--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are rules that say 'If a fighter…" description: "\"There are rules that say 'If a fighter gets old, when a fighter slows down, when a fighter stops looking the same, then he can never come back.' I don'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/chael-sonnen-3003_fighter_there-are-rules-that-say-if-a-fighter-ge_2850228.jpg" --- # There are rules that say 'If a fighter gets old, when a… ![“There are rules that say 'If a fighter gets old, when a fighter slows down, when a fighter stops looking the same, then he can never come back.' I don't like that.” quote by Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/chael-sonnen-3003_fighter_there-are-rules-that-say-if-a-fighter-ge_2850228.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/chael-sonnen-3003_fighter_there-are-rules-that-say-if-a-fighter-ge_2850228.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/chael-sonnen-3003_fighter_there-are-rules-that-say-if-a-fighter-ge_2850228.jpg) > “There are rules that say 'If a fighter gets old, when a fighter slows down, when a fighter stops looking the same, then he can never come back.' I don't like that.” [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Age and decline are often used to limit comebacks, but determination can defy such expectations. **In simple terms:** Age shouldn't stop comebacks. Key Takeaway Defy limiting narratives. Themes sports ageism determination Mood determined encouraging Type sports motivational When to use this quote - training regimens - public perception - motivational speaking Key Concepts psychology of resilience career longevity Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay motivated with age? - What strategies help overcome physical decline? A Different Perspective Physical limits may be real. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) ## Related quotes > [One thing about a fighter is the fighter may not always wins, but the fighter never stops fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-cowell/one-thing-about-a-fighter-is-the-fighter-may-not-always-wins-but-the/) [Larry Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-cowell/) > [“We look at each other a second. " I'm tired of the rules," I say. Aibileen chuckles and looks out the window. I realise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/we-look-at-each-other-a-second-i-m-tired-of-the-rules-i-say-aibileen/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“There's a thing that happens in Hollywood, when you hand in a script with magic in it, and the people at the studio who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-s-a-thing-that-happens-in-hollywood-when-you-hand-in-a-script/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Never say goodbye" he demands. His smile fades. "I'm making my own Rules, Never say goodbye, that's rule number one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-robinson/never-say-goodbye-he-demands-his-smile-fades-i-m-making-my-own-rules/) [Rachel Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-robinson/) > [“He made slighting remarks about the committee’s enforcement, and, well, rules is rules as the rules say someplace, or at least as all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/he-made-slighting-remarks-about-the-committee-s-enforcement-and-well/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [“There’s no crying in baseball and no love in Hell. It’s just the rules. You could say it’s against our religion, more or less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-desrochers/there-s-no-crying-in-baseball-and-no-love-in-hell-it-s-just-the-rules-2/) [Lisa Desrochers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-desrochers/) > [It's easier for our brains to have a list of rules and say, "If we keep these rules, we're in, and if we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lowry/it-s-easier-for-our-brains-to-have-a-list-of-rules-and-say-if-we-keep/) [Mark Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lowry/) > [Why are they making rules that say my lover can stay in the United States if they're foreign or share my health care benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/why-are-they-making-rules-that-say-my-lover-can-stay-in-the-united/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [The rules say that to tell a story you need first of all a measuring stick, a calendar, you have to calculate how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-ferrante/the-rules-say-that-to-tell-a-story-you-need-first-of-all-a-measuring/) [Elena Ferrante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-ferrante/) > [Baseball and the players association have rules. If you stay within the rules - which say that you can play while you're appealing -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-rose/baseball-and-the-players-association-have-rules-if-you-stay-within/) [Pete Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-rose/) > [All the old rules - if you say some crazy stuff you get your show canceled or you get your campaign ended - don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-old-rules-if-you-say-some-crazy-stuff-you-get-your-show/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm tired of the rules," I say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-m-tired-of-the-rules-i-say/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [There's no rules that say you can't have a friend at ringside. The rules say the friend can't interfere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-rhodes/there-s-no-rules-that-say-you-can-t-have-a-friend-at-ringside-the/) [Brandi Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-rhodes/) > [I kept hearing all these rules: 'You can't say that in country music.' 'You can't use that kind of beat.' I became so frustrated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hunt/i-kept-hearing-all-these-rules-you-can-t-say-that-in-country-music/) [Sam Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hunt/) > [The president's come out with rules that say 'no new coal-fired power plants,’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-moore-capito/the-president-s-come-out-with-rules-that-say-no-new-coal-fired-power/) [Shelley Moore Capito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-moore-capito/) ## More by Chael Sonnen > [I don't walk around looking into cameras and telling people I'm the best fighter in the world just to hear myself talk. I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-don-t-walk-around-looking-into-cameras-and-telling-people-i-m-the/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [I'm a God-fearing man, go to church every Sunday, and have since I was a boy. 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In the boxing world, and that's where that came from, almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-go-to-practice-every-day-i-really-don-t-have-a-training-camp-in-the/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [I had dreams in 2000 of being an Olympian for boxing. I never talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-had-dreams-in-2000-of-being-an-olympian-for-boxing-i-never-talk/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [Every time you have a huge fight in wrestling, in boxing, in MMA, both guys are sure they're going to win. They really believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/every-time-you-have-a-huge-fight-in-wrestling-in-boxing-in-mma-both/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [There's a camaraderie that comes with this sport, but fighting Anderson Silva is a lot like eating Chinese food: twenty minutes after I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/there-s-a-camaraderie-that-comes-with-this-sport-but-fighting/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [I was in Las Vegas when the Nogueira brothers first touched down in America. There was a bus, this is a true story. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-was-in-las-vegas-when-the-nogueira-brothers-first-touched-down-in/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [One element of wrestling that I know what I grew up with we put a lot of emphasis towards was the takedown. But, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/one-element-of-wrestling-that-i-know-what-i-grew-up-with-we-put-a-lot/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [I go to practice each and every day, but my intensity is not the same. If I get tired, I'll go sit down. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-go-to-practice-each-and-every-day-but-my-intensity-is-not-the-same/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [If I was mentoring a young fighter, I'd tell him to spend more time on boxing. That doesn't mean I would ignore kickboxing -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/if-i-was-mentoring-a-young-fighter-i-d-tell-him-to-spend-more-time-on/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [Somebody is going to win & somebody is not, and that's fine... But we will never refuse to participate because we're scared to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/somebody-is-going-to-win-somebody-is-not-and-that-s-fine-but-we-will/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [I want to make the UFC money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-want-to-make-the-ufc-money/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) [Explore all 142 Chael Sonnen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) ## More Fighter quotes > [I said that I was gonna smash him in three rounds, and that's what I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-said-that-i-was-gonna-smash-him-in-three-rounds-and-that-s-what-i/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [It's not about size, it's a science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-ward/it-s-not-about-size-it-s-a-science/) [Andre Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-ward/) > [I'm not taking him lightly at all. 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Everybody wants to make him great because of his mouth, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/i-don-t-mind-people-want-to-think-muhammad-is-the-greatest-fighter/) [Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/) > [I don't walk around looking into cameras and telling people I'm the best fighter in the world just to hear myself talk. I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-don-t-walk-around-looking-into-cameras-and-telling-people-i-m-the/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [Before The Ultimate Fighter, I was appearing before a couple of hundred people at most. Now, I'm on the card of a Las Vegas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whittaker/before-the-ultimate-fighter-i-was-appearing-before-a-couple-of/) [Robert Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whittaker/) > [“She's not the enemy. She's just a dirty fighter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/she-s-not-the-enemy-she-s-just-a-dirty-fighter/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [I've been able to not only be a fighter, but a thinking fighter, where I can use my insight into the business and politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-ve-been-able-to-not-only-be-a-fighter-but-a-thinking-fighter-where/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/) [Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/) > [You see, at the beginning we weren't fighters. We weren't yellers or throwers, even if we eventually came to be. 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