Is there any science behind heavier fighters being competitive at an older age?

[blaseblase]

We have all these older fighters at the heavier weight classes who manage to stay competitive into their late 30s. Stipe is 41, Cormier was in his 40s and fighting for a title, Jan is 40 and still a top contender, Glover won the LHW title at 40. You really don't see this at the lighter weights. Do you think there is a scientific basis for this? Or is it just that the heavier divisions are far less competitive and therefore elite talent has a better chance of hanging on for longer?

 

[muhammadgoatli]

 

[Washad]

First thing to go is speed and reflexes, the lighter you are the more crucial it is. The last thing to leave is your power. Which still make you competetive at the heavier weights where one shot can make all the difference.

 

[Karelinator]

First thing to go is speed and reflexes, the lighter you are the more crucial it is. The last thing to leave is your power. Which still make you competetive at the heavier weights where one shot can make all the difference.

If one shot KO's would be responsible for many different results, then speed and reflexes would be even more crucial.

Then you have guy like Arlovskis and Overeem who are absolutely ancient and stayed in HW well into their 40's by moving around a lot and avoiding one punch situations. Arlovski in particular had something like 54 decisions in a row.

I think that the more accurate answer is that the pace, the speed, and the general athletic demands at HW are in general much lower.

You can be much slower, less mobile and with many injuries here and there and still hang somewhat, while you're getting quickly blown away at LW, FW etc.

 

[oldschoolmmafan]

First thing to go is speed and reflexes, the lighter you are the more crucial it is. The last thing to leave is your power. Which still make you competetive at the heavier weights where one shot can make all the difference.

Is Mayweather the anomaly?

 

[HuskySamoan]

We have all these older fighters at the heavier weight classes who manage to stay competitive into their late 30s. Stipe is 41, Cormier was in his 40s and fighting for a title, Jan is 40 and still a top contender, Glover won the LHW title at 40. You really don't see this at the lighter weights. Do you think there is a scientific basis for this? Or is it just that the heavier divisions are far less competitive and therefore elite talent has a better chance of hanging on for longer?

What do you consider "science" because if you average the ages of top 10 fighters or champions per boxing, mma, Judo, wrestling etc. They tend to be younger at lower weight classes and older in higher ones quite obviously. I've done some MMA statistics on this before, MW and up per UFC champion history both at the age they won and lost is higher, quite notably compared to WW and lower.

 

[TheGreatA]

At heavyweight it's enough to just be a big guy who can throw a good punch and has a good chin.

Attributes like speed, reflexes, skill and stamina are secondary in importance.

 

[Starman]

As has already been said, speed is rarely as big a factor at heavyweight as it is in smaller weight classes.

When you do have heavyweights that rely on speed or reflexes (like Chris Byrd) at heavyweight, they typically go over the cliff just as quickly as smaller fighters when it comes to age.

When you have the more traditional style heavyweights who rely on power (not speed, which can also produce violent KO’s, but pure raw power), they can typically prolong their careers beyond what we’d normally expect out of a fighter.

That said, it cannot be discounted as to just how historically bad heavyweight has been in the UFC. Generally speaking, you’ve only ever had a very small handful of decent to good fighters at that weight at any given time. It’s not hard for older fighters to feast on mediocre talent.

I remember, for example, when Evander Holyfield had lost three fights in a row and was getting beat by guys like Larry Donald, he took two years off and when he came back, he took on a pug by the name of Jeremy Bates and just absolutely decimated him. He looked like a fucking world beater. Just totally obliterated him within two rounds.

So don’t discount the UFC’s perennially bad heavyweight division as a huge reason why old pros have been able to hang on and extend their careers.

And before anyone gets butthurt and tried to deny it, without Google you can’t even name the UFC’s top 10 heavyweights in the division right now, let alone the top 10 of all time.

 

[xentreos]

Judging from these responses there is in fact no science behind heavyweights being more legit 32+. Of course we all know it's true that heavyweights age better compared to the lighter weight classes, but has anyone done the math to prove that's actually true??

 

[TheOnlyGreatest]

Is Mayweather the anomaly?

Bernard Hopkins is. Guy was elite until he was almost 50.

 

[RonDante]

Lower skill division, shallower division, power can fill in the gaps that speed and reflexes and fight iq can’t, so on so forth

 

[Odoylerules22]

Heavyweights are much much worse at fighting than the lower weight classes. Hence they can last longer due to not nearly as big as a skill gap once their speed and reflexes decline.

 

[jeff7b9]

There have been numerous champions in late 30s and early 40s in MW-HW


There have been no champs fly-WW over 35.


Science bitch.

 

[jeff7b9]

Bernard Hopkins is. Guy was elite until he was almost 50.

Yup.

B Hop won a world title fight at age 49.


But had one fight at age 51 and got KTFO. His only KO loss in almost 30 years fighting.


Apartently Steve-o was correct.

“As Long As You Get A Concussion Before 50 You’re Fine”

 

[Bret 'The Hitman' Hart]

Guys like Mayweather and Hopkins were so dominant and ahead of the competition that even after slowing down and getting older, their talent and experience compensated for their loss of speed/reflexes (but is has its limits).

They're very special athletes. We're yet to see that kind of exceptional athletes at HW in the UFC

 

[NGute87]

HWS in just about every combat sport compete at much older ages on average, no?

 

[Eater of Souls]

Actual science, no. I mean, it is not as if we can knock people out as part of study, no matter how much fun it would be.

I mean, specifically yes, power is the last to go but even then there is no formal study on the decline of peak power output in fighters. There is a general decline in RFD (rate of force development) shown in athletes at about 28 - 30 in men and this contributes to peak power output. That being said I am not aware of any study specific to fighters so, again, from an actual scientific perspective who knows?

Specific studies on resistance training are not specific to fighters but those are all we have. Well, those and studies pertaining to the general population which are about worthless.

 

[DestinedAussie]

We have all these older fighters at the heavier weight classes who manage to stay competitive into their late 30s. Stipe is 41, Cormier was in his 40s and fighting for a title, Jan is 40 and still a top contender, Glover won the LHW title at 40. You really don't see this at the lighter weights. Do you think there is a scientific basis for this? Or is it just that the heavier divisions are far less competitive and therefore elite talent has a better chance of hanging on for longer?

I think the cut has a huge part to do with it. Cutting is harder as you get older and your body is more compromised, which I think is why some previously good fighters end with a bunch of KO losses. HW's don't really cut and ones that do could probably do with losing weight anyway.

 

[silvasurfer5253]

Not sure about science, but there are struggles associated with cutting weight as you grow older.

Moving up in weight usually results in s speed advantage for the person moving up, and speed is a disadvantage to fighters as they grow older.

 

[Kohelet]

maybe they just don't have much competition

so it's not that important to have speed