UFC Fighters Who Started Their Careers Late

It is a famous proverb that 

Not all fighters start at an early age, it is not necessary for everyone. It's never too late to start all over again, if you have ambition and passion you can achieve anything. As a fighter, there is no age limit to start a career. There is no age restriction to be a fighter of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The top contenders on the list are also the ones who appeared late on the podium. Regardless of their late start, they went to the verge of their careers.

Conventionally, Mixed martial arts are a sport of young contenders. The community of mixed martial arts is renowned for its highly exceptional fighters who have dedicated their lives to sports. However, few remarkable contenders have overcome the odds and succeeded on the platform of UFC, despite starting late. Usually, in Ultimate Fighting Championship the fighters reach the pinnacle after their 20s. Despite this fact, the top stars of the UFC succeeded in the octagon even after their late commencement. These remarkable fighters have demonstrated that hard work and determination can overcome every obstacle in life.

Let's find out about the fighters and their journey towards the achievement. Here is the list of the ten UFC fighters who started their careers late, and left a lasting impression in the octagon. 

Stripe Miocic is an American professional mixed martial arts artist. He was born on August 19, 1982, in Euclid, Ohio, U.S. Moicic was a curious kid who was interested in different types of sports. He works as a fireman outside the ring, he belongs to a middle-class family where sports were not taken as a professional field, it was a far-fetched dream for him. Nevertheless, a talent made its own way and Stripe started his MMA career on June 14, 2011, when he was 29 years old. In the preceding year, he signed the multi-fight UFC and made a debut against Joey Beltran on October 8. The Ultimate Fighting Championship the massive MMA podium, Stripe Miocic began his career with the promotion of Ohio. He demonstrated his expertise and won his first five tournaments with knockouts. In his UFC debut, he squared off against Joey Beltran, Miocic achieved the victory via an anonymous decision. He gave a tremendous start to his UFC career, Stripe Miocic then gave back-to-back enormous performances in UFC and grabbed the prestigious title including the ‘Fight of the Night’, ‘Knockout of the Night’, and ‘Performance of the Night’.

Despite starting his career late Miocic is currently the regnant of the UFC, he is the Heavyweight Champion and ranked at the fourth number in the weight division. He is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion in UFC, Miocic successfully defended his title four times in his two title reigns. In the history of UFC, he victoriously achieved the most wins in heavyweight title fights. He set the record for setting the longest title defense streak.

Stripe Miocic marks his impression for setting fight-night bonus awards with nine. He set the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the heavyweight division, Miocic is far apart regarded as the exceptional UFC heavyweight contender of all time

Miocic is well renowned for being the NAAFS World Heavyweight Champion. Prior to his mixed martial arts career, he earned the title of Golden Gloves boxing champion, he was part of the NCAA Division and a wrestler at Cleveland State University. In 2003 Miocic competed as a wrestler in NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Kansas.

Stripe Miocic is a 42-year-old heavyweight fighter. He squared off the top contenders of The Ultimate Fighting Championship. Miocic set a record of 15 knockouts and appeared as one of the world's top grapplers. He competed against renowned competitors, including Daniel Cormier, Nelson, Andrei Arlovski, Hunt, Gonzaga, Overeem Jon Jones, and Ngannou.

On September, 5th 1986, Francis Zavier Ngannou was born. He is a Cameroonian and French. He is a professional boxer and started his training at the age of 22, despite of his family's reluctance. After training for a year he could not continue due to his ailment, at the age of 26 he headed to Paris and pursued his professional boxing career. Due to the lack of resources, Ngannou has faced alot of hindrances in order to acquire his goal. He was engaged as a worker in a sand quarry.

Following his dream to become a Professional boxer he stayed as an immigrant in the European countries.. His passion for becoming a distinguished fighter took him too far; Ngannou traveled so much and often remained homeless, he even crossed the borderline to accomplish his goals. He remained imprisoned for the violation of rules.

Soon he was introduced to the world of MMA by Fernand Lopez, and he decided to become an MMA fighter Ngannou shared his views:

Francis Zavier Ngannou began his MMA career in November 2013 when he was 27 years old. Under the French promotion he competed in the 100% Fight, Ngannou squared off five top contenders and assembled a record of 5-1 before becoming part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“The Predator” availed the chance to appear on the platform of UFC. On 19 December 2015, he made a debut against Luis Henrique and embraced a victory via knockout in the second round. At UFC Fight Night 86, he squares off with the newcomer of UFC Curtis Blaydes, Ngannou won the fight via TKO, and after that, he continued to achieve the titles back-to-back.

Ngannou succumbed to the well-known contenders which include, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Ciryl Gane, Stipe Miocic, Junior Dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Francis Ngannou was known for his distracting knockout power, in 2017, Francis Ngannou recorded the hardest punch ever measured. The president of UFC White brings into consideration some incredible numbers, that showed the power of ‘’The Predator’’’. 

White explained his views: "Francis is a guy who has the world record for the most powerful punch."His punches are equivalent to 96 horsepower. That's equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can.”

He further states that:

Randall Duane Couture is an American mixed martial arts artist, an actor a former United States sergeant, and a Greco-Roman wrestler. On June 22 1963, Couture was born in Washinton, America. He adopted the Greco-Roman wrestling, which is the representation of Roman and Greek culture. Duane Couture an old-school fighter started his MMA career in 1997 when he was 34 years old, in no time he emerged as a formidable contender.

Randall Duane Couture has cemented his name in MMA history as one of the top champions in a career spanning more than two decades. Couture was born in a military background, at an early age he was introduced to the art of wrestling. Later he attended Oklahoma State University for a wrestling scholarship. After completing college Couture was enlisted in the US Army where he served as a sergeant in 101 St Airborne Division. In that tenure, he indulged in the passion of learning the art of jiu-jitsu.

Randy Couture is 6’1 and around 220 pounds he was famous for his eclectic fighting style which includes wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and boxing. After signing with the UFC, he squared off against the top fighters and repeatedly won four bouts.

He conquered the title of heavyweight championship and set the record for achieving the same title. Randall Duane set the milestone by achieving the title of light heavyweight. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for fourteen years.

Randy squared off the world's top athletes and set the record of sixteen victories and eight losses. Randy Couture is one of the greatest inspirations who has depicted that age is not considered an obstacle to achieving your dreams. After losing to Machida, he retired in the year of 2011, he had set the reputation and outlived his competitors in grueling fights. 

Daniel Ryan Cormier is an American former professional MMA artist, a wrestler, and currently working as a commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Cormier was born on March 20, 1979 when he was in school he won three championships in wrestling. His high school record was 101-9 with 89 victories, and became the Outstanding wrestler of the state. In the Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championship, he won a bronze medal.

After qualifying for the Olympics in 2008, Daniel Cormier decided to switch to mixed martial arts. He improved his skills as a striker and a submission wrestler. For the second time, Cormier was qualified for the Olympics and titled ‘ Team Caption’ but unfortunately due to his kidney failure, he was not able to compete in it.

At the age of 30 he began his Mixed Martial Arts career in 2009, Cormier has made a successful record in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Cormier instantly signed the Strikeforce organization and commenced his MMA career. In the first six fights of his career, he marked his identity and also appeared on the podium of XMMA and the King of the Cage. Daniel Cormier has not tasted defeat until his fifth fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. When he was the part of Strikeforce, Cormier was unbeatable and always remained in the news headlines. Daniel Cormier was regarded as the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Daniel Ryan Cormier set a record for beating the top contenders, he knocked out Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva. In the Grand Prix, Daniel Ryan squared off against Josh Barnett and marked his victory. Daniel has won multiple championships the MMA championship in the Strikeforce, XMMA, and KOTC organizations. He won the title of double UFC light heavyweight along with four defense titles. Daniel Cormier has set a phenomenal career with famous martial arts athletes, he has defeated the top fighters including Silva, Henderson, Derrick Lewis, Anthony Johnson twice, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, and Volkan Oezdemir. He has tasted three defeats once with Jon Jones and the two others with the Stipe Miocic. 

Mark Coleman is an American retired mixed martial artist and a professional wrestler. Coleman was born in Ohio in 1964, in his teenage he started freestyle wrestling. In 1981, he became the first state wrestler champion for the Saint Joseph Central Catholic High School (Fremont, Ohio). He has a wrestling background, he began his fighting career as a multiple-crowned wrestler at various events. Coleman has appeared in the Pan American Championships three years in a row. He also competed in the tournaments of Pan American Games, and in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

Mark Coleman is also known as “The Hammer” due to his powerful hits. He won the silver medal in the World Championship. He is regarded as one of the oldest competitors in the history of UFC, as he began and ended his UFC professional career late. He showed his mettle on the podium and won multiple tournaments in the era of top contenders. Mark Coleman has also competed in the Pride Organization and won their tournaments.

He placed a milestone in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship as he set a record of seven wins and five losses. Mark Coleman crossed swords against the greatest contenders of all time, his name is well deserved in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Brendan Peter Schaub is an American podcast host a former mixed martial arts artist and a stand-up comedian. Schaub was born in Aurora, Colorado, in 1983. At an early age, he was devoted to American football which he gave up in 2007. A year later, Brendan Peter discovered his interest in mixed martial arts when he was about 25 years old. Schaub began his journey towards victory, he competed with various organizations and after four victories he got the opportunity to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Schaub fought with the organization until his retirement, he maintained the streak of six-five. In his career, Schaub squared off the top contenders and fought at the highest level, he competed with the widely recognized fighters Gonzaga, Cro Cop, Nogueira, Rothwell, Brown, Mitrione, and Arlovski.

After two consecutive straight losses, Schaub gave up violent sports and pursued the career of podcasting. Brendan Schaub is now a well-known, committed stand-up comedian. 

Nathan Parker "Nate" Quarry was born in 1972, he is an American mixed martial arts fighter. Nate Quarry has also co-hosted the show of MMA Live. He was a member of Jehovah's Witnesses and he was introduced to any organized sports till the age of 24. Nate grew up in a violent and abusive household, he had to overcome many challenges to perform at the biggest podium. Quarry barely managed to get out of Jehovah's Witnesses membership.

At the age of 24, Nate Quarry developed an interest in sports. He turned to martial arts and started training, after five years he made a debut and won by technical knockout. At the age of 33, the middleweight competitor became a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Under the banner of UFC Nate Quarry made his debut after four years of training. In five years of UFC fighting career, he brutally competed and maintained a record of seven wins and three losses.

Retired middleweight and one-time UFC title challenger Nate Quarry, fully justifies his name ‘Rocky’, regardless of his age he ended the bouts with finishes and knockouts. 

Brock Lesnar Edward was born in Webster, South Dakota, USA, in 1977. Edward is a professional wrestler, professional football player, and mixed martial artist, He has recently signed with WWF.

In high school, he played football, and later his interest aroused in wrestling, later, he appeared on the platform of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship. Brock Edward missed a chance to become a champion and won a silver medal. Later in the year 2000, Edward won the title of championship. Edward holds the record for most reigns as a Universal Champion.

Brock Lesnar Edward began his MMA career in 2007, being late to commence his fighting career Edward signed with the UFC in 2009 at the age of 30. He instantly won the UFC heavyweight title and vanquished many top contenders, including Interim, Alistair Overeem, Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, and Mark Hunt. Brock Edward was part of the best-selling pay-per-view events, which include UFC 91, UFC 100, UFC 116, and UFC 121. From 2008 till 2016, Brock appeared on the platform of the prestigious world martial arts organization. 

Alex Sandro Silva Pereira is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and a former kickboxer. He was born in 1987 and faced many hardships in life. Pereira dropped out of school when he was only 12 years old and started working in a tire shop. He indulged in drinking and became an alcoholic, to give up this habit, he started his kickboxing training in 2009.

Alex Pereira's struggles took the shape of victory; he conquered the world of kickboxing. Pereria won the titles of two Glory championships, two WPG kickboxing titles, and two WAKO PRO championships. At the age of 28, Pereira became interested in mixed martial arts; after that, he did not take long to be a competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. By defeating his old rival Israel Adesanya, he achieved the title in the middleweight division.

Recently, Alex Pereira competed in the UFC in the light heavyweight division. He is the ninth fighter in the UFC to be a champion in two different weight categories. Pereira became the first UFC fighter to become the champion of the middleweight and light heavyweight categories.

Alex Pereira has been regarded as the greatest fighter in history for his distinguished skill set. He is the only athlete to win the title of two-division world champion in MMA and also in kickboxing. 

Yoel Romero Palacio was born in 1977. He is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and a freestyle wrestler. Palacio competed in the 85 kilogram weight division and won the title of 99 world champion. The list of his achievements is very long; he secured five medals at the World Championships; he is the Olympic Silver Medal winner; he is a three time World Cup winner; he achieved the Pan American Games Gold Medal; and he won five Pan American Championships.

Yoel Palacio started training in MMA when he was 31. In 2009, he made his conquering debut, and he does not have to wait to compete at the most famous octagon in the world. He competed in mixed martial arts for seven years and then switched towards the bellator. Currently, Yoel Palacio competes for Bellator MMA in the light heavyweight division. He appeared on the platform of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and competed in the UFC Middleweight Championship. He set the record with nine wins and seven losses in the UFC. Palacio is a multiple title challenger in UFC, in his journey of eight years as a UFC athlete he squared off against the top contenders and achieved important victories.