MMA: Will the UFC Continue to Prosper as Aging Stars Begin to Retire?

Most professional sports rise and fall with the success of their biggest stars. Mixed martial arts and the UFC will most likely continue with this trend.

The boxing world had periods of growth followed by years of recession and is currently in the biggest flux in the history of the sport. This is happening, especially in the heavyweight division, because there are no fighters that spark the interest of the general population. There are no more fighters like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman and Muhammad Ali to keep the audience coming back for more.

As the headlining MMA stars of today's UFC begin to retire, will the UFC be able to progress at its current pace?

Unless multiple stars begin to rise and bring something new and exciting to the sport, look for ratings and overall interest to decrease.

Randy Couture, 48, and Royce Gracie, 44, have most likely seen their last moments in the ring. Both are UFC legends and hall of fame members who helped give the UFC national acclaim.

Chuck Liddell, 41, is one of the most recognizable power-punching legends of the sport and recently retired in late December 2010.

UFC Hall of Fame member Matt Hughes will turn 38 in October, Rich Franklin and Tito Ortiz are both 36, Quinton Jackson and heavyweight legend Brock Lesnar are both 33. B.J. Penn will turn 33 in December and Rashad Evans will turn 32 in September.

The most important fighter to the UFC that is nearing retirement is current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who is currently 36 years old.  

Where will the sport be without these names?

Most of these fighters only have a handful of fights left in the UFC, and as these superstars begin to fade away, Dana White and the rest of UFC need to promote the upcoming stars more than they ever have and hope they can gain as much popularity as the fighters of the past decade.