How come Max is still in his prime but people say that Aldo was past prime when he fought Volk?

[Local Plata]

Then we've got Jon Jones who's at 16 years.

He's had lots of 'breaks' though, lmao.

 

[blaseblase]

Max didn't hit his prime until 5 years into his career, he started out extremely young.

 

[Steve Fox]

Then we've got Jon Jones who's at 16 years.

Very true but Jones from 2014 to 2019 only fought 5 times and was 3 years away from 2020 to 2023. He probably accrued some proper resting and healing plus all the cycles which definitely help in recovering faster.

 

[west42]

Very clever way to refer to your own username here.

Bs. Randy couture's prime lasted like 35 years and he neve......shit

 

[Milenkovic]

Aldo's decline slowly started when he broke his foot against KZ and was hesitant to ever throw them again.

 

[krelianx]

Biological age is not the same as chronological age. Many factors go into it, both innate (genetics, metabolism) and contingent (injuries, habits, training, diet...).

With this said, I think Aldo was simply outperformed, and didn't notice a sharp decline at that point.

 

[Tronald Dump]

 

[Megatronlee]

I mean, When Aldo fought Volk he wasn't even 33 years old.
Holloway is now just 4 months younger than Aldo was when Volk dominated him in Brazil.
Look at what he did to the most violent LW of all time.

Aldo has been fighting at the highest level (including WEC) since 2008 while Max was fighting at the highest level since 2012.
That means Aldo was 11 yeas in when he fought Volk and Max was 12 years in when he KOed Gaethje.

Not to mention, that Aldo looked very good after the Volk loss and he was actually improving all the way up to the Merab loss.
His boxing was better than ever, he was setting personal best records, his TDD was as good as ever, he was even bringing back leg kicks to some extent.

Even if we count their entire careers(amateur included) Max was fighting since 2006 while Aldo was fighting since 2004.

In my opinion prime version of fighters like Max, Volk and Petr would beat any version of Aldo simply because they have much better gas tanks and chins.

So, If he really wasn't in his physical prime when he fought Volk then when was he, from which fight to which?

Because max won

 

[Substance Abuse]

So what you're saying is that Aldo's prime ended when he beat Edgar the second time?

He was already on the decline as an athlete. Anyone with eyes could see it from his WEC years. He also had a terrible back injury in a bike accident, and foot problems.

 

[Megatronlee]

View attachment 1040277

This is a classic. Legitimately comedy

 

[TR1]

I think it's also fair to say some other factors may be at play.

lol. That's putting it mildly.

 

[Substance Abuse]

lol. That's putting it mildly.

 

[AfroBanana]

It’s subjectivity and bias that often decides these things. I think it’s fair to conclude someone’s prime is over at the ranges guys often fade at. For example 35-37 is a fair age to apply decline.

Some fighters aren’t past prime they’re just shot (chin goes or injuries get them) or the game passes them by because they don’t evolve.

Some fighters get figured out and exploited and they don’t correct the issue.

Some fighters are overrated or haven’t faced that high level of competition consistently and when they do past prime is a cope.

Some fighters just end up losing to people others are unwilling to accept are better than their favorite fighter.

Really is way too many variables and it’s a generic label often used emotionally.

 

[Nobru]

Everyone's primes are the same. Everyone accumulates the same injuries. Everyone trains the same. Max and Jose both got in motorcycle accidents. Max and Jose both kept sparring.

However, to delve further into it, most fighters begin to experience an athletic, reactionary and ability to absorb damage decline about ten to twelve years in. GSP is considered one of the greats and his career was winding down in '13 after almost twelve years of fighting, prompting him to retire. Condit's descent began in '14 after starting in '02 when he got injured against Woodley. Aldo was a few months shy of his twelfth year in MMA at 29 when he began to lose. Fedor started taking losses almost eleven years in. Edgar wasn't the same thirteen years in. Big Nog eleven years. Liddell hit the wall around that time.

Yes, there are outliers like Mighty Mouse, Jon Jones (wink, wink) Anderson Silva (wink, wink), and apparently Max (who stopped sparring to spare his health and try to stave off decline), but for the most part, the majority of top fighters experience it after or around this time frame and begin to taste defeat more often as reflexes change; wear takes it toll; chins fade; injuries linger; weight cuts get harder; there's more tape available on you.

To hammer home my point: Volkanovski lost to Ilia three months shy of his twelfth year as a mixed martial artist. He's still a great fighter, but at 35, and this far into his career, he'll likely never be the same.

nice one

by the way, Charles Olives is in his 16th year fighting now. Crazy he is still banging around.

 

[BowserJr]

Both their 1st "big name" win was Swanson

After that it was 10yrs before volk

It's almost 10 for max now. Nothing crazy to compare imo

 

[Histalian]

Just like Fedors prime ended when he turned 33

 

[ILove4MinutesHyuna]

I wish science would do some real studies into the subject of athletic "Prime" but I refuse to believe anyone is in their prime over 30. I think the real prime is 25-29.

 

[Danespina]

Aldo probably was either in or near his prime when he fought Max.

I say this cause the versions who fought Mendes and Edgar in rematches were terrific, which were just before Max.

Aldo also looked great in the fights after Max.

 

[filthybliss]

I mean, When Aldo fought Volk he wasn't even 33 years old.
Holloway is now just 4 months younger than Aldo was when Volk dominated him in Brazil.
Look at what he did to the most violent LW of all time.

Aldo has been fighting at the highest level (including WEC) since 2008 while Max was fighting at the highest level since 2012.
That means Aldo was 11 yeas in when he fought Volk and Max was 12 years in when he KOed Gaethje.

Not to mention, that Aldo looked very good after the Volk loss and he was actually improving all the way up to the Merab loss.
His boxing was better than ever, he was setting personal best records, his TDD was as good as ever, he was even bringing back leg kicks to some extent.

Even if we count their entire careers(amateur included) Max was fighting since 2006 while Aldo was fighting since 2004.

In my opinion prime version of fighters like Max, Volk and Petr would beat any version of Aldo simply because they have much better gas tanks and chins.

So, If he really wasn't in his physical prime when he fought Volk then when was he, from which fight to which?

different fighters have different peak primes. also holding the best for as long as aldo did definetely tears up your body and mind.

 

[Thepaintbucket]

As Aldo got older his weight cuts were starting to take a toll on him and his cardio was slowly eroding away.

Getting KOd badly probably doesn't help your confidence either

Between WEC and UFC Aldo was champion at least like twice as long as Max Holloway.

The other thing is your style. Aldo was big on using his reflexes and explosiveness in fights to maintain an edge over his opponents. They say you lose those qualities as you age