DEBATE OVER! The MMA fighter is the most dominate striker in the world

On Saturday night, the highly anticipated Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight proved, or at least made an extremely strong case, that the modern MMA fighter is the best striker in the world. The fact that the modern MMA fighter is the best combat athlete is self-evident, being the best striker, however, has always been a debate. Saturday nights contest between the former UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, and current lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury pretty much settled the debate. For an MMA fighter to enter a boxing competition against the best heavyweight of this generation without having fought a single sanctioned or unsanctioned boxing match on his record, score a knockdown on the champion, win public opinion and almost win the fight would have been unthinkable before Francis Ngannou accomplished exactly that.  

Any thoughts of flipping the script and putting Fury in an MMA sanctioned bout would never happen because Fury is not an idiot and has too many people who are invested in his career to let him make a foolish move like that, and for good reason. If we look at one of the all time boxing goats, James “Lights Out” Toney’s foray into the MMA world you’d see it was utterly embarrassing outing. Back at UFC 118 in 2010, Toney was the current IBA heavyweight champion with a highly respected multi-division championship boxing career, holding titles in five different divisions. Toney was dismantled by MMA living legend and former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion and heavyweight champion, Randy Couture. Toney was never in the fight and looked clueless from the bell until he was mercilessly beaten and submitted at 3:19 of Round 1. Toney couldn’t even get a punch off from the feet. In the boxing world Toney had a knockout victory over boxing legend Evander Holyfield - and he couldn’t even get a punch off in an MMA fight. Toney’s laundry list of championship belts and legendary fights in the boxing ring gave him no advantage in the MMA octagon. Much respect to Toney, however, as he put it on the line and actually set foot in and competed in the octagon - he is the man and one of the greatest boxers to ever compete. 

The most notable matchup in the MMA vs. Boxing series so far has been boxing champion Floyd Mayweather versus two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor. Mayweather stepped into the ring with the highest level of boxing notoriety, arguably one of the greatest boxers of this generation, an undisputed, undefeated champion, and in the boxing world, considered to be the best to ever lace up the gloves. On fight night however, Mayweather was countered, showboated on, and taken to the eighth round in his cross-over contest with McGregor. The fight came with much disdain from the boxing world, handily writing off McGregor as “easy money” as a first time competitor in a boxing ring. Though McGregor was ultimately TKO’d due to exhaustion, he was never knocked down or hurt and his fame only grew after the fight. Skill for skill McGregor matched every boxing trick Mayweather had to offer. Again, flip the script and put Mayweather in an MMA fight with McGregor and we enter the realm of fantasy because it would never happen for obvious reasons. It is also worth noting the press tour for Mayweather versus McGregor was one of the biggest, most over-the-top boxing promotions the world had ever seen. The press tour traveled across the world to Los Angeles, Toronto, Brooklyn, and London, building unbelievable hype for the event but ultimately truly showcasing McGregor’s likable flamboyance, legendary trash-talking, and unique ability to completely punk and humiliate the usually unshakable Mayweather on stage. If it were a battle of wits on the press tour, McGregor KO’d Mayweather across all 4 cities. 

Saturday’s contest between Fury and Ngannou was billed as Battle of the Baddest and played the two heavyweights as two kings battling for supremacy each representing their disciplines, Boxing vs. MMA. When the fight was over although the MMA fighter lost, but MMA was crowned king of all combat sports. Hail to the King.