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One of the pioneers of the sport of MMA, Pride legend Fedor Emelianenko is set to make his return to competition under the Bellator banner in 2021. At 44 years of age, Emelianenko is far removed from the peak of his athletic abilities and it is completely understandable if his return concerns old-school MMA fans.
UFC president Dana White has reiterated many times that MMA is a young man's sport and the UFC has parted ways with many of its aging veterans in recent times.
MMA is a rapidly evolving sport and it is impractical to expect a fighter to be an absolutely dominant force after turning 40. But many fighters in the past have proven that great performances can be delivered against younger competition. Here are five MMA legends who continued to deliver even after turning 40.
#5 Aleksei Oleinik
A veteran of 76 professional MMA fights, 43-year-old Aleksei Oleinik is still one of the most respected fighters in the UFC. While striking power usually determines the outcome of heavyweight contests, it is also the attribute that stays with a fighter for the longest time. It is the primary reason why heavyweight fighters remain active longer than their counterparts in the lower weight classes.
However, Oleinik's case does not adhere to this norm. One of the most lethal submission artists in the game, Oleinik is also one of the most active fighters in the UFC despite being the oldest male fighter on the UFC roster. Although 'The Boa Constrictor' has suffered back-to-back losses in recent times, there is no denying that he's still able to keep up with most of his competition and deliver solid performances irrespective of the outcome.
#4 Yoel Romero
Despite being on the wrong side of 35 upon his arrival in the UFC, Yoel Romero put the UFC's middleweight division on notice with devastating finishes. However, the underlying narrative of Yoel Romero's MMA career was always that of a late entrant, as many believed that the former Olympian was perhaps too late in his transition to the UFC.
As Romero began rising through the ranks, experts predicted that he would still be good for one final run at the UFC title. But Romero defied all the odds and went on to fight for the interim middleweight title and the undisputed belt after turning 40!
'Soldier of God' fought five times in the UFC after turning 40 with a 1-4 record. But apart from the first Robert Whittaker fight, each of those losses were razor-thin decisions that could have gone either way. It is an intriguing argument that Yoel Romero could have won the title and secured two successful defenses in his last three fights with the UFC if those decisions went his way!
#3 Demian Maia
Demian Maia was four months short of turning 40 when he fought in his final UFC title fight, an unsuccessful attempt at the welterweight title then held by Tyron Woodley. But the BJJ ace remained a major hurdle for those trying to climb the championship ladder in MMA even into his 40s.
Maia remains stiff competition for much younger and more evolved MMA fighters like Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and, most recently, Belal Muhammad in the latter part of his career. The 43-year-old fought three champions/interim champions and two top contenders after crossing over to the wrong side of 40 and, for the most part, wasn't finished. It was only after defeating Maia that these fighters were legitimized as serious contenders in the division.
#2 Dan Henderson
Dan Henderson competed in mixed martial arts across three decades and achieved everything in his MMA career except for winning a UFC title. He was a serious threat to every fighter standing across from him in the UFC octagon after most of his attributes, including the legendary chin that had held up through hellish wars, had started leaving him in his 40s.
Henderson became Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, handed Fedor Emelianenko his first knockout loss, put on one of the greatest fights in the history of MMA against Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, and almost won the UFC middleweight title from Michael Bisping in his hometown - all after turning 40 years old! Talk about someone who continued to deliver in his 40s...
#1 Randy Couture
No one, literally no one in the history of Mixed Martial Arts defied age the way former three-time UFC champion Randy Couture did. 'The Natural' was never a young fighter, having made his debut at the ripe age of 33. However, Couture went on to win the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight championship before retiring from the sport in 2006.
But coming out of retirement in 2007 to win the UFC heavyweight title at 43 years of age was arguably the greatest achievement of Randy Couture's MMA career. Not only did he win the title from a towering Tim Syliva who was expected to manhandle his older and much smaller opponent, but he also defended the belt against a young Gabriel Gonzaga before eventually losing it to crossover star Brock Lesnar.
