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The UFC is always viewed as no country for old men. Younger fighters continually rise up the ranks and naturally defeat and overtake their older rivals in something parallel to the circle of life. On occasion, however, older fighters have thrived inside the UFC, with some even managing to find success after their 40th birthday.
Naturally, such fighters are a rarity, with the skills of most beginning to fade as soon as they reach their late thirties. But every rule has its fair share of exceptions and the UFC is no different.
Whether former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm, who is set to headline a UFC Fight Night on the day before her 40th birthday next weekend, can find the same level of success is a question mark. If she does, she’ll be in fine company.
With that considered, here are five fighters who thrived in the UFC after their 40th birthday.
#5. Aleksei Oleinik – UFC heavyweight
One of the oldest fighters currently on the UFC’s roster is heavyweight contender Aleksei Oleinik. He was already a senior citizen in MMA terms when he joined the world’s biggest promotion back in 2014. At that stage, ‘The Boa Constrictor’ was 37 years old and already had nearly 20 years of fighting experience behind him, as evidenced by his incredible 51-9-1 record.
The native of Ukraine made an immediate impact in the UFC by winning his first two bouts in the octagon. In 2017, just months shy of his 40th birthday, he became the first fighter in UFC history to submit an opponent with an ultra-rare Ezekiel choke.
Oleinik turned 40 in July 2017. In the years that have followed, he’s continued to prove that age is simply a number. Since his 40th birthday, he’s gone 4-6 in the octagon and has defeated opponents such as Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt.
‘The Boa Constrictor’ is now 44 years old. While he’s currently on a three-fight losing streak, the fact that his next fight is scheduled to be against grappling neophyte Greg Hardy, there’s every chance he could pick up another win before his time in the UFC is over.
#4. Francisco Trinaldo – UFC welterweight
Former TUF Brazil star Francisco Trinaldo has been on the UFC roster for almost a decade now, a surprisingly long time considering he’s been competing primarily in the promotion’s most loaded division, lightweight.
However, what many fans might be more surprised about is his age. Incredibly, ‘Massaranduba’ is currently 43 years old, having reached his milestone 40th birthday back in August 2018.
The Brazilian appears to have been drinking from the fountain of youth throughout his MMA career. His impressive physique has never changed. While you’d expect a fighter of his age to be slowing down, Trinaldo somehow appears to be still improving in some ways.
His striking game, for instance, looks better than it’s ever done right now. His ever-dangerous grappling remains one of his best weapons, too.
Whether his recent move to welterweight is a sign that the cut to 155 pounds was becoming too tricky for him in his forties is probably a fair question. However, there’s every chance that he could go onto further success in the octagon after the move.
And given that his record since turning 40 stands at an impressive 4-2, it’s fair to say that ‘Massaranduba’ is a great example of a fighter able to thrive in the UFC despite his advanced age.
#3. Yoel Romero – former UFC middleweight
Yoel Romero is no longer a part of the UFC’s roster. He now plies his trade with Bellator MMA. However, the former Olympic silver medalist remains one of the greatest examples of a fighter thriving in the octagon after his 40th birthday.
The Cuban native got a relatively late start to his MMA career in general. He only started fighting professionally in 2009 when his amateur wrestling career ended. At that stage, ‘Soldier of God’ was already 32 years old.
However, his ridiculous athleticism meant that he was easily able to overpower foes much younger than himself, often by more than a decade. He arrived in the UFC in 2013 just weeks after his 36th birthday. He immediately picked up a spectacular knockout win with a flying knee.
In the years that followed, Romero was able to beat great fighters such as Lyoto Machida, Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman and Ronaldo Souza.
He came up short in his two attempts at winning the UFC middleweight title. However, up until his UFC career ended in 2020 following a loss to Israel Adesanya, ‘Soldier of God’ was widely recognized as one of the most dangerous men in the promotion, despite being 42 years old.
#2. Demian Maia – former UFC welterweight
When Demian Maia quietly departed the UFC earlier this year, he did so with little fanfare, which was, in many ways, highly disappointing. Not only should the Brazilian grappling legend be considered one of the greatest fighters in the promotion’s history to have never held a UFC title, he also deserves far more respect for being able to thrive as an older fighter.
Maia’s advanced age may surprise some fans, as he certainly doesn’t appear to look as old as he is. The former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion actually turned 40 back in November 2017. At that stage, he was in the midst of the worst run in his UFC career, a three-fight losing skid. However, by 2019, he was back on track. He defeated Lyman Good, Anthony Rocco Martin and Ben Askren despite being well into his 40s at that stage.
In a way, it’s hardly surprising that Maia was able to succeed in the UFC at an advanced age. After all, his game was based around technique and skill rather than explosive athleticism. However, to be able to compete at the highest level at that kind of age despite a lack of natural athletic talent is truly a marvel, making Demian Maia one of the UFC’s all-time underrated fighters.
#1. Randy Couture – former UFC heavyweight & light heavyweight champion
When it comes to fighters succeeding in the UFC despite their advanced age, nobody comes close to matching the achievements of Randy Couture. ‘The Natural’ may be persona non grata with the promotion these days, but it’s hard to dispute his status as a genuine UFC legend.
Like many of the fighters on this list, Couture entered the UFC at a relatively advanced age. He was already well into his thirties when he first competed at UFC 13. Less than a year later, he defeated Maurice Smith to win the UFC heavyweight title.
Couture never lost the title inside the octagon, instead vacating it to leave the UFC. But in 2000 he returned at the age of 37 and defeated Kevin Randleman to reach the top of the mountain for a second time.
However, when he lost his title to Josh Barnett at UFC 36 and followed that with another defeat, this time to Ricco Rodriguez, it looked like his UFC career was probably coming to an understandable end. After all, he was 39 years old at that point.
Incredibly though, Couture returned after his 40th birthday and unseated longtime UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. In doing so, he became the first man to win UFC titles in two different weight classes in the process. However, ‘The Natural’ wasn’t done there. After initially retiring in 2006 at the age of 42, he made a stunning return a year later. He defeated Tim Sylvia to regain the UFC heavyweight title before defending it against Gabriel Gonzaga.
Couture eventually hung up his gloves after a loss to Lyoto Machida in 2011, at which point he was actually closer to his 50th birthday than his 40th.
When you consider that his biggest successes in the UFC, including a total of three title wins, came after his 40th birthday, it’s easy to understand why Randy Couture remains the gold standard for older fighters succeeding inside the octagon.
