Mixed martial arts are not just for the young anymore. More and more of the top fighters are relatively advanced in age in comparison with athletes of other sports. Take a look at football and basketball. The prime ages for these sports are about 23 to about 30. Athletes that are in their mid-thirties are considered "old men" and start to prepare for retirement. Sure, there are a few athletes that go above and beyond this age limit such as football's Reggie White and boxing's George Foreman.

In mixed martial arts, fighters seem to get better with age. Maybe it's added experience or maybe it's talents and techniques gained from other competitive sports. Randy Couture is a prime example. Couture a world-class competitive wrestler who has won numerous wrestling competitions within the last ten years and has taken up mixed martial arts relatively recently. His success in NHB competition is well documented with a couple of UFC heavyweight titles around his waist. Couture has beaten fighters that are ten years his junior and does not seem to be letting up one bit. Maurice Smith and Tom Erikson are other fighters who are competitive and are around the forty-year mark of existence.

How old is too old? We, at Full Contact Fighter, are not here to judge individuals that decide to step in to the ring or cage to test themselves in the ultimate proving ground. Who would be better to ask about the idea of taking up mixed martial arts competition at an advanced age than Skip Hall. Hall is best known as a four-time UFC judge, but he is also a martial arts instructor in the Birmingham, Alabama area. At 56 years of age, Skip is about to make his professional fighting debut at the World Extreme Fighting "New Blood Conflict" in Augusta, Georgia on June 9 of this year. By all accounts, that would make Hall be the oldest competitor in mixed martial arts history.

The biggest question that everyone must have is why? According to Skip, "it's not anything different that I do everyday." Hall's own background includes being in the Special Forces Group (SOG) while in the military, which has included trips to Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines. It was in Korea where he first started studying Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido in the mid 1960's and has earned black belts in both arts. Hall competed in full contact Karate competitions and holds a record of 30-2. He has fought in full contact standup fighting until about three years ago. About ten years ago, he started studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Conan and Marcello Silveria. He also has done some golden gloves boxing growing up. Presently, he is a full time martial arts instructor, but for over fifteen years, he was a sales manager for IBM, which allowed Hall to travel while he continued to teach martial arts. Hall focuses his instruction toward law enforcement, military, and special forces since about 70% of his students include these type of individuals. Hall has already trained four fighters. He has been a police officer for three different police departments. Hall is also a competitive power lifter and is the holder of 12 world and Alabama state records as well as being a certified personal trainer and certified sports nutritionist. With his family supporting his decision, fighting in MMA competition seems to be the natural progression to this broadly experienced martial artist.

With Hall being a competitive power lifter, obviously strength should not be a problem, but what about probably the most important aspect of a fight, conditioning? Hall said that conditioning is definitely tougher now than when he was 50. He does admit that, "it is more difficult the older you get to stay in shape," but also adds that he thinks that, "the hardest part is the recovery period." In multiple submission matches, Hall feels that he would not have a problem, but mixed martial arts take much more of a toll on the body. Skip feels that he is in better shape now than he was thirty years ago. "Cardio is the key, just ask Tito [Ortiz referring to the Frank Shamrock fight]." Hall does realize that the key to his victory is increased cardio and endurance exercises. He feels that all competitors in MMA have conditioning. "Some have it because of age. Some have it because of their work ethic." Hall has realized that "air is the key" through training with the Silveria brothers in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was taught that "you can't think. You can't work. You can't do the right things if you aren't breathing." These tips are true regardless of age.

The last item of concern that comes up when fighters of advanced age start competing is the view from the general public. Will the end result of forty plus year old fighters competing be good or bad for the struggling sport? Hall feels that older fighters competing will have a good effect on MMA. Like the main argument of MMA, when the outsiders learn more and become educated about MMA, Hall states that people will see that mixed martial arts is "a valid sport for any age." Skip cited the Ron Van Clief/Royce Gracie fight in UFC II where he states that Van Clief "didn't have the martial arts tools," but for a fighter who was 51 years old at the time, "he could have taken a lot of the guys that was in there that was half that age." As a martial arts instructor, the goal of a martial artist is to be able to defend yourself on the street against any attacker at any age. Hall agrees with this view and carries the same argument in to MMA, which overrides the age barrier. Hall feels that "age is pretty relative." Another angle is that if competitors of advanced ages and professional backgrounds enter MMA, maybe people would respect the sport more. Whether this is a viable argument is questionable, but a person's social and economic class has a very influential impact on the views of the general public without a doubt.

On a side note while I was talking with Skip, we revived the Bas Rutten and Kevin Randleman fight in the UFC, which was probably one of the most controversial decisions from a fan's point of view and was judged by Hall. Skip was more than happy to give his view as a judge of that fight. He felt that Randleman won the first five minutes of the fight "hands down." Hall and the other judge had the best views of the action because a majority of the fight was taking place only feet from where they were sitting. Hall stated that every time that Rutten elbowed and palm heel striked Randleman's back of the head and neck, the strikes were "bringing blood to the surface." Hall felt that the longer the match would have continued, "the longer Bas would have dominated." He also wanted to clarify that maybe it was controversial from a fan's perspective, but from a judge's or fighter's decision, there was "no question." Hall also disagrees with the fight being controversial because the judges' decisions were 2-1 with both judges in the optimum lines of site voted for Rutten. He also feels that he is hired as a judge and he should make a decision, even in the close fights.

Hall plans on competing for a couple more years no matter what the outcome is of his upcoming fight. With the boxing and sports commissions becoming involved greatly with the spread of mixed martial arts, it will be interesting to see what, if any, restrictions they will put on the age of the combatants. They seem lenient on boxing, but have implemented many more weight classes in MMA to equalize the competition. Will Skip Hall lead the revolution of fifty-plus fighters to start entering the no-holds-barred world? Maybe not, but I know a lot of people that would enjoy seeing a fifty year old kicking the crap out of a wise cracking twenty year old.