Issue 065

August 2010

I remember reading a few old books that described the brutal days of professional boxing in the first half of the 20th century. I would pore over the accounts of tough scrappers who came from humble beginnings to fight on the world stage, and marvel at how there was no fast track to success. Everything came via hard work, and only a lucky few would ever make it into the limelight (and the history books). 

One thing that all of these old-time boxers had in common were their incredible records. I don’t mean impressive – they were incredible because of the sheer number of contests on their resume. It was rare for these fighters to retire with less than 50–60, even 100 fights on their record. Some notable fighters, such as the Canadian Sam Langford, retired with an astonishing 314 bouts to his name.  

My mind is never far away from MMA, and as I was revisiting one of these old boxing books just recently, I got to thinking about records in this combat sport. Obviously, with only 16 and a half years of modern history behind it, MMA has a way to go before we see fighters amass records comparable to the boxers of old, but this process is remarkably underway. 

Scan most major MMA events’ fight cards and you’ll see a collection of fighters, most between 22 and 35 years old, with anywhere between ten to 20 fights on their record. A quick look at the roster of UFC champions provides an interesting fact: Aside from middleweight champ Anderson Silva (who has 30 fights to his name), none have more than a total of 23 professional fights on their record (Lesnar has five, Shogun has 23, GSP has 22 and Edgar has 13). 

But there is an emerging trend of young fighters who are racking up fights at a rate. The obvious example would be someone such as Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson, a 28-year-old fighter with no less than 42 fights behind him (although Joe is unusual in that he started fighting at 16 years old). British bad boy Paul Daley started fighting at 19 and (at the time of going to press) has 34 fights on his record. As both men are yet to hit 30 years of age, they’ve got plenty of opportunity to rack up many more fights. Paul even told me last year that he would like to retire with over 100 fights, and at the rate he’s going he could well achieve that.  

This could well mean that the days of champions with fights barely into double digits are coming to an end. As more youngsters are attracted to the sport and begin training and competing at an early age, we will certainly see an increasing number of high-profile fighters with records totaling dozens of fights. 

For now, most fighters we see on major MMA events will have between ten and 25 fights, and it is generally only the veterans of the sport who are closer to or surpass 50 fights on their record. Matt Hughes (36) has 51 fights, Joe Doerksen (32) has 57, Joe Riggs (27) has 45, and Sean Sherk (36) has 38. All of these men have something in common: They’ve all got a good ten years of service under their belts.  

There are a few fighters who can boast records similar to those of the old-timer boxers. The exclusive ‘One Hundred Club’ is open to fighters who have reached the astounding three-digit benchmark. Currently, only Dan Severn (116), Jeremy Horn (108) and Travis Fulton (250) hold membership, but it is highly probable we will see fighters of tomorrow coming close to these records. 

It’s not as hard for a fighter to rack up such records, all things considered. The major players and title holders in the UFC may only fight a couple of times a year, but it’s possible for the lower-ranked competitors to fight as often as every other month. Outside of the big leagues, fighters can compete to their heart’s content, fighting as often as they can schedule in fights. The prevalence of underground events, non-sanctioned bouts and events in unregulated regions means there are few barriers to someone stepping into the cage as much as they want – although commissions will enforce mandatory suspension periods for injured fighters.

The long-term ramifications of fighting in MMA are thankfully nowhere near as serious as in boxing. There are countless stories of pugilists suffering terrible health problems due to many years of absorbing punishment, but with MMA (with its lower ratio of blows to the head) means the injuries that will either force fighters to quit or hamper them once their careers are done are far less damaging to one’s quality of life. Dementia pugilistica (the form of brain damage commonly known as being ‘punch drunk’) is thankfully rarely seen among MMA fighters. 

With fighters such as Stevenson and Daley leading the charge, we’re likely to see a generation of MMA fighters with more experience than any other, and this can only be a good thing. As they develop their skills in feeder leagues and regional promotions, they stand to compete upon the world stage as young veterans of their trade and masters of their art.