Realistically, how old is too old?

[Home_Slice]

I'm beginning to think, you know they say "age is just a number"?

Well I'm beginning to think "age is an attitude".

When people mature, get older, they take on responsibilities that can often mean not being as free and able to commit themselves to athletics as they could at a younger age.

I've seen guys bottom-out in their mid 20's, not cause of anything conventionally physical;

But simply cause of lifestyle factors, responsibilities, and almost more than any other single factor - relationship difficulties.

Relationships seem to determine our well being in almost every other way.
When I was younger and partying with college girls, I felt like I could train twice a day, work, party, nothing could stop me.

Get a little older and realize life has a lot more responsibility in store and my energy/training levels took a nose dive (though my interest never did).

Assuming such difficulties were no longer difficulties, realistically how old is too old to trane teh UFC and compete at that level?

 

[tonystpierre]

I'd say 50 +

 

[Ibm]

25 with bad genetics. 100 with good genetics

 

[Patrick Jane]

Once i hit my 70's i would probably think twice before starting fresh in a competitive sport.

 

[86'd]

If we're talking physiologically the male body begins to reduce its total testosterone levels at age 30. So if you have not "made it" yet in a competitive sport you most likely never will. Of course there are always outliers to this rule. One such case was Randy Couture but consider the factors that made him successful.

1. He was already trained and skilled in the sport of wrestling
2. He came up in an era where many lacked multiple skills
3. He came up in an era void of drug testing
4. He came up in an era where high end athletes did not pursue MMA due to lack of financial reasons.

At the cream of the crop across most sports where true athleticism is measured (speed, power, endurance, competition against an opponent) the age of decline begins slowly at about 30. If an athlete is still excelling over younger ones in the forementioned measurements and it is not completely due to experience, an eyebrow should be raised at the team of doctors they have around them