As an orthopedic surgeon that loves sports and contact sports in particular, I frequently deal with aging athletes. Experience has taught me and many of my colleagues that when a contact athlete utters the phrase “let me go out on my own terms’ the end is near.  What exactly the ‘end’ will look like is the only remaining unanswered question.

Contact athletes age in 2 very different ways:  chronological aging and physiological aging. Chronological age is simple to define.  How many birthdays has the fighter had?  Physiologic age is that difficult to quantify reference to how old and damaged their body is (including the brain/central nervous system).  A fighter’s drivers license may state 40 y.o. but their body usually has tells a much different story.

Years of training, competing and hard living take a physical toll.  The signs of physiological aging are so common that we have developed many code phrases and euphemisms: “lost a step”, “takes longer to bounce back”, “can’t quite pull the trigger any more”, “carries his hands low” and “just needs to take some time off”.

Unfortunately, in many situations the fighter is the worst equipped person to make the decision to stop.  They became champions because of their will to win.  All elite level athletes have superior skill sets. The attributes that separates the challengers from long-reigning champions are mentality and will/heart. And those 2 factors are the same 2 factors that make it extremely difficult for a champion to walk away.

The fighter’s entourage also has a potential conflict of interest when it comes to discussing with the champ or as I prefer to call the ‘bread winner’ the proper timing of retirement.  When the champ’s run is over it’s over for everyone.  The money, the parties, the glamour, the spotlight and all of the incredible perks that go with it stop faster than the champ’s last fight.  It’s an unwritten rule but everyone and I do mean everyone knows it.  Who wants the ‘wild ride’ to stop?

Unfortunately, MMA has not been around long enough to begin to see the physical, mental and emotional damage brought on by a long career and a warrior’s mentality.  We are all familiar with the damaged lives so evident in boxing and science is proving what many have known for quite some time in the NFL and NHL.  But it appears that MMA may be ignoring the expensive lessons and history of their brothers in combat. 

Ask Olympian and TUF 11 coach Howard Davis, Jr. about some of the candid talks that we all had in Buddy McGirt’s gym in Vero Beach, Florida.  He’s an honest guy and he will tell you what he’s seen in his long relationship with combat sports and the stories that were shared on those afternoons…that’s if he remembers.