UFC 109: Senior Slugfest?

You’ll forgive me for the obvious age joke, I hope. The thing is, UFC 109 has looked from the start to be a celebration of the “ageless veteran”, even though the fight between 36-year old Matt Hughes and 42-year old Renzo Gracie ended up on UFC 112 rather than this particular card. We still have plenty of 40-somethings and late 30-somethings to look forward to this Saturday night.

The main event, of course, features Mark Coleman, who at 45 years of age will continue his career resurgence inside the UFC’s octagon. He’ll face Randy Couture, the 46-year old fighter who has become the epitome of an athlete competing at a high level well past his supposed “expiration date”. The fight is unique in that, despite its billing as the first-ever bout between two UFC Hall of Famers, it is not simply a nostalgia fight or an attempt to put two big names together. These guys, particularly Couture, can still compete and are very much in the thick of perhaps the most competitive division in all of MMA.

Couture has proven himself time and time again, as now it’s safe to say that the majority of his biggest accomplishments have taken place after he turned 40 years old. Meanwhile, Coleman hasn’t set the world on fire in recent years, but did pull out a suffocating decision win against Stephan Bonnar, who is no slouch himself. He also took everything Mauricio “Shogun” Rua could dish out for almost a full 15 minutes, which looks considerably more impressive now that Rua, in the eyes of many, should be the UFC’s light heavyweight champion.

Meanwhile, the fight between 35-year old Matt Serra and 37-year old Frank Trigg carries a little more urgency for both competitors. Both seem to believe that this is the UFC’s equivalent to what is known in the professional wrestling world as a “loser leaves town” match. Though both have only lost recently to fighters that are either legends in the division, top competitors or both, the UFC is never shy about cutting fighters who are deemed to have their best days behind them.

Of course, the UFC also brought back Coleman and Trigg when neither seemed to have really done anything to warrant the sudden interest, too…so who knows?

Still, the presence of these four on the “Relentless” card Saturday night solidifies an important truth about mixed martial arts: savvy and experience really can level the playing field against youth and athleticism.

To me, the idea that someone like Randy Couture could compete at such a high level against competitors nearly half his age should really be a big selling point of the sport in general and the UFC in particular. First of all, Randy’s success (and his tactics) provide indisputable proof that the sport is not about brute strength, how stereotypically “tough” you are, or how mean you look. Since the majority of those who will watch the UFC at home or in a sports bar somewhere lack brute strength, extreme toughness or a Wanderlei Silva-staredown, this should attract people to find out what this sport’s all about, right? After all, Couture shows people the same thing that Royce Gracie showed them almost 20 years ago: that fighting is not what most people think it is.

Furthermore, what better of a message can a sport have than that you can succeed with hard work, effort and a smart strategy? Again, most of us who comprise the fanbase of mixed martial arts are not world-class athletes. Many are north of 40 years old, like Couture. We can identify with fighters like him (and, for the younger crowd, Forrest Griffin), who have obtained nearly all of their success through hard work.

Finally, Couture and company provide a ready-made counter to common criticisms of the sport- such as that it is merely two muscleheads duking it out, or that it is like a “sanctioned street fight”. When athletes such as these can remain competitive against younger, faster and stronger fighters, it proves that there is much more to the sport than meets the eye.

In closing, though I made an age joke to kick off this column, this event is as good a time as any to be in awe of the select few fighters who have the dedication and ability to compete at a world-class level in such a demanding sport. Who cares if there are any titles on the line? UFC 109 will be great viewing for other reasons.

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Tags: Frank Trigg, Mark Coleman, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Randy Couture, Renzo Gracie, UFC, UFC 109