Age doesn't matter. After 10 years of fighting "elite" competition every fighter in the history of MMA stopped being in their prime. Period.
Literally everyone looks worse to the eyes after fighting high end competition for 10 or more years... Jon Jones has still evaded losing so far, but anyone with eyeballs can see that he hasn't been in his prime since fighting Gus.... He joined the UFC in 2008 and fought Gus in 2018. 10 years. He just happens to still be winning a few fights, but he's clearly passed his prime.
Maybe but being out of prime is not an excuse for humiliating losses.
Usain Bolt was out of prime after all of his world records since he never match them again, but he still continued to dominate and win.
If a fighter was that good, even after 10 years, he should still be able to put some decent fights if not too old (like Jon Jones for instance).
That was not the case of many fighters coming from Japan, simply because they got exposed : it's not about their mileage, it's about both facing better competition + some drug testing.
I would say 35 at WW. Subtract or add a few years depending on weight class. Lower weight classes are more unforgiving since speed, reaction times, and general dynamism is more important. At HW you can stay relevant for way longer if you adopt a veteran mindset with good strategy
I noticed that many fighters will be in their primes until mid 30s, but some people can even make it to mid 40's like Yoel Romero, Teixiera, Couture, DC.
It seems like the age for UFC fighters decline starts at 35
It's right around 33 to 35 for age or about 30 to 32 or so pro fights.
Any fighter that relies on speed/timing always seem to fade around that age bracket and it drops off quickly for them. Other fighters can still put on solid fights for a few more years just not the top of the mountain usually.
Athletically, a fighter's generally out of their prime by 28-29 years old, however it takes awhile for fighters to develop proper fight IQ, learn the techniques (and apply them) and feel comfortable in the cage or ring, so a fighter might be "better" in their early thirties, even though they don't have exactly the same reaction time, or speed, as in their twenties. With that said I'd probably say 28-33 is a good ballpark number.
It also depends on weight class, since the heavier weight classes rely more on power and strength, which is usually the last thing to go.
I noticed that many fighters will be in their primes until mid 30s, but some people can even make it to mid 40's like Yoel Romero, Teixiera, Couture, DC.
It seems like the age for UFC fighters decline starts at 35
Well it's most definitely a statistics problem. And as others have pointed it, the bell curves will vary across weight divisions. And they will also be skewed prior to USADA and/or during the TUE era.
And since this is sherdog I will also state this next point which should be obvious but probably needs saying anyway; like all bell curves, there will be people on the far right (Hendo, etc) and those people are more remembered by fans than those on the far left of the bell curve.
Here is an interesting reddit post on the topic. Do with it what you will. CAVEAT: I did not double check or confirm any of this data.
Maybe but being out of prime is not an excuse for humiliating losses.
Usain Bolt was out of prime after all of his world records since he never match them again, but he still continued to dominate and win.
If a fighter was that good, even after 10 years, he should still be able to put some decent fights if not too old (like Jon Jones for instance).
That was not the case of many fighters coming from Japan, simply because they got exposed : it's not about their mileage, it's about both facing better competition + some drug testing.
Another easy MMA example would be GSP who began his UFC campaign in 2004 and retired in 2014... 10 years. He then came back for a single fight against an opponent who was even older, and had more fights, than he was/had.
10 years of elite competition is just how long these guys have before they start to look old, or retire on their own, indicating to you the fan that they are passed their prime.
Also regarding these PRIDE fighters that came to the UFC and "got exposed". PRIDE had 4 divisions; HW, LHW, MW, and LW.
One year after PRIDE became defunct (2008) the UFC HW, LHW, and MW champions were Nogueira (PRIDE), Rampage (PRIDE), and Anderson (PRIDE).
For those fighters to become UFC champions they defeated Sylvia (5 time UFC HW champion, tied for most UFC HW titles at the time), Liddell (5 time UFC LHW champion, 2nd most UFC LHW titles at the time), & Franklin (3 time UFC MW champion, most UFC MW titles at the time).
The PRIDE fighters, after defeating the similar era UFC counterparts, then started to lose to the new up and coming fighters that didn't hit the scene until after PRIDE had already been defunct.... but by then the previous multi-title UFC champions (Sylvia, Arlovski, Tito, Couture, Liddell, Bustamante, & Franklin) had already been run out of town by the PRIDE fighters, who were all mostly the same age as they were.
So this narrative you're attempting here is rather silly. The similar era UFC fighters had already begun losing to the PRIDE fighters and yet somehow you're targeting PRIDE fighters losing who, ironically, outlasted the UFC fighters? Comical.
The only multi UFC champion who outlasted his PRIDE counterpart was BJ over Gomi, who had already proven in their primes who the superior fighter was anyway.
Well it's most definitely a statistics problem. And as others have pointed it, the bell curves will vary across weight divisions. And they will also be skewed prior to USADA and/or during the TUE era.
And since this is sherdog I will also state this next point which should be obvious but probably needs saying anyway; like all bell curves, there will be people on the far right (Hendo, etc) and those people are more remembered by fans than those on the far left of the bell curve.
Here is an interesting reddit post on the topic. Do with it what you will. CAVEAT: I did not double check or confirm any of this data.
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