I’m back with more topics for discussion. You may remember my previous questions about things most people wonder about such as: legality of blood doping, Japanese burn victim super water, beach muscle, palm strikes, potential benefits of breast milk, and how female fighters protect against the dreaded boob punch.

I’ve been pondering some new topics and I always learn something new from the BE community during these discussions.

1. What is “old man strength”? I hear this term get thrown around from time to time. My basic understanding is after a certain age, men will have more and more difficulty building and maintaining muscle. So, is old man strength just a legend like legendary fighter, Kimbo Slice? Perhaps just something 40+ fighters claim to have to reassure themselves?

2. Does anyone know any examples of the last meal certain fighters eat before a fight? I’ve never really heard any fighter going public saying something like “I always fight better if I eat bananas before the fight” or “I lost that fight because I thought eating a Baconator would give me an edge”.

3. Do fighters who wear a ton of padding or wraps on their legs (picture George Sotiropoulos) have an advantage when going for submissions (such as triangle chokes) because their legs are less likely to slip?

4. It is known (it is known, Khaleesi!) that bone density on knuckles, shins, and forearms increases over time as fighters train. I’ve heard that Muay Thai fighters specifically train to increase bone density by repeatedly punching and kicking certain hard objects. Can training to increase bone density have adverse effects? Does anyone know any tried and true methods for increasing bone density safely and effectively?

5. Are 12 to 6 elbows really that dangerous? I heard a rumor whoever was responsible for creating this rule was, apparently, watching ESPN8 (the ocho) at 3 AM and saw one of those contests where people break cinderblocks and chunks of ice with 12 to 6 elbows. There were then like “Wow, did you see what happened to that chunk of ice? That could have been some dude’s skull! Therefore, we can’t allow 12 to 6 elbows under the unified rules of MMA.”