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In the world of the UFC, time waits for no fighter. An athlete who looks unbeatable one day can, in a year or two, suddenly look completely past their best or out of step against their opponents.
Generally, most legends of the UFC would struggle in the modern era, largely due to advances in fighting techniques. However, there are a handful of clear exceptions.
If they were still in their prime, these legends could probably still compete and thrive today, despite many of them having retired years ago.
Here are five UFC legends who could still succeed in the modern era.
#5. Rich Franklin - former UFC middleweight champion
MMA was just over a decade old as a sport when Rich Franklin became UFC middleweight champion in 2005. However, 'Ace' still seemed to represent the future in many ways.
Rather than coming from a background in a single discipline, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu or kickboxing, Franklin was one of the first truly well-rounded MMA fighters. He possessed excellent striking skills, strong wrestling, remarkable cardio and a good submission game, too.
Essentially, it's likely that Franklin would've gone onto dominate the 185 pound division for years were it not for the presence of the great Anderson Silva. 'Ace' was defeated twice by 'The Spider' but largely beat most of his contemporaries, including the likes of Yushin Okami and David Loiseau.
So could 'Ace' still compete if he were around in his physical prime? The likely answer is yes. Franklin's skills would almost definitely still translate to the modern era, particularly in the sense that he had no tangible weakness so to speak.
Given the plethora of similar fighters who currently sit at the top of the middleweight division, there's no reason why Franklin couldn't thrive too. After all, his style wasn't too different to the one used by Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, and both men have called themselves champion recently.
#4. Randy Couture - former UFC light-heavyweight champion
While his personal feud with Dana White has resulted in him being persona non grata these days, Randy Couture will always be a true UFC legend.
After all, 'The Natural' held the heavyweight title on three occasions and the light-heavyweight title twice. He was the first fighter to win two titles in separate weight classes, too.
Competing from 1997 all the way through to his retirement in 2011, Couture would often stun observers with his performances. His stirring wins over Tito Ortiz, Pedro Rizzo and Tim Sylvia still resonate today - but would Couture's skills allow him to cut it in the modern era?
The only possible answer to this question is yes. If 'The Natural' were to arrive in today's UFC in his physical prime, assuming he would fight at 205 pounds, he'd be near unstoppable.
Couture possessed a world-class wrestling game, and due to his Greco-Roman background, his skills in the clinch were largely unmatched, too. In today's era, it's hard to think of another light-heavyweight similarly blessed.
More to the point, though, 'The Natural' was also an excellent boxer who was able to outstrike both Chuck Liddell and Vitor Belfort when he fought them.
Given that he had basically no weaknesses and achieved all of his incredible feats after his athletic prime had ended, if Couture arrived in today's UFC at his physical peak, he'd definitely be a success.
#3. Anderson Silva - former UFC middleweight champion
While Anderson Silva's UFC career definitely ended on a bad note, his string of losses and a positive drug test in 2015 couldn't erase his earlier achievements.
'The Spider' arrived in the promotion in 2006, and at the end of that year, he became the middleweight champion. Remarkably, his title reign would last for seven years and saw him make no fewer than ten successful defenses.
A number of records set by Silva still stand today, including the longest win streak in the promotion's history (16 fights) and the longest-ever title reign. So could the Brazilian still succeed today?
The answer is absolutely. The only reason 'The Spider' began to slip from the peak of the mountain was age, as his incredible reflexes - one of the keys to his success - finally waned.
At his peak, Silva lacked top-class wrestling, but his striking was on another level to practically every opponent he faced. At times, he looked like he was operating on an entirely different dimensional plane.
Add in a pretty deadly submission game, particularly from his back, and an iron chin, and 'The Spider' was essentially impossible to beat.
In fact, the way that Israel Adesanya was able to capture the middleweight title with relative ease by using a near-carbon copy of Silva's style should tell its own story. Could 'The Spider' rule over the middleweight division today if he were still in his prime? You bet.
#2. Ronda Rousey - former UFC bantamweight champion
The idea that former bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey, if she were still in her physical prime, could succeed at the top of the modern-day UFC might be a controversial one.
After all, when 'Rowdy' stepped away from MMA after her knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in 2016, many observers believed that she'd been exposed. To them, she was a one-dimensional fighter who could no longer survive at the top.
In hindsight, though, that probably wasn't the case. Rousey was only 29 years old when she hung up her gloves and probably had at least three or four years of her physical prime left.
More to the point, the two fighters who beat her - Nunes and Holly Holm - were not only stylistically bad matches for 'Rowdy', they also went onto become all-time greats in their own right.
Sure, at the time, Rousey appeared to have become too focused on her striking for her own good, but had she parted ways with controversial coach Edmond Tarverdyan, she could easily have recaptured her old judo magic.
After all, it isn't like the bantamweight division has evolved all that much without her. Current champion Raquel Pennington debuted in the octagon in 2014 at the peak of Rousey's powers, hasn't really changed all that much, and definitely wouldn't have been favored to beat 'Rowdy' at at point.
It probably didn't make sense for Rousey to stick around in 2016, as her unstoppable aura had been shattered. If she were to appear in the modern UFC in her physical prime, though, she could easily still reach the top of what remains a relatively thin division today.
#1. Georges St-Pierre - former UFC welterweight champion
With respect to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones, it's probably fair to argue that Georges St-Pierre is not only the greatest fighter in UFC history, he's the greatest fighter in MMA history, period.
The Canadian superstar claimed the welterweight title twice, first in 2006 and then in 2008, and it was his second reign as champion that cemented his legend. 'GSP' held onto his crown for five years, making nine successful defenses against unbelievably tricky foes like Nick Diaz and Josh Koscheck.
More to the point, he walked away in 2013 arguably at the peak of his powers, vacating his title and only briefly returning to claim middleweight gold in 2017. Despite his two career losses, his overall record of 26-2 is basically untouchable.
However, unlike some other greats from the past, would St-Pierre's style still work in the modern era of the UFC? Despite the protestations of some of the welterweights who followed in his path - the likes of Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman - the answer is yes.
Firstly, 'GSP' remains probably the most effective wrestler in welterweight history. Despite not coming from an official amatuer wrestling background, he easily outwrestled the likes of Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes and Jon Fitch, all of whom were hugely decorated at collegiate level.
Secondly, his striking game, from a technical standpoint at least, was light years beyond even the top kickboxers of the modern welterweight division. He remains one of the few MMA fighters to really develop an effective jab, and his kicks were also a very dangerous weapon, too.
Add in his truly remarkable athleticism, and it's safe to say that St-Pierre was basically unbeatable in his prime. While today's top 170 pound fighters like Usman, Covington and Leon Edwards are all great in their own right, none would be favored against prime 'GSP'. If he were around today, there's no doubt that he'd still dominate.
