What is the cause of longevity?

[revoltub]

Longevity seems to be something you either have, or don't.

When I think of longevity, I think of guys that have long, consistent careers in the top rankings of the sport. Guys like Frankie Edgar or Arlovski, with over 30 years worth of professional top ranking between them.

On the opposite spectrum, we have guys like Pettis, who seems to have left his prime, or a guy like Rich Franklin who has fought as long as Arlovski but has been retired for years now.

Protecting your chin doesn't seem to matter. Arlovski and Reem have both been KOd more than Tyson's sparring partners.

It seems to be a mixture of genetics, and willingness to evolve skill when skill is evolving around you. But even then, a guy like Tito has had a longer career than Chuck, even though Tito never evolved any more than Chuck did.

Also Mark Hunt

 

[John Du Pont]

Just the obvious...

*Staying dedicated
*staying healthy year around
*not going too hard on your body as years drag on train smarter not harder

For example look at Wlad and compare him to a guy like Ricky Fatton....when ricky isnt fighting hes turning into a fat ass.

 

[Sir Punchalot]

Not approaching the sport like Justin Gaethje has been known to help.

 

[gevoudane]

Staying in shape even if you dont have a fight coming up.
Tapping before you snap. Fighters that feel its unmanly to tap do not have a long career at the same level.
Not doing drastic weight cuts.
Training smart. Watching Cain workout videos then doing the opposite.
quality nutrition
quality sleep.

 

[Frode Falch]

Staying healthy and in shape year round , is the main key.

Some fighters go on a reverse fat camp between fights.

Fighting style and sparring / training style also play a big factor.

 

[Zoombie]

Genetics

 

[TheChance]

genetics

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

Miles on the body. Whether it be injuries, damage, overtraining, etc.

Staying healthy, minimizing damage, eating right and not training non-stop seems to be key.

 

[XxanaxX]

You have to avoid busting nuts alotgether and transmute the energy into your higher chakras.

You can also pee sitting down or adopt a doge or key cat to take care of because little fuckers lower your blood pressure and take your mind off how evil the world is.

 

[kibz]

Not fighting like Gaethje

 

[Pain4Pain]

Staying healthy and in shape year round , is the main key.

Some fighters go on a reverse fat camp between fights.

Fighting style and sparring / training style also play a big factor.

This.

Also the one thing that most fighters lack - discipline in the off season. Floyd was always in shape, always training, always keeping up with his conditioning. You have guys like RJJ who at the peak of their success, started getting into movies and side gigs, which causes them to lose the abilities they once had. Manny became a politican and basketball player, and is nowhere near the fighter he was ten years ago.

GSP also comes to mind, the guy took a break from fighting but was back in the gym years before his return.



Outside of staying in shape and training smart to prevent injuries/severe head trauma, I think it is harder to retain your athletic abilities once you stop training consistently as you reach the end of your prime.

 

[ScarfaceJr]

eat your wheaties
take your vitamins
say your prayers

Not fighting like Gaethje

Not being a human punching bag helps as well

 

[Dogo1]

Dick pills, lots & lots of dick pills.

 

[Njmma209]

Vitamins, dick pills, Creatine, and sometimes psoriasis cream.

Genetics help too.

 

[caesar]

Look no further than Bernard Hopkins when you want to see how 'longevity' in the fight game is done.
He had to adapt the older he got, became cerebral, and incredible with his defense, something that Roy Jones Jr never did, and he paid the price for it starting with the Tarver knockout.
Hopkins on the other hand, around that time, was just entering his prime, at the age of 40 lol.
It can be done, but you have to train smart, diet, shit Hopkins wouldn't dare walk outside without a full turtle neck sweater to protect himself from catching a cold, anything, he micro managed his body to the tee.

 

[mkreku]

It actually has a lot to do with genetics. Your brain is surrounded by your skull. To make sure the brain doesn't just slosh around in there, there are membranes (like thin veils) between your brain and your skull, trying to hold everything in place. Some guys are born with lots and lots of these membranes (Mark Hunt comes to mind), some with less.

The problem with these membranes is that they don't grow back and they are ripped and torn from repeated blows to the head. So someone who makes a career out of being impossible to knock out will (usually) not have a long career because they rely on their "chin", but the chin is actually a finite resource. The more hits you suffer to the head, the more membranes are destroyed, the easier you'll be to knock out. Of course, this is a slow process but it will eventually catch up to everyone. Even Hunt.

 

[Dan O]

ITT: punks that have never been touched by the jab

 

[seeyouaunty]

A fighters style of fighting makes a huge difference. Speed and reflexes are often the first things to decline with age, so a fighting style that relies upon them won't age well compared to other styles.

I expect fighter longevity to fall off a cliff under USADA compared to years gone past FWIW. TRT and the like really do prolong an athletes career.

 

[reddhelium]

aside from the physical attributes listed, some stay in the sport because they love the fame, money, travel, etc. and/or have nothing to fall back on in retirement.

others probably could last longer in the sport, but decide to leave to preserve their long-term health.

 

[GranNaniwa]

I think a lot of long lasting fighters are either good at avoiding getting hit (Anderson Silva, Mousasi) or they get their lights quickly turned out when they get hit (Overeem, Arlovski). Guys who rely too much on their chin, like like Max Holloway and JDS, are not as likely to have long careers.