Old and Irrelevant, But Obviously Important
Published by Jim Genia on February 4th, 2010 in Current Events

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As with most – if not all – intense athletic endeavors, the competitive lifespan of a fighter’s career tapers off with time, each white hair and arthritic flair up akin to grains of sand in an hourglass, the accumulation of which is the definitive signal that it’s time to hang up the gloves. Yes, mixed martial arts is a younger man’s sport. So much so, in fact, that when a competitor enters the cage on the far side of 30, he’s considered ancient; at 40, an anomaly. Beyond that, he’s a circus act. And yet here we are, a few days after 47-year-old ex-football great Herschel Walker’s first MMA bout, which translated into a ratings bonanza for Strikeforce and Showtime, and a few days before UFC 109, which will be headlined by Mark Coleman and Randy Couture, a pair of veterans so grizzled their Octagon debuts were at UFCs 10 and 13. No one in their right mind harbors the belief that anything these men do in the cage matters to the rest of their division. And why should they? The chances of Walker, Coleman or Couture rising to the top are slim to none, rendering whatever they do in terms of winning or losing meaningless. But ratings, and the fact that two of the sport’s pioneers can still command top billing, don’t lie. They may be old and irrelevant, but to the fans who tune in to watch in great numbers, they’re obviously still important.

About 517,000 viewers tuned in to watch Heisman Trophy winner Walker take the pugilistic plunge against a tomato can, making Strikeforce: “Miami” the second most-watched Showtime MMA event ever (“Carano vs. Cyborg” ranks number one). How much of that is attributable to football fans curious to see one of their athletes compete in a wholly new realm? How much of that is from the “freak show” factor? Honestly, it doesn’t matter. Like the 35-year old Kimbo Slice – a man who entered MMA too late in his life to turn himself into a contender, yet because of his mass appeal as a former backyard brawler is the most popular fighter of all time – Walker’s an eyeball magnet if ever there was one. Of course, being perilously close to 50 means his time in the cage will be short, and if he faces anyone with even a modicum of ability he’s a dead man, but that’s beside the point. This old man’s got fans. Consequently, as long as he willing, he will always have fights.

Some may argue that Coleman and Couture’s UFC 109 headlining status is a sign of Zuffa’s shortage of “big names”, and to a degree that may be true. But Coleman was a UFC superstar long before Zuffa entered the picture, and back when Dana White and company were contemplating making Bob Meyrowitz, the promotion’s original owner, an offer, “The Hammer” was winning Pride’s prestigious Grand Prix tournament. He may have looked horrific against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 93 and just barely squeaked by Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100, but he was the man back in the day.

Fellow UFC Hall of Famer Couture’s story is similar, although his run as a title threat ended much more recently (at UFC 91, when Brock Lesnar TKO’d him for the belt). Couture’s popularity has proved enduring, and the stuff of solid pay-per-view buyrate legend. It’s a given that as long as he’s willing to compete, the powers that be will let him. And whether the Coleman the ex-wrestler win or Couture the ex-wrestler wins at UFC 109, it ultimately means nothing for the rankings. Two old men with strong fan bases are mixing it up, and Zuffa is going to let them. That’s purely a bone tossed to the fans keen on shelling out the dough to watch.

The sport is too new and too young for much of a mapped-out retirement plan, and really, do great fighters ever truly retire when they’re supposed to? However, if you’re an aging competitor with a ton of people willing to watch you throw down, retirement can remain a dirty word. Lots of fans means you will always remain important.