Time for aging fighters to hang it up

There comes a time in every athlete's career where they lose that step they once had, that same step that existed when they first broke into the sport and that existed when championships were won and records were broken. This holds true for every sport, football, hockey, baseball and yes, of course MMA.

In football you have the likes of Brett Favre, who has retired, twice, only to come back and play because he can't get enough of the game he loves. In the sport of MMA, the closest comparison would be to Randy Couture. He retired after losing to Chuck Liddell for the second time, only to come back and be a champion. Couture had a lot of life problems at the time outside of fighting and couldn't dedicate himself properly to compete at the highest level. Since coming back, he's gone on to become the UFC heavyweight champion, and defended the belt on one occasion. This in my eyes is a successful comeback, even though Couture was handed a title shot he hadn't earned, he was completely successful in taking advantage of it.

Now Couture has lost his last two fights, and is making a move to the 205lb division, at the age of 47. You have to think that at this age his body is slowing down. This isn't an outcry for Couture to hang up the gloves, but if he drops his next fight to Brandon Vera at UFC 105, it should be a serious consideration. But let's not group Couture in a soon-to-retire class of his own; he's nearly one of a few fighters that should consider calling it quits to mark the turn of a new generation in the fight game.

One of the most popular fighters, if not THE most popular fighters ever in MMA, Liddell is one of those that should walk away from the sport. He's lost four of his last five, and three of those losses coming via knockout. Liddell, you're the face of the UFC, and a legend in your own right but with your recent fight results it's clear that your time has come and gone. Liddell still has the knockout power I'm sure, and he could catch anybody on any given night with an overhand right, but for now the weakness of his chin far outweighs the power in his hands.

Matt Hughes, the most dominant champion in UFC history, and arguably considered the best welterweight fighter, depending on the legacy Georges St. Pierre leaves. His time too has come and gone. He will never be a UFC champion again. He's 1-2 against the current Canadian champion and his last loss versus a true contender ended in ugly fashion against Thiago Alves. Though he won his latest bout with Matt Serra, Hughes simply just doesn't have it anymore, he's far too one dimensional with his wrestling and doesn't have the crisp striking to stand and trade with many of the best.

One of my favourite all time fighters is the exciting Wanderlai Silva. Since coming over from Pride he's not had much success in putting some W's on the board, even though he's had all exciting fights. Maybe Silva can last another bout or two, but if he gets knocked out in either one of them he needs to seriously consider walking out of the octagon for good.

It's tough for me to say all these fighters should retire, but all in all this is a good thing. It shows the change of the tide in MMA, just like it happens in every sport. Joe Montana and Dan Marino retired from football long ago giving way to Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. In MMA it's no longer Silva, Liddell and Hughes, it's Anderson Silva, St. Pierre and Lyoto Machida. It's exciting but sad as we say hello to a new generation of fighters, as we say good-bye to an old generation, one that put the UFC on the map.