MMA: Timing is the Answer to Success

Added by Joseph Lisnow on July 13, 2012.

Chael Sonnen

To reach the height of one’s occupational career to just suddenly switch professions seems unorthodox in such a weak economic economy. But within the last few days there has been talk about how some MMA fighters and professional wrestlers are open to the idea of swapping professions. The issue with such a risky move centers around a person’s age and when is it too late to begin a completely different job.

The most recent example is with former WWE wrestler Dave Batista recently confirming his MMA debut for October. At the same time, there are rumors that UFC standout Chael Sonnen might be ready to become a professional wrestler after he failed to win championship gold for the second time.

While both made lots of money in their respected company, to switch professions at their age works better for a MMA fighter turned professional wrestler. Only one hand is needed to count the number of professional wrestlers who make it to the top of their field before the age of 30. They have so much more time to create their name, compared to a MMA fighter whose careers are ending earlier than they used to because it is now a young person’s sport.

The former multi-time wrestling champion Batista announced on Twitter that he would be making his MMA debut for Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES). While CES is certainly not a large name in the MMA world, they have been around for almost nearly 30 years with their main attention being boxing. In the last few years, they have begun to incorporate MMA into their business as the sport has become more popular.

While aspiring fighters would love to join the UFC or Strikeforce, the top two MMA companies in the United States, a debut on such a high stage is rare. This is where the best in the world compete and Batista doesn’t have the name value or any prior fights to compete on such a grand stage. With Batista at 43-years-old Batista and now pursuing MMA, his best bet was to start with lesser known company.

This great influx of MMA fighters has seen that youth now plays a factor. Fighters in their early 20’s and 30’s are taking over. No longer are the likes of Hall of Famers such as Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture able to fight in their 40’s with such dominance. There was a time when age didn’t seem to matter as much in one’s performance, but the sport has changed.

That’s what makes Batista’s chances in the MMA world slim. Age is against him and will lead to a short MMA career. There’s always the professional wrestling world he can return back to where age doesn’t matter as wrestlers in their 40’s are some of the biggest names that draw a crowd and are paid highly in return.

As Batista prepares to enter MMA for the first time, rumors continue that current UFC fighter Sonnen may be headed to the WWE. At 35-years-old, Sonnen might be able to make a transition from UFC fighter to WWE superstar. He can certainly talk and cut a promo to sell a fight, which is always important. Add in his natural ability as a fighter and he might be able to become a star in the professional wrestling world. He makes a name for himself in the UFC and with his run possibly winding down, it seems to make sense to try and get another job while ones name is still trending.

In MMA or the professional wrestling world age is everything. While professional athletes will continue to switch professions as the two companies compete on the mainstream level, age is now going to play a larger role in their reasoning and any likelihood to even think about trading jobs.