UFC Fighters, "EVOLVE or RETIRE"

By, Mr. K

However the reality is most of the former dominant world champions that are now entering their late 30’s will never contend for a belt again. Many reasons pertain to this, but above all else I think it comes down to one simple thing, they failed to evolve with the sport.

On Saturday September 25th, I was one of many to witness the shameful main event that was ‘Mir vs Cro Cop’ at UFC 119. Wow! Want to put your kids to sleep?... put that fight on. However boring the fight may have been it did provide an education andrevelation for myself.

I realized that two things happen in the world of UFC fighters, either you catch up with the game or the game catches up with you. Ageing UFC fighters must constantly evolve in order to stay relevant, they must rediscover the ever changing world of MMA fighters and change their approach to their training and also their fighting.

However instead of this, it is apparent to me that most of them choose to rely on outdated game plans and styles that once dominated their weight divisions but are now no longer capable of winning a title.

At UFC 119, Mirko Cro Cop- a world renowned fighter known for his devastating kicks and strikes- fought like a man too scared to implement his striking for fear of being taken down. There were no famous head, body or leg kicks, no combination punching,just an apparent old man standing in front of a well rounded fighter (although Mir did not exactly put on a great show to prove that) trying to survive. Cro Cop never let looseon Mir for fear of being put on his back and taken into a world he does not excel at. There are many out there like myself that would love to see Cro Cop challenge for a UFC title, but the reality is he is passed his prime. Not because he is 36, but because he has failed to work on his foot speed, his ground game and his defense. He is still relying on a one dimensional style that the rest of the competition has not only caught on to, but also up too.

Chuck Liddell is a great example. It frustrates the hell out of me when I watch this guy compete the same way today that he did 5 years ago. He still stands directly in front of his opponent, holding his hands lower than a hunchback, hanging his chin out there to get caught and he still fights flat footed.

5 years ago none of this was a problem because the Iceman could take a shot that would collapse a house and once you were in his range then it was lights out for you. But these days, Chuck seems to get knocked out when the wind blows too hard.

Age has caught up with his chin, that is not a discussion it is a fact. He has not evolved his fight style to accommodate his ageing body and he also failed to stay ahead of the UFC fighters curve.

The competition has caught up with his game plan and the game has caught up with Chuck. Up and coming UFC fighters now train to be able to do what he can do, and then everything else he can’t.

Liddell can no longer get hit like he used too but instead of changing the way he fights he just keeps doing the same thing over and over and has failed to produce consistent wins for 3 years now. Am I the only one here that sees a problem with this!

Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz also fall into the category of fighters who did one thing brilliantly, but eventually the game caught up with them. Matt Hughes’ incredible strength and ability to control an opponent on the mat is nowhere near as effective as it used to be, nor is Tito’s once legendary ground and pound.

Their one dimensional game plan has now been nullified by younger fighters who have seen their success and grew up training to do what they do, along with everything else they don’t, such as elite foot work, boxing, kicking and Muay Thai to name a few.

Age has caught up with Randy’s chin just like it did with Chuck, but Randy recognized this and evolved. Randy is a genius, he never stands right in front of an opponent, he bobs and weaves, he moves to create angles, he lowers his stance to avoid being in the direct line of fire, he holds his hands high to protect his chin, he punches and moves and then puts his body on his opponent dragging them into his wrestling world rendering their strikes null and void.

The world of UFC fighters is constantly changing. It is no longer the back yard brawl sport it was once considered. It is no longer ‘My style vs Your style’. It is now a main stream sport. A fighting science and a sport science. It is an incredible implementation of well rounded skill, athletic ability and strategy. Unless you continue to evolve with the sport you will get left behind.

MMA Fighters must continually get better at everything in order to stay relevant. That’s what makes UFC fighters so unique, the more styles you can excel at the more lethal in the cage you are. If a football team walked out onto the field and played the same plays week in and week out for an entire season sooner or later the competition is going to catch on. They are going to not only learn how to do the same plays but how to do it better, and how to stop it when it is done to them.

This is what is happening to the last generation of champions in the UFC. They are getting left behind not because they are ageing, but because they have failed to reassess where the sport is being played out today and fight accordingly.

Although I still hold hope that guys like ‘The Iceman’ and Hughes will once again reign supreme, the reality is unless they strive to evolve with the sport… they should just retire gracefully.

OTHER PAGES YOU WILL LOVE:

What are your views on Mr. K's Topic ? Do YOU agree with Mr. K or Medrock, Who's right ?

Let's hear your Point of view about this topic?