MMA to Boxing
Some MMA fighters have also dabbled with a professional boxing career but most have been short lived. For example Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone (32-8-0) with 1 no contest on his record, lost his only pro boxing match against Geoffrey Spruiell (8-11-0), as did Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit (30-10-0) lose against Donnel Wade (3-1-1) in 2004. Interestingly Condit went on to become a two time UFC welterweight contender.
Condit vs Wade
A few were successful such as Nick Diaz (26-9-0) with 2 no contest on his record, who enjoyed a single pro boxing match in 2005 while under contract with the UFC. He took the win against Alfonso Rocha, who has a boxing record of (7-4-0). The difference of experience at that time however may be debated as it may play a role in the outcome.
Anderson Silva (34-8-0) with 1 no contest on his record, took on two boxing bouts, the first he lost and won the second against Julio Cesar De Jesus in 2005. In that year, Silva had a MMA record of 19 fights. However according to BoxRec.com Jesus’ boxing record to date is only 1 loss to Martin Alejandro Kuroski in 2016, and no wins, which questions the validity of this match up.
Silva vs Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQvIAUFagoc&t=706s
One who led a longer successful career in pro boxing is Joseph “Irish Joe” Duffy (16-2-0), a UFC lightweight fighter. He racked up a 7-0 record in the super- middleweight division before returning to MMA.
Duffy vs Attila Tibor Nagy
Duffy vs Lonut Trandafir Llie
Concluding Thought; how to make sense of it all
One thing that skips many people’s minds when the discussion of MMA vs Boxing comes up, is why would a fighter want to step into the different world. Usually it is because a lack of money on the boxers side or aging. When boxers start to drift from the lime light, transitioning to MMA can bring up attention and money. Though going in for the wrong reasons may not compare to the outcome of going in for the right reason; because one really wants to.
MMA fighters may do it for the same reasons or because they truly want to test their skills in the boxing domain. To quote Emily Pandelakis, who is a matchmaker in the boxing world and notices the increase of MMA fighters in the boxing realm “They will fight anybody. Most are keen to fight tougher and are flexible on weight. I think that stems from losses in MMA just not carrying the weight that they do in boxing. You can definitely see the gap in skills many times, but these guys really do come to fight”.
It is also an easy way to make cash where a loss doesn’t mean as much as in MMA. When it comes to the lower end of fighting skills and bouts in MMA, there is very little pay contrary to what seems the case. Only those who make it to the top like Conor McGregor who have a wonderful marketing team, trash talk for hype, and the skill to back it up who bring in top dollar.
One pending MMA vs Boxer match-ups between “Notorious” McGregor (21-3-0) and boxing’s untouchable Floyd Mayweather (49-0-0) may be the all-time lucrative bouts. Ultimately this is the fight that may define the answer for the fans, though still it may be an unequal match. Mayweather has been said to be one of the greatest boxers of the time, whose defense is unmatched and his unbelievable professional record. He is however almost 40years of age. Mcgregor has amazing razer sharp jabs, “the kiss of death”, strength and a beast in the cage at the prime age of 28 years. Mcgregor has signed the deal to step into the boxing ring with high confidence. An owner of a fat bank account this MMA superstar is probably driven by the urge to prove himself or a dislike of the king of boxing. Some say there is absolutely no way he will be able to handle the skill of Mayweather’s level, but if Mayweather does sign the deal will he be able to handle McGregors ease of distance control? What will happen, no one knows.
It is becoming a common occurrence for the two sports to have their athletes mingle. Pro boxers have entered the cage and have beat MMA combatants just as MMA fighters have won in the ring with pro boxers. It has already been done before. Which would win is no longer a question, either is possible.
