There is something about discussing life and the experience that we share with one another during our time here that tends to bring about a cerebral and even philosophical air to the conversation. The subject or life, mortality, and making the most out of things seems to be a delicate one and one that takes on a form of increasing sincerity as we move through the latter stages of life.
It is often said that the most interesting people in life are the ones that never really figure out what they want to be until they are much older in age. I tend to disagree and am of the opinion that the most interesting and inspiring people in life are the ones that strive to make the best out of their lives each and every day and never lose sight of the fact that all they have is the moment in which they are currently in.
Here we look at four mixed martial artists who have never stopped living in the moment, have never fed into the lie that they were past their prime, and who are currently kicking father time squarely in the testicles.
4) Jeremy Horn – August 25, 1975
With an illustrious professional career spanning 20 years and 114 fights with an 80% win percentage it is hard to deny this soon to be 41 year old a spot on our list. Gumby is not only an elite fighter but also one of the most sought after coaches and trainers of all time in addition to being an MMA Hall of Fame nominee.
3) Jeff Monson – January 18, 1971
Monson started his MMA career nearly 20 years ago and has 84 fights to his credit (58-26) with the most recent bout being in May of this year. He has fought for a plethora of organizations including UFC, Pride, Dream, Strikeforce, M-1, and Sengoku amongst others with his defining moments coming in the UFC. Although unsuccessful, Monson challenged Tim Sylvia at UFC 65 for the UFC Heavyweight Championship losing by decision.
Alongside his MMA career, Monson is a world class grappler securing two ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships and a No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championship. As an aside, Monson is an American-Russian from Olympia, Washington having received his Russian citizenship at the end of 2015 and is also a vocal political activist with a master’s degree in psychology.
2) Mark Hunt – March 23, 1974
With only 23 professional bouts to his name, which is far less than everyone else on our list and even less than some fighters half his age, the question begs to be asked why, other than his age, is the Super Samoan on this list? The answer is simple: with an iron jaw, a right hand that has the potential to put anyone, as he so eloquently stated, into the dark lands, the fact that he quite literally turned down an offer of $400,000 to retire, he is a fan favorite and with recent wins over Antonio Bigfoot Silva and Frank Mir, he is still kicking ass! So much so that he just got the call to fight Brock Lesnar at the upcoming and historic UFC 200 on July 9, 2016.
1) Dan Henderson – August 24, 1970
With nearly as many years of life under his belt as he does fights (46), Dan Henderson sits atop our list of fighters over 40 who are still kicking ass! His storied MMA career was preceded by an amazing amateur wrestling career that saw him become the university national champion three times, the senior national champion three times, and wrestle at the 1992 as well as 1996 Olympic Games. As a mixed martial artist, Hendo has amassed a record of 32-14 with notable wins over current UFC Middleweight champion Michael Bisping, Shogun Rua (x 2), Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, and Vitor Belfort amongst many others. He was also the Pride Welterweight Champion (183 lbs.), Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion (205 lbs.), and the UFC 17 tournament champion (199 lb. weight limit).
