Randy Couture and Five Fighters 35 and Over Who Have a Title Run Left in Them

Elite fighters in the world of mixed martial arts tend to slow down in their careers as they hit their 30s and can't compete with the sport's best anymore.

These fighters have refused to let Father Time pass them by and continuously improve every aspect of their games.

While some others may have started late in the game, they are still showing tremendous athletic ability and a well-rounded skill set.

These are the five best fighters 35 and over.

Matt Hughes (45-7), at 36 years old, has been showing signs of life in the welterweight division as of late.

At one point many people thought with back-to-back losses to Thiago Alves and Georges St. Pierre, the career of Hughes was coming to an end.

Hughes didn't make matters look better with his victory over Renzo Gracie at UFC 112.

However, Hughes looked outstanding against Ricardo Almeida and submitted the decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with a modified anaconda choke.

Despite losing to former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields, Dan Henderson (25-8) has shown tremendous skills.

At 40 years old, the former Greco-Roman wrestler still has incredibly heavy hands, as evident with his knockout victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100.

Henderson has decided to move back to the 205-lb. division, where he won't have any trouble making weight and will fight at his best. In the past, Henderson has tended to fight better the bigger his opponent is.

The former Pride welterweight and middleweight champion will take on Renato "Babalu" Sobral to move one step closer to a title shot in the Strikeforce light heavyweight division.

At 35 years old, Shane Carwin (12-1) is a little late to the mixed martial arts game, but he has quickly made an impact in the UFC heavyweight division.

At UFC 116, Carwin was mere inches away from defeating current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, but Carwin did not have the cardio to go on.

If Carwin is able to improve his conditioning, it will be hard to find another fighter in the heavyweight division who can beat him.

Former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk (36-4-1), at 37 years old, has proven he's still very much a factor in the UFC's lightweight division.

Despite some observers believing that Sherk lost the fight to Evan Dunham, Sherk has still done better than almost anyone against current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

If Sherk can keep improving his striking and utilize his tremendous wrestling skills more often, he can climb back to the top of the mountain and obtain the UFC lightweight title.

Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture (18-10) has moved back to the light heavyweight division after losing his heavyweight title to Brock Lesnar.

Couture started in mixed martial arts when he was 34, and just as he keeps getting counted out because of his age, Couture has proved everyone wrong.

Currently, Couture is 47 years old, is riding a three-fight win streak, and is looking to fight more top contenders to get himself back into title contention.

Randy "The Natural" Couture has proved time and time again that Father Time hasn't passed him and that he's still got the skills to hang with the young fighters of today.