Boxers who have done MMA

[aicheligad]

One more from Poland - Rafał Jackiewicz

[aicheligad]

Another one is Przemysław Saleta

[candyslim]

Tom Aspinall the UFC heavyweight had a pro boxing fight. Doesn’t look that impressive.

I wondered what happened to him. Well I sort of assumed he'd gone back to MMA. It seemed more likely than he'd joined a monastery or got hit by a bus.

Strange though. He turned pro boxer in a blaze of publicity (very small blaze, more like a campfire), had one fight which he won easily, and then buggered off. Bloody rude I call it

[JamesPhilips]

Tom Aspinall the UFC heavyweight had a pro boxing fight. Doesn’t look that impressive.

I wondered what happened to him. Well I sort of assumed he'd gone back to MMA. It seemed more likely than he'd joined a monastery or got hit by a bus.

Strange though. He turned pro boxer in a blaze of publicity (very small blaze, more like a campfire), had one fight which he won easily, and then buggered off. Bloody rude I call it

I hadn’t noticed him when he turned pro in boxing. But he’s a top UFC heavyweight now.

[candyslim]

It's funny because as a kid I was really fascinated by Martial Arts and where they originated. I wasn't interested in the individual exponent, what I wanted to know was the relative strength of one fighting system over another. Was Karate superior to Savate was Hap Ki Do better than Jui Jitsu, that kind of thing. I only wanted to know about pure pedigree arts not some kind of mongrel hybrid as championed by Bruce Lee. The idea of Mixed MA would have filled me with horror. Guess I was an oddball kid.

50 years later and I still don't care for MMA but it's not the impurity of technique that bothers me, I just find it pretty boring especially when the fighters go to ground. Some fights can be very exciting I know that.

One thing that does appeal to me, is the apparent paucity of opportunity for top fighters to duck each other in MMA (have I got that right because I don't really know what I'm talking about when it comes to other combat sports?) but am I right in thinking that the financial rewards are far greater in International Boxing than in MMA, Kickboxing, UFC, in which case why would someone like Aspinal or Spong decide to turn their backs on boxing? Presumably just personal preference or greater aptitude/ prospects for success in that discipline?

[f read]

Yuri Vaulin fringe heavyweight contender in the early 1990s i am sure did an MMA bout or two.

[Alguiffer]

Leo Pla has boxed and has also done MMA.

[SportsRatings]

Emily Klinefelter and Katy Klinefelter

[knockout]

Decent boxer and MMA guy was James Zikic from London . Back in early 00s .. one of the pioneers of UK MMA.

Dropped Vitor Belfort when they fought if I recall.

Matt Skelton also fought MMA as did Mike Tyson opponent Julius Francis (1 pay day fight )

[goose 5]

I agree with candyslim and his remarks about pure systems versus hybrids. In fact, I remember actually pondering a fantasy match between Ali and Bruno Sammartino when both were on top of boxing/wrestling.

I even got interested a few years back when Foreman challenged Steven Seagal to a mixed bout-I'd have paid to see it even at their ages.

[Puncher7]

I agree with candyslim and his remarks about pure systems versus hybrids. In fact, I remember actually pondering a fantasy match between Ali and Bruno Sammartino when both were on top of boxing/wrestling.

I even got interested a few years back when Foreman challenged Steven Seagal to a mixed bout-I'd have paid to see it even at their ages.

I think nowadays in 2021 its been pretty well established that the wrestling/grappling arts would win the majority of the time over the pure striking arts. Early mma fights established that, and eventually evolved to where you have to train in some mix of boxing/muay thai/wrestling/bjj. I'm not huge on mma but the mma people I talk with usually agree that coming from a pure art background to transition into mma wrestlers usually have an easier time with their wrestling base than any other art. In the early days a lot of the bjj guys could beat the pure wrestlers though because the wrestlers didnt know how to defend submissions. Nowadays though from a pure background a really good wrestler can learn bjj and keep things where it needs to be

[candyslim]

I agree with candyslim and his remarks about pure systems versus hybrids. In fact, I remember actually pondering a fantasy match between Ali and Bruno Sammartino when both were on top of boxing/wrestling.

I even got interested a few years back when Foreman challenged Steven Seagal to a mixed bout-I'd have paid to see it even at their ages.

Watching the, err ahem err, fight between Ali and Antonio Inoki cured me for life of any desire to watch a boxer in the same ring as a wrestler again. I had been so looking forward to it as well

It was worse than FM2 v McGregor if you can imagine, but at least they didn't try to make people pay money to watch it.

[DrDuke]

[candyslim]

Emily Klinefelter and Katy Klinefelter

Are they related? I have a sixth sense about these things. Spooky huh?

[joshj909]

I agree with candyslim and his remarks about pure systems versus hybrids. In fact, I remember actually pondering a fantasy match between Ali and Bruno Sammartino when both were on top of boxing/wrestling.

I even got interested a few years back when Foreman challenged Steven Seagal to a mixed bout-I'd have paid to see it even at their ages.

I think nowadays in 2021 its been pretty well established that the wrestling/grappling arts would win the majority of the time over the pure striking arts. Early mma fights established that, and eventually evolved to where you have to train in some mix of boxing/muay thai/wrestling/bjj. I'm not huge on mma but the mma people I talk with usually agree that coming from a pure art background to transition into mma wrestlers usually have an easier time with their wrestling base than any other art. In the early days a lot of the bjj guys could beat the pure wrestlers though because the wrestlers didnt know how to defend submissions. Nowadays though from a pure background a really good wrestler can learn bjj and keep things where it needs to be

Although we know grappling wins in a pure style matchup, off the top of my head I think that a majority of the current UFC champs have a striking heavy style. They all know enough grappling to force others into their style of fight.