma… the kid needs to get his ass in the wrestling room ASAP or else he’s gonna have the same massive holes in his game that his dad had
Click to expand...
Just hug @HHJ and accept it.
 
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