The Fighting Life: Mma Elite Talk About The Sport's Small Window Of Opportunity

If I wanted to just make money, I'd go be a stock broker. I'd go sell real estate because there are a lot of other ways I can make money. I'm not a guy who has to fight to make money. There are a lot of other things I could do in that regard. "The lifestyle itself is tough, and the career span is very short. You have to train for five years before you get good enough to get your name out there. Then you have to bust your butt even more once your name gets out there and continue to do well and have success if you want to push your career further. When you do get there, it's a long time coming for a very short window." Gregory Payan/Associated Press As Henderson explained, fighters travel a long and winding road just to reach the top of the sport, to achieve a status that is very difficult to keep. Champions come and go at a rapid rate in MMA, and very few are ever able to establish a longevity as a titleholder. Over the past seven years, the UFC has had a few come along, but none were bigger or more dominant than welterweight king Georges St-Pierre and pound-for-pound phenom Anderson Silva. Both men established monstrous reigns atop their respective divisions as they raised the bar for what it means to be a champion at the highest level of the sport.
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