Let’s address the elephant in the room first, if you’re a fighter who’s over the age of 35 and fighting in the UFC’s smaller weight classes, you are not going to become a champion. Period. It’s a painful fact but in the words of Hawaii’s toughest video game streamer, it is what it is. The UFC’s lighter weight classes, namely welterweight to flyweight, are the toughest to ply your trade in. The skill level, speed, athleticism, aggression and sheer talent mean that if you are close to hitting the 35-year mark and are looking to make your way into the UFC and become champion, it’s going to be close to impossible to achieve that dream. Here’s the stat that is going to crush every older fighter’s dream. Fighters over the age of 35 have won only 2 title fights in the history of the lighter divisions of the UFC; They’ve lost a total of 31! Let that sink in for a moment. And, if you want to get a little deeper, the only time a fighter over the age of 35 has beaten a younger challenger is 1! The 2 wins on that stat line are Tyron Woodley’s title defences against Darren Till (who was 25 at the time) and 36-year-old Demian Maia.
Fundamentally, the skill level that separates the heavier weight divisions, i.e. Middleweight and above, is visible in the rosters. Pick any random lighter-weight fighters off the top 30 and you’ll get a fight that showcases the best of what MMA has to offer. The striking is often crisp, the wrestling is suffocating and the ground game is at the very least brown-belt level. If you don’t already have these attributes you’re never making it out of the regional circuit, forget about the UFC. Case in point, Alex Periera is the Light Heavyweight champion. The truth is, if you don’t have an already high skill ceiling, you are not making it out of the LFAs, Cage Warriors etc. The competition at those weight classes is incredibly deep and with MMA becoming more of a global sport, we’re seeing a whole new set of killers from countries like Kazakstan, Azerbaijan etc. If anything, it’s just going to get tougher from here on out for anyone over the age of 30.
So what is the reason behind this stat? Obviously, it’s age catching up to a brutal training regimen that destroys the body. Father Time is undefeated, after all. But there must be something deeper than that right? How is it that even the pound-for-pound best in Alexander Volkanovski, just after hitting 35, loses the featherweight belt devastatingly? Again, there are extenuating circumstances like him having his clock cleaned by Islam Makachev a few months ago, but the guy had no excuses, and his camp had no excuses. A consequence of being a long-reigning champ is that there is ample tape on you. Contenders are studying your every move and even if you are adding skills to your tool kit, there are habits and tells that even you can’t pick up on that your opponents are noting down. And, as you grow older, you become a little more set in your ways and have a harder time deviating from the norm. It’s a young man’s game and we are reminded of this every single time.
It’s not all hopeless though. Older and more seasoned fighters have made a great career fighting in the deepest divisions in the UFC. Names like Jim Miller, Stephen Thompson, Clay Guida are the obvious ones. You can have a legendary and celebrated run and fans will love you for it but the painful truth is that you will never be a champion.
NOT AN OLD MAN’S SPORT 🧵
An interesting infographic inspired me to compile the record of UFC fighters aged 35+ in title fights
for the FLW-WW divisionsThis overall record is summarized in chronological order for FLW, BW, FW, LW, and WW pic.twitter.com/3fTHRce5s9
— Alexander Volkara France (@VolkaraFrance) March 20, 2023
