a day late...

In a time where the UFC is becoming as close to a monopoly as possible, the prospective bouts that loom on the horizon are seemingly endless. The only rather depressing feature is the long, drawn-out impasse of the course it took to get to its present status. The negative implication here is that some of the pioneers and legends have long since faded from the limelight, and furthermore, the hypothetical matches that we’ve drooled and argued over for years, now involve fighters that may be out of their prime. Sure, the Wanderlei and Chuck fight still gives me a hard-on, but I can’t help but realize that its appeal has lost some of its flare now that each of the two brawlers are no longer at the peak of their divisions. Randy Couture has finally retired, Matt Hughes says he only has a handful of fights left, Dan Henderson is getting up there in age, CroCop didn’t seem to make the transition to the octagon very well…the list goes on and on. All of the heroes that we have so long begged and pleaded to do battle are not where they were when we desired it most. Now, in their place, they are being waved goodbye to by the newly cropped up talent that emerges with youth and the booming popularity of this combative sport. Maybe its just because I’ve followed MMA for so long that I find the long overdue merger bittersweet, because my favorites are now on their way out and as much as I appreciate the new talent, I can’t help but notice a dreary feeling inside that as sweet as the merging of organizations is, perhaps my much loved champions are just not able to provide a clash of titans that I once envisioned.

Man, your post don't have many reply , so i will try to stop your depression !!

Many of the guy that you are stating are still good fighters and i don't think they are no longer on there peak, it is more the level of the new and younger fighters who is increasing to fast !!

even if they reach a little bit higher peak or they keep there same level , i don't think that will be enough to beat the new generation of top fighters !!

overall, even if a couple of older fighter are still on top, the majority are decreasing slowly due to aging.

don't be sad , there are so many good news fighters to cheer for !!

Couture is not gone yet, and Matt Hughes neither, also, like you said , liddell and Wandy will colide even if it is not a champ vs champ fight it will be a good one !!

Crocop may never be the champ, but it doesn't mean that he will continue to lose over and over again, and Hendo is still a real top fighters and Silva will have to bring his A game to beat him !!

The sport is evolving so fast, and the athletes are evolving with it. I see MMA getting even more great athletes as boxers, judokas and kickboxers make the transition to MMA in the future. It's just going to be hard for some of our favorite fighters to stay on top. I say be thankful for the evolution of the sport. There will be many great matchups in the future.

What Punchy said.