Why don't top UFC guys step into the boxing ring?

[luke1979]

First and foremost, I'm a fan of both sports. Obviously, Boxing is numero uno, but I still watch and enjoy UFC/MMA on a regular basis. Regarding the Boxing vs MMA argument, you have Joe Rogan, Dana White, and other UFC personalities criticising boxing at every opportunity, declaring that boxing is a dying sport, mixed martial artists are more skillful, and if a boxer stepped into the octagon they would get destroyed. That may well be the case, and I don't give anybody south of Mayweather and Pacquaio a chance in the octogon against a top UFC competitor. However at least boxers are willing to step up to the plate and defend the sport. James Toney is fighting a 'legend' of the UFC in his first ever matchup. No tune ups, no easy ride to the top. He is old school and taking on the best. Now a top boxer is stepping into the realm of UFC, when is a top mixed martial artist going to step in the ring and take on a legend of our sport? If Toney loses against Couture, it's all well and good for Dana White to declare that mixed martial artists are superior to boxers when the boxer is the fish out of water, ignoring the fact that there are no UFC competitors willing to step into the boxing ring to settle the real truth.

How about a boxing match involving the UFC's best and boxing's best?

BJ Penn vs Sergio Martinez
Anderson Silva vs Andre Ward
GSP vs Pacquaio
Lesnar vs Haye

It's time for the UFC's best to step into the boxing ring. Toney and Mercer have done it on the other foot, now its their turn.

If Tony had conquered the boxing world and defeated all comers and felt there was no one left for him to beat in the ring and then decided to fight in the UFC then your point would have merit. This however is not the case and I do not agree with the assertions you make to pose your question. If one of the Klitchko's was planning to enter the octagon then your point would have absolute credibility and the question you raise would be in firm context.

Tony has talked about his frustrations with boxing at the momment. He feels that he is the best and most legitimate HW contender right now but is angry that he can not secure a title shot. Therefore the UFC is his next best avenue to persue both financially and to generate public interest/awareness and hopefully bring his real ambitions closer to becoming a reality.

I do not agree that it is correct to assert that Tony is fighting to prove some kind of boxing v MMA point. Tony is a brave fighter through and through who cannot get where he wants to go right now in boxing so he has chosen what he feels is the next best alternative.

I think that the UFC are doing a first class job with their fighters and the stars that they made of them and the audience that they have developed. Their fighters are contractually very well looked after both financially and in the opportunities they are given to have competative and meaningful contests.

The UFC should be praised for offering such an opportunity to a boxer, on the other hand I do not believe boxing could or would offer any opportunity that is worthwhile for a UFC fighter to consider.
Boxing, with the way its run, has a terrible enough record of not giving the right opportunities to actual boxers let alone anyone else. This is not something anyone could say about the UFC, quite the opposite infact.

Sorry I do go on a bit.

[RL_GMA]

If Tony had conquered the boxing world and defeated all comers and felt there was no one left for him to beat in the ring and then decided to fight in the UFC then your point would have merit. This however is not the case and I do not agree with the assertions you make to pose your question. If one of the Klitchko's was planning to enter the octagon then your point would have absolute credibility and the question you raise would be in firm context.

Tony has talked about his frustrations with boxing at the momment. He feels that he is the best and most legitimate HV contender right now but is angry that he can not secure a title shot. Therefore the UFC is his next best avenue to persue both financially and to generate public interest/awareness and hopefully bring his real ambitions closer to becoming a reality.

I do not agree that it is correct to assert that Tony is fighting to prove some kind of boxing v MMA point. Tony is a brave fighter through and through who cannot get where he wants to go right now in boxing so he has chosen what he feels is the next best alternative.

I think that the UFC are doing a first class job with their fighters and the stars that they made of them and the audience that they have developed. Their fighters are contractually very well looked after both financially and in the opportunities they are given to have competative and meaningful contests.

The UFC should be praised for offering such an opportunity to a boxer, on the other hand I do not believe boxing could or would offer any opportunity that is worthwhile for a UFC fighter to consider.
Boxing, with the way its run, has a terrible enough record of not giving the right opportunities to actual boxers let alone anyone else. This is not something anyone could say about the UFC, quite the opposite infact.

Sorry I do go on a bit.

Great post....

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Cos they'll get murked

[GoogleMe]

Anderson Silva eventually.

[bigdlb12]

as far as UFC goes, Dana "monopoly" White wont allow it, as for boxers, no prime fighter has gone into the octagon, however a few years back Kermit Cintron did say he would go and fight, but he has some wrestling background too tho and UFC/Dana White ignored the offer.

Toney started as a boxing middleweight, as he moved up, he didn’t carry much power to compete vs the HW in boxing but did ok with his skills, however if he has any chance at his old age and in that sport, it is a punchers chance, which he has never been.

Look at sylvia vs mercer, Ray Mercer had a good punch and nice power, he went to kick boxing after he could no longer box and then agreed to a fight in mma, he went 0-2 in kick boxing and 1-0 in MMA

There have been claims that some MMA fighters want to box with a top professional boxer and see what the outcome is, but I guess we will have to wait and see

[Forza]

There isn't a MMA fighter on the planet that could even beat a joruney man in their weight class.

On the other hand, a boxer always has a punchers chance in an MMA fight. But most likely he will get taken to the ground and laid on like a ****sexual for 3 rounds.

Anderson silva, the best striker MMA has ever seen, is 1-1-0. He beat some bum then got knocked the **** out by another bum in the 1st round.

[intoccabile]

The only MMA fighters I think could do well are Fedor, GSP, and Silva... thats it in my mind. Mainly Fedor personally... He trains with boxers from time to time. All of them have a snow balls chance in hell against the elite boxers, but it is vice versa for boxers. Wresting is a hard thing to acquire... and this is a guy that has done it for a good majority of his life...

Wrestling isn't hard at all.. it comes natural. Most people instinctively do many of the things that are given actual names in wrestling.

Wrestling is very natural whereas boxing is something you have to completely train yourself to do. I've always said if you take someone off the street and put them on the mat wit ha wrestler, you will see some pretty nice rolling around.. or put some random guy from the street in the cage and he would have mild of not tremendous success because of all the tools at his disposal that may or may cater to his strengths.

You put a guy from the street in the ring, though.. he's going to get very hurt. You have to relearn everything. How to stand, move, punch, when to do what and how.. it's not natural at all. Most of us in here can wrestle today or tomorrow and pull of some pretty neat stuff.

I've gone state twice doing things that just came natural to me.

[Forza]

^ wrestling at an elite level is pretty hard actually. Not harder than boxing, but there is alot of techinque and skill required.

[intoccabile]

as far as UFC goes, Dana "monopoly" White wont allow it, as for boxers, no prime fighter has gone into the octagon, however a few years back Kermit Cintron did say he would go and fight, but he has some wrestling background too tho and UFC/Dana White ignored the offer.

Toney started as a boxing middleweight, as he moved up, he didn’t carry much power to compete vs the HW in boxing but did ok with his skills, however if he has any chance at his old age and in that sport, it is a punchers chance, which he has never been.

Look at sylvia vs mercer, Ray Mercer had a good punch and nice power, he went to kick boxing after he could no longer box and then agreed to a fight in mma, he went 0-2 in kick boxing and 1-0 in MMA

There have been claims that some MMA fighters want to box with a top professional boxer and see what the outcome is, but I guess we will have to wait and see

That's where spars come in, and a lot of top fighters spar with mma guys. going by boxing records alone KJ noons is the best "boxer" in mma (or second best ) and he was beaten on pretty bad sparring Omar Henry.

[Forza]

That's where spars come in, and a lot of top fighters spar with mma guys. going by boxing records alone KJ noons is the best "boxer" in mma (or second best ) and he was beaten on pretty bad sparring Omar Henry.

The MMA lovers were making KJ noons out to be some amazing boxer. I looked up his record and it was full of bums with losing records. There was a guy that was like 4-13-0