Boxing and MMA are often viewed as closely related combat sports. There have been relatively few athletes who have made the transition between the two disciplines over the years and have been successful in doing so. While we’ve witnessed several MMA fighters venture into the realm of boxing, the opposite, where boxers enter MMA, has been a much rarer occurrence.
However, there have been a few notable boxers who have made their foray into MMA, whether it’s through the UFC or smaller promotions. Interestingly, these boxers have encountered significant challenges when attempting to find success in the world of mixed martial arts.
UFC commentator and a true fan of mixed martial arts, Joe Rogan also feels that boxers do not have a chance against MMA fighters when the fight is conducted in an MMA setting. Rogan is not very wrong here, as there are many such examples that justify his argument.
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One of the most well-known instances of a boxer transitioning to the world of MMA is exemplified by James “Lights Out” Toney. He is widely acknowledged as one of the premier boxers of his era, having secured world championships in three distinct weight divisions during his nearly three-decade-long career.
Nonetheless, Toney’s stint in mixed martial arts was short-lived, culminating in a swift and embarrassing first-round submission defeat at the hands of Randy Couture during his debut at UFC 118. However, there are some instances where boxers got the better of MMA fighters inside a cage. One such rare fight was between former boxing champion Ray Mercer and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
What happened in the MMA fight between Ray Mercer and Tim Sylvia?
The eagerly anticipated showdown took center stage as the main event of Adrenaline MMA 3, held in Alabama in June 2009. In a surprising turn of events, the contest proved to be short-lived when a clumsy kick from Sylvia set the stage for Mercer (1-0 in MMA) to deliver a powerful right-hand strike directly to his opponent’s chin, resulting in a swift conclusion of the fight in a mere nine seconds.
Sylvia, standing at a towering 6 feet 8 inches, crumpled to the canvas, and Mercer landed another devastating blow before the referee intervened to halt the bout. It’s worth noting that while the originally intended matchup was a boxing encounter, regulatory challenges from the Association of Boxing Commissions compelled the promotion to shift the event to an MMA fight.
Although Mercer won this fight, the boxing legend did not participate in any further MMA bouts. Currently the trend is that MMA fighters who reach a certain level of popularity take up boxing to earn the biggest paycheck of their career. The most recent example of this is the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou who took on WBC champion Tyson Fury and almost produced a victory.
However, it all started when former UFC double champ Conor McGregor faced one of the greatest boxers of all time, Floyd Mayweather. This one till date is one of the most popular events in the history of combat sports.