Issue 078

August 2011

Supposedly over-the-hill fighters have a long and proud history of proving people wrong. As part of this Randy Couture tribute issue, Andrew Garvey salutes five of MMA’s more mature, yet seemingly ageless, warriors.

1 Matt Lindland

The youngest on this list at a mere 41, ‘The Law’ has achieved plenty since his 1997 MMA debut. Co-founding the successful Team Quest camp with Couture and Dan Henderson, Lindland won silver in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympics and challenged Murilo Bustamante for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 37. In 2006, he fought Quinton Jackson at 205lb (losing a narrow decision) and faced Fedor Emelianenko at heavyweight a year later. A fighter, farmer and father, Lindland has also promoted MMA events in his home state of Oregon, managed UFC middleweight star Chael Sonnen and even ran for political office in 2008. Surely now winding down his career, he can still handle most with his bullying wrestling style but has also been scarily KO’d inside a minute by both Vitor Belfort and Robbie Lawler recently.

2 Mark Coleman

A superb freestyle wrestler, ‘The Godfather of Ground n’ Pound’ was a terrifying, revolutionary fighter in 1996/97when he won the UFC 10 and 11 tournaments and became the first UFC heavyweight champion. But once opponents learned to exploit stamina issues his best days quickly seemed behind him. Then, in 2000, he won the first Pride Grand Prix, briefly putting him back on top of the sport‘s heavyweight division. Eight years later, at 43, and after an inconsistent Pride FC run, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame then in 2009 gave ‘Shogun’ Rua a good fight in a dramatic encounter at UFC 93. Six months later he decisioned Stephan Bonnar, earning a main event fight with Randy Couture first scheduled for UFC 17 way back in 1998. The 45-year-old Coleman lost to ‘The Natural’ at UFC 109 by rear naked choke. He hasn’t fought since likely signalling the end of his long, legendary career, at least at the highest level.

3 Dr John ‘Gray Wolf’ Williams

The least experienced inside the cage of all the men on this list with just a 1-0 professional record, Williams earned his place when he made his professional debut last summer at the age of 70. Yes, 70. Eclipsing the previous ‘oldest MMA fighter in the world’, Skip Hall, who was a mere spring chicken at 63 when he retired. Williams first began studying martial arts in 1947, the same year the Cold War started and India became an independent nation. Williams was seven years old at the time. Over the next few decades he’d become a strongman, a doctor of theology, a professor, a hypnotherapist and earnt a Guinness Book of Records entry for most blocks of ice broken with a single punch. A fascinating character.

4 Dan Severn

A genuine MMA pioneer and, by most accounts, one of the nicest people in the sport, ‘The Beast’ went 5-0 in 2010, despite turning 52 that June. Closing in on his 100th MMA victory, Severn may no longer compete for major promotions but he’s a very active, usually winning, fighter and has been for many, many years. First stepping into the Octagon at UFC IV way back in ‘94, the three-time freestyle wrestling Olympic alternate had never trained in any form of striking. Even today, he still relies almost entirely on his wrestling skills to physically dominate much younger opponents. Boxing legend Larry Holmes, who last fought at 52, once remarked that he felt perfectly safe since despite slowing down with age; he knew what he was doing inside the ring. Severn may feel the same way. He’s only been KO’d or TKO’d twice in the last decade and with favorable matchmaking could have plenty of years left in him.

5 Randy Couture

Joking after his UFC 129 highlight reel KO defeat to Lyoto Machida’s fittingly Karate Kid-style crane kick about how many times he’d already retired, the 47-year-old Couture confirmed this really was the end of his incredible career. That someone could have won a UFC world heavyweight title at the age of 43, as he did in 2007, was impressive enough but it being his fifth title victory, across two weight classes and three of them after his 40th birthday makes Couture genuinely remarkable. One of the most beloved and admired fighters in the sport’s history, the UFC Hall of Famer has done things very, very few athletes over the age of 40 can even dream of. But then, few athletes of any age are as superbly well-conditioned and tactically brilliant as Couture was. MMA has no Senior Tour or Masters Division, and given how tough a sport it is, that’s a good thing. And besides, Couture had no need for one.