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by David P. Greisman - They are different sports with different fan bases, different histories and different strategies. But boxing is a part of mixed martial arts, or MMA. The skills used within the squared circle are incorporated into the arsenals of those who step into the cage. The ability to punch is as essential as the ability to wrestle, to kick, to fight on the ground and to defend against all of the above.
Fighters may excel in one aspect, but they cannot specialize and merely expect to get by. From the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship (or UFC) pay-per-view, Royce Gracie turned conventional beliefs upside-down, using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to take out experts in various fighting forms. More than a dozen years later, Gracie would be dominated by a modern MMA fighter, Matt Hughes.
Every so often a boxer spouts off with the naďve belief that he could step into the Octagon against the best the UFC has to offer and win based solely on his superior boxing skills. But while some boxers seem to underestimate what it takes to succeed in mixed martial arts, many mixed martial artists appreciate – and incorporate – the skills of the Sweet Science.
Marcus Davis is a mixed martial artist with five-and-a-half years in20the sport and 20 fights on his record. He’s fought nine times in the UFC, winning all but one. Before he ever tried out MMA, however, Davis was a boxer, and somewhat successful, fighting 20 times around New England, winning 17 times, losing once and drawing twice.
“I always wanted to fight. That’s it,” Davis said in an interview last month. “That’s all I ever wanted to do. I didn’t want to punch a clock. I didn’t want to sit behind a desk. I didn’t have aspirations of being anything but a fighter.” [details]
Fighters may excel in one aspect, but they cannot specialize and merely expect to get by. From the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship (or UFC) pay-per-view, Royce Gracie turned conventional beliefs upside-down, using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to take out experts in various fighting forms. More than a dozen years later, Gracie would be dominated by a modern MMA fighter, Matt Hughes.
Every so often a boxer spouts off with the naďve belief that he could step into the Octagon against the best the UFC has to offer and win based solely on his superior boxing skills. But while some boxers seem to underestimate what it takes to succeed in mixed martial arts, many mixed martial artists appreciate – and incorporate – the skills of the Sweet Science.
Marcus Davis is a mixed martial artist with five-and-a-half years in20the sport and 20 fights on his record. He’s fought nine times in the UFC, winning all but one. Before he ever tried out MMA, however, Davis was a boxer, and somewhat successful, fighting 20 times around New England, winning 17 times, losing once and drawing twice.
“I always wanted to fight. That’s it,” Davis said in an interview last month. “That’s all I ever wanted to do. I didn’t want to punch a clock. I didn’t want to sit behind a desk. I didn’t have aspirations of being anything but a fighter.” [details]
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