One factor that Madsen will not ever include in his decision-making process or let influence the choices he makes as a competitor is age.
While he’s just a dozen fights into his MMA career, the Danish athletic icon only committed to his mixed martial arts pursuits full time at the start of 2018, and he turned 38 in September. He’s made incredibly quick progress to reach the UFC after just eight fights and less than two years after stepping away from the wrestling mats, but he’s also at an age when many fighters are either pondering retirement or starting to take a step back in terms of their place in their respective divisions.
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Madsen, however, is still pressing forward, eyeing a future championship opportunity, and doesn’t see his age — or anyone’s age, for that matter — as something that should deter them from chasing down their dreams.
“I hear a lot of people talking about age but, at the end of the day, I think it’s about hunger,” he said. “How hungry are you? How willing are you to push yourself through training? To stay on a diet? To make sure you get the right sleep and structure your life in terms of being professional?
“As you get older, there are some choices you have to make — you’re not able to do a Saturday night going crazy and think that Monday you’ll be ready to go again. There are some things you have to take into account, and being professional is one of them. I can say from stats that my heart rate coming into a camp is lower than what a lot of fighters have, so I’m in great shape.
“This is my craft,” he continued. “This is what I’ve been doing since I was six years old and started wrestling. I’m an athlete and I’ll be able to compete as long as I put my mind to it.”
As for any talk that his window of opportunity might be closing, “The Olympian” was quick to offer up some remodeling ideas, even though renovations aren’t his forte.
“If there is a window and in regards to how big the window is, I’m not a carpenter,” he said with a snicker. “But if the hole isn’t big enough, you just adjust the fit.”
