Would Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Ali, ... annihilate the best UFC fighters of all time?
Oct 13, 2008 at 1:43 PM Post #31 of 41
I honestly think that a great UFC fighter would dominate a boxer. Especially if we're talking about someone like Anderson Silva, both a black belt in muay thai kick boxing and Brazilian jujitsu.
Even if for some reason he couldn't get in close enough to grapple he could easily wreck a boxer with body kicks. Not to mention traditional boxers would get worked over in the muay thai clinch.
 
Oct 13, 2008 at 3:09 PM Post #32 of 41
It is not something that would come out rather well. IE the MMA fighter is most likely to win against a boxer in an MMA match and the boxer is most likely to win in an boxing match.(They are most familiar with the rule set they fight in after all)


Besides it can make for a really boring match.(I.E. Muhammad Ali VS Antonio Inoki. Well Inoki was more of a pro wrestler, but it was the ultimate snore fest.)

Edit: There were also other challange matches that occured well before the UFC came about with boxers fighting guys from other MA's. I.E. "Judo" Gene Lebell's match against Milo Savage in the 60's
 
Oct 13, 2008 at 6:37 PM Post #33 of 41
They did a match like that back in the early days of UFC when there were no rules. Royce Gracie wiped the floor with a boxer many times his size, because the boxer had only one line of attack, and needed the rules to keep him upright. Once the match went to the floor, it was all over.

Gracie got his rear end handed to him on a plate by a big guy who had grappling skills later on. I think that was in UFC 3 or 4. Boy, I miss Tank Abbott!

See ya
Steve
 
Oct 13, 2008 at 6:41 PM Post #34 of 41
Would Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Ali, ...

We are talking about heavy weight boxers here. I completely agree that boxers below have absolutely no chance, someone like Mayweather will be gone in 10 seconds fighting someone his weight. Even heavy weight out boxers and technical like Ali is condemned to loose.

Brawlers and infighters like Mike Tyson is another story, most of you have only seen him in the mid 90's after his prison time. Frankly that guy is a joke, his best were between 84-88 that is the period that made him legendary. He is short and fast with short reach therefore he never fights for points and has a charge to reach his opponents that would make any UFC fighter proud. This is a guy who won 26 of his first 28 fights by knockout, 16 in the first round. A guy that knocked out opponents in his amateur days (wearing headgear, lighter gloves and only 3 rounds) and the only person to KO Larry Holmes champion at that time who never suffered a KO loss in 75 professional bouts.

Maybe he will loose 3 out of 4 times against the best UFC fighters but fighting Tyson at his best without gloves is suicide. He will break their skull with a good punch that connects, this guy needs a licence to kill fighting without gloves. Well yes this guy is an idiot, has a tattoo on his face and has a girl's voice but at his best was one of the greatest boxers of all time earning +$30 million per match (that is in the 80s) earned $80 million in 88 alone, that time gas cost what? Around 80 cents.


Videos you should watch if you only know him in the 90's:

YouTube - Mike Tyson

The second video includes his amateur KO, move forward to watch his KOs.

YouTube - The Best of Mike Tyson
 
Oct 14, 2008 at 2:03 AM Post #35 of 41
Well people say that MMA fighter's have slow fists, but think of it this way. Boxing trains with bandages and larger gloves at first. Which changes up the whole game on hand placement and stance for strikes.

The Octagon is also a big factor since it's a weapon of sorts.

Does anyone remember a fellow by the name of Butterbean? He tried to break into the MMA world with his heavy stature and powerful knockout power but he was just destroyed by MMA strikers, due to range.

If you're a heavyweight sure maybe you stand a chance but most of your muscles are located on your upper body. That leaves your lower body as prime targets.
 
Oct 14, 2008 at 7:55 AM Post #37 of 41
Please don't compare Tyson to Butterbean or Bob Sapp, they are big, slow and no where near his level. If you have seen the Tyson videos, he is small for a heavy weight, almost all his opponents are bigger than him. But he is arguably one of the fastest and has the best charge in heavy weight boxing history.

I am just saying that Tyson with his physique and fighting style would have made an exceptional MMA fighter. Small and low center gravity makes him hard to take down, fast, deadly fists and amazing charge.

Looking at the best heavy weights boxer now with all the eastern guys, Nikolai Valuev (hairy giant, look up his pic) and the Klitschko brothers all relying on height and reach makes me miss Tyson even more.
 
Oct 14, 2008 at 8:21 AM Post #38 of 41
I'm not saying that they are at Tyson's level. What I'm trying to convey is that, Tyson and Butterbean both had tremendous power behind their fists. And Butterbean did land hits even hits in succession. So just heavy fists won't do, MMA has become a combo package, so you have to turn a specialized item into a combo package. Not exactly an easy feat in just a limited time of six months.
 
Oct 14, 2008 at 10:09 AM Post #39 of 41
Quote:

Originally Posted by bonkon /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Please don't compare Tyson to Butterbean or Bob Sapp, they are big, slow and no where near his level. If you have seen the Tyson videos, he is small for a heavy weight, almost all his opponents are bigger than him. But he is arguably one of the fastest and has the best charge in heavy weight boxing history.

I am just saying that Tyson with his physique and fighting style would have made an exceptional MMA fighter. Small and low center gravity makes him hard to take down, fast, deadly fists and amazing charge.

Looking at the best heavy weights boxer now with all the eastern guys, Nikolai Valuev (hairy giant, look up his pic) and the Klitschko brothers all relying on height and reach makes me miss Tyson even more.



I agree, Tyson was a god in his day. He was to skill and aggression what Ali was to finesse and power. He was an outstanding amateur and an undeniable top drawer deservedly earned world champion. Definitely in my all time top 5 favourite boxers- the man was pure dynamite.
 
Oct 14, 2008 at 4:02 PM Post #40 of 41
Quote:

Originally Posted by bonkon /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Please don't compare Tyson to Butterbean or Bob Sapp, they are big, slow and no where near his level. If you have seen the Tyson videos, he is small for a heavy weight, almost all his opponents are bigger than him. But he is arguably one of the fastest and has the best charge in heavy weight boxing history.

I am just saying that Tyson with his physique and fighting style would have made an exceptional MMA fighter. Small and low center gravity makes him hard to take down, fast, deadly fists and amazing charge.

Looking at the best heavy weights boxer now with all the eastern guys, Nikolai Valuev (hairy giant, look up his pic) and the Klitschko brothers all relying on height and reach makes me miss Tyson even more.




I followed Tyson's career from the start, and yes, pre-90's he was a different fighter than what most recall. That said, he still wouldn't fair well in a MMA fight at all. There isn't any available method of avoiding Tyson's charge in boxing other than your own offense, running (Michael Spinks), or holding on for dear life (Bonechrusher Smith!!!!
icon10.gif
). A charging Tyson in an MMA fight is potentially open to a flying knee or tying him up and taking him down. You simply can't equate what someone can do in a boxing match to what they can do in a MMA fight. Two completely different worlds of combat.

Agree with you about the current crop of heavyweights. The Klitschko brothers have at least some talent. They have a decent arsenal and some mobility, but their size certainly helps a great deal. Valuev, on the other hand, has zero talent and only wins on sheer size alone.
 

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