One of the biggest questions that has persisted throughout combat sports history is how long is too long to stick around? The nature of the fight game, blunt force trauma to the head, means that it’s better suited to young men but the reality is that aging veterans and legends of the sport often have a hard time letting go, often to their detriment. Most recently, these questions about when to walk away have surfaced regarding two of MMA’s all-time greats: B.j. Penn and Fedor Emelianenko.
Two weekends ago, both Penn and Emelianenko suffered ignominious defeats, to Dennis Siver and Matt Mitrione respectively.