Originally Posted by MMAJunkie

Dan Severn still winning at 49

With UFC legends such as Ken Shamrock and David "Tank" Abbott suffering recent knockout losses that bordered on humiliating, it might at first concern you to find that a near 50-year-old Dan "The Beast" Severn (84-15-7) has participated in 10 MMA fights in the past 16 months.

What might surprise you even more, however, is that that Severn is riding an eight-fight win streak, and has been victorious in 14 of his past 15 contests.

Severn, a UFC hall-of-famer, recently joined the crew of TAGG Radio, a content partner of MMAjunkie, to discuss the twilight of his storied career.

"I throw the banana peel out there, and they keep slipping on it," Severn joked regarding his success. "It's one of those inside secrets there for MMA training."

Severn said his "official" record is not an accurate reflection of his full career. The Michigan native said he began fighting well before the major MMA databases were in existence.

"One of these days when I have some time, I will go through my daily planners and actually see, actually chalk up, how many matches I really do have," Severn said.

But even a legend of the sport such as "The Beast" knows that he can't fight forever, and Severn knows that day may be quickly approaching.

"The thing about losing in an MMA event, I mean obviously you take some kind of physical toll," Severn said. "And being 50 years of age, my body doesn't quite react the way it once did at say, 25 years of age. The reality is Father Time has been talking to me and saying 'You need to think about moving along.'"

But for a man who began competing professionally more than 35 years ago, walking away from MMA would not mean walking away from competition.

"Even though I might leave mixed martial arts, I don't think I'll leave competition yet," Severn said. "I still think I'll climb out there and do something, whether it be in the amateur wrestling field with Greco or Freestyle, or jump in to some of these submission grappling events or things of that nature. I'll still be involved in competition because life is competition."

So with 43-year-old Mark "The Hammer" Coleman (whom Severn fought in his final UFC appearance at UFC 12) returning to the UFC in August after a nine-year absence, would Severn be willing to do the same?

"I definitely would entertain the idea of that," Severn said. "I still think I can scare the young bucks there just a bit."

Severn also looked toward his future involvement with MMA outside of the cage, and discussed his recommendations for the continued evolution of the sport -- including one-night tournaments and open weight classes. To hear the full interview, download Thursday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives.