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Junior dos Santos would be more than happy to be the one to welcome heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury to mixed martial arts.
A month after seeing “The Gypsy King” say “we might see Tyson Fury have his MMA debut this year,” “Cigano” — a nickname that means “Gypsy” in Portuguese — told MMA Fighting he’s down to facing the undefeated boxer twice, once in each sport.
“Both. I’d do both,” dos Santos said. “It would be perfect to fight Tyson Fury in MMA, as he wishes, and then, with a win over him, fight him in boxing, in his world. He would come to my world and then I would go to his world. It would be the pinnacle, a great moment for both sports.”
Fury, 29-0-1 in boxing with 20 knockout wins, has already worked on some basic MMA moves in the gym with UFC middleweight Darren Till, and dos Santos, 21-6 in MMA with 15 knockouts, is confidant that he’s not all talk.
“I don’t think he comes (full time) to MMA, but I think he’ll fight once,” dos Santos said. “It would be very interesting. I see the UFC going that direction as well with Zuffa Boxing and Dana White being a huge boxing fan. We saw him meeting Floyd Mayweather again, and that’s extremely beneficial for all of us. It would be a great opportunity for me. I’ve always dreamed with the opportunity of fighting a great boxer. It’s my area, it’s where I feel most comfortable.”
The former UFC heavyweight champion calls the 2016 boxing match between Mayweather and Conor McGregor “positive for both worlds, and I think Tyson Fury agreeing to a MMA fight would be positive again.”
“Tyson Fury is an excellent boxer, has really long arms and move well for a guy his size,” dos Santos said. “I think he can definitely make an interesting fight in MMA.
“I’ve challenged (Anthony) Joshua in the past, and so did (Stipe) Miocic, and he played like he wasn’t listening. They stay in a safer place acting like they are better than MMA fighters, but that’s not the truth. The truth is, we’re more complete fighters and we can give them a hard night, even in their own sport.”
“Cigano” is not the only UFC star looking to trade hands with Fury, though. Miocic, the current UFC king, and heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou have also publicly volunteered to the task.
“Miocic is a good boxer, and now there’s Ngannou talking a bunch of crap, saying he’s the best boxer in the heavyweight division because he was lucky to defeat me,” dos Santos said. “He’s not, and never will be. I’ll prove that soon and shut that little mouth so he stops talking nonsense. He’s a very strong guy, of course, and must be respected. He had a great win over me, but real fighters keep their results. We’ll see what happens soon.”
A month after seeing “The Gypsy King” say “we might see Tyson Fury have his MMA debut this year,” “Cigano” — a nickname that means “Gypsy” in Portuguese — told MMA Fighting he’s down to facing the undefeated boxer twice, once in each sport.
“Both. I’d do both,” dos Santos said. “It would be perfect to fight Tyson Fury in MMA, as he wishes, and then, with a win over him, fight him in boxing, in his world. He would come to my world and then I would go to his world. It would be the pinnacle, a great moment for both sports.”
Fury, 29-0-1 in boxing with 20 knockout wins, has already worked on some basic MMA moves in the gym with UFC middleweight Darren Till, and dos Santos, 21-6 in MMA with 15 knockouts, is confidant that he’s not all talk.
“I don’t think he comes (full time) to MMA, but I think he’ll fight once,” dos Santos said. “It would be very interesting. I see the UFC going that direction as well with Zuffa Boxing and Dana White being a huge boxing fan. We saw him meeting Floyd Mayweather again, and that’s extremely beneficial for all of us. It would be a great opportunity for me. I’ve always dreamed with the opportunity of fighting a great boxer. It’s my area, it’s where I feel most comfortable.”
The former UFC heavyweight champion calls the 2016 boxing match between Mayweather and Conor McGregor “positive for both worlds, and I think Tyson Fury agreeing to a MMA fight would be positive again.”
“Tyson Fury is an excellent boxer, has really long arms and move well for a guy his size,” dos Santos said. “I think he can definitely make an interesting fight in MMA.
“I’ve challenged (Anthony) Joshua in the past, and so did (Stipe) Miocic, and he played like he wasn’t listening. They stay in a safer place acting like they are better than MMA fighters, but that’s not the truth. The truth is, we’re more complete fighters and we can give them a hard night, even in their own sport.”
“Cigano” is not the only UFC star looking to trade hands with Fury, though. Miocic, the current UFC king, and heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou have also publicly volunteered to the task.
“Miocic is a good boxer, and now there’s Ngannou talking a bunch of crap, saying he’s the best boxer in the heavyweight division because he was lucky to defeat me,” dos Santos said. “He’s not, and never will be. I’ll prove that soon and shut that little mouth so he stops talking nonsense. He’s a very strong guy, of course, and must be respected. He had a great win over me, but real fighters keep their results. We’ll see what happens soon.”
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