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UFC Fighters "Reality Check"By Medrock Let me be abundantly clear before I begin. I'm NOT a romantic when it comes to UFC Fighters or MMA. In fact you will never ever hear me use the phrase “MMA” and “Romantic” in the same sentence unlike my colleague (Mr.K) whose fine work you probably just finished reading. Just to give you a little insight into my experience with the sport I have been following MMA and UFC fighters since the days of Bas Rutten and Royce Gracie (when the sport was banned in almost every state in the union), and have been fortunate enough to watch the sport evolve into what it is today. Now regardless of your opinion when it comes to the most popular fighters of the last decade (Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito “ I’ve been injured my entire career and that’s the reason I haven’t won a fight since 2006” Ortiz). The truth is they succumbed to the same fate every other athlete in any major sport succumbs to……. They got beat by better, more well rounded athletes. 
It’s true and I agree to an extent that part of the problem was that these guys have been unable to evolve with the sport (The fact is any fighter worth a @#!% must be fluent in multiple disciplines to have a serious shot at any major success or titles).Lets use Tito Ortiz as an example. Tito arguably has some of the best cardio and conditioning in the sport and IS fluent in multiple disciplines (Jiu Jitsu, ground and pound, etc.). So why has he gotten his ass handed to him consistently for the last 5 years? If you ask Mr. Ortiz you’ll probably find yourself listening to a short novel's worth of excuses as to why this is the case (Injuries, personal issues, the economy, my mommas sick, his cousin was one of the Chilean miners trapped underground, Snookie, etc.). The truth is today’s UFC fighters are just superior athletes. Age is not ultimately a defining factor as it may be in other sports (exhibit A: Randy Couture), In fact I would argue that as a fighter gets older he arguably grows into a smarter, more disciplined and ultimately a better fighter (Exhibit B: Randy Couture). I believe this is the case due to one simplefact; UFC fighters do not have to compete all that often. The fact is 99.8% of a fighter’s career takes place in training.
Most fighters actually have to compete maybe 3 times ayear and if that’s the case I’d consider that a pretty busy year. With that being said in my mind age along with wear and tear are not major factors I calculate into a fighter’s chanceof success (Exhibit C: Randy Couture). Let me be clear, I am specifically talking about fighters in their 30’s as Mr.K eluded to not including Mr. Couture. The point I’m making is any UFC fighter in MMA who falls into this category simply shouldn’t use age as an excuse as to why they are no longer competitive. In this regard Mr. "K" and I are absolutely in agreement, however that’s where our views hit the proverbial “Fork in the road”. I for one completely disagree with the notion that fighters like Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Mirko Cro Cop faded into oblivion because of their failure to evolve with the sport, I just think they were ultimately beaten by better fighters. Do we honestly believe that Mirko Cro Cop never had a day of training on his ground game? Are we naïve enough to believe that Chuck Liddell never figured ground game competency into his fight strategy? Or that his trainers didn’t think it was necessary? Of course not! The truth is they’re just not good enough in the various disciplines needed to compete at the highest levels. 
Here’s an example: Let’s say we have a match up between Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture where the rules stipulate the fight MUST stay on its feet and no ground game is allowed, Who Wins? My money is on Chuck 10 times out of 10. Or how about Mirko Cro Cop vs. Antonio “Minotauro” Noguiera where the rules are the fight must stay on the ground? Chances are Cro cop is done before Bruce Buffer can do one of his awkward gestures when introducing the blue corner. The point is these guys could train for years (most of which probably have) and would still find themselves on the losing end against UFC fighters that are just better. It’s not a matter of evolution; It’s a matter of skill sets and these fighters’ abilities to become fluent in various disciplines. MMA is ever evolving; this is true, however most UFC fighters are not. The chances of fighters like a Cro Cop or an Ortiz returning to prominence is simply a pipe dream, not with guys like Cain Velasquez, Jr. Dos Santos and Lets move on. Brock Lesnar roaming the hallways of MMA. Their time is done. Although I have great admiration and will always keep a place in my heart for the Cro cops and Ortiz’s of the world. That time in history has past.Lets move on. OTHER PAGES YOU WILL LOVE
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