It has been a lucrative year for combat sports, with dream matches becoming a reality and record numbers coming in. The best fighters in the world have shown why they are at the top of their respective sports and fans have benefitted. But what happens when an athlete from one sport attempts to invade the other? Not outside the norm, it either rolls eyes or brings in more fans. That is the case when Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou face off on October 28 on ESPN+ PPV.
The WBC heavyweight champion and one of the top heavyweights in the world, Fury fights the former UFC heavyweight champion in Ngannou. Ngannou has never competed in a boxing match before, though he has modeled his striking in MMA from the sport. The contest in Saudi Arabia could be considered a “freak affair” due to the style difference.
A true prizefighter, Fury faces someone in Ngannou with a unique style. Both hit for power, which has once again brought up the debate of which athlete hits harder - the boxer or the MMA fighter. What also can be discussed is what would happen if a boxer enters the octagon, a pro wrestler enters the boxing ring, or an MMA fighter enters both.
It is not the first time these debates have caused headaches and it won’t be the last. This fight is the latest of a line of crossover bouts people will talk about for years, regardless of the outcome.
WATCH: Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou live, exclusively on ESPN+
Here’s a breakdown of some of the top crossover fights that feature MMA fighters, boxers, and pro wrestlers:
Top crossover fights in combat sports
Honorable mentions:
- Floyd Mayweather vs. The Big Show (WrestleMania 24, 2008)
- Ray Mercer vs. Kimbo Slice (Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5, 2007)
- James Warring vs. Renzo Gracie (WCC 1, 1995)
Randy Couture vs. James Toney (UFC 118, 2010)
Usually, it's MMA fighters entering the squared circle, and not boxers entering the octagon. However, multi-division boxing champion James Toney altered that narrative when he took on UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture in 2010. It was a mismatch but memorable.
Toney, 42, was on the tail-end of his boxing career when he fought the 47-year-old Couture, who would retire shortly after. In a battle of boxing vs. MMA, the latter prevailed, as Couture dropped Toney to the floor and submitted him with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.
“It was interesting fighting James Toney. How much MMA was James going to be able to learn in four months going into that fight? And then he answered that question fairly quickly in about a little over a minute. Wasn’t much,” Couture told The Sporting News in an exclusive.
Toney told SN there was allegedly supposed to be a boxing fight afterward, but Couture rejected it. While quick, it featured two of the best in their respective sports.
MORE: Boxing (Fury) vs. MMA (Ngannou): Which punch hits harder
Anderson Silva vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (2021)
Considered the greatest of all time in MMA, Anderson Silva was untouchable from 2006 to 2012. The former UFC middleweight champion was a phenomenal striker with great defense. However, Sillva's form dipped in MMA following a long run as champion (he went 1-7 with one no-contest from 2013 to 2020).
Subsequently, Silva left the UFC and turned to boxing.
Silva started boxing in 1998 and only competed in two fights (his last in 2005) before returning to the ring in 2021. He faced Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a former WBC middleweight champion and the son of Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez. Notorious for missing weight and failing drug tests, Chavez Jr. was still a formidable foe given his experience.
“The Spider” outclassed Chavez, landing double-digit shots in five of the eight rounds (Chavez landed double-digit shots once). Though it was a split decision scoring for Silva, there was no doubt who the better fighter was that night.
Ray Mercer vs. Tim Sylvia (Adrenaline III: Bragging Rights, 2009)
Former WBO heavyweight champion Ray Mercer retired from boxing in 2008, but before then he dabbled in MMA. "Merciless" faced famed street and bare-knuckle fighter Kimbo Slice in an MMA contest in 2007, losing via submission. Undeterred, he returned to the cage in 2009 to face former multi-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
Sylvia was on a two-fight losing streak, having lost to greats like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko. Originally a boxing event, the match-up was switched to MMA rules, but that didn't bother Mercer. He knocked Sylvia out with one punch less than a minute into the first round. Fight fans never really got to see what Mercer could do inside a cage, but it was considered the best effort by a boxer.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor (2017)
The most lucrative crossover fight of all time, Fury vs. Ngannou hopes to reach the buzz that Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor generated.
MORE: Fury vs Ngannou has shades of 1956 Olympic champ's debut shot at gold
Retired, Mayweather returned to action to face McGregor, a two-division champion and the hottest star in the UFC at the time. There was a whole world tour, from New York to London, where the colorful personalities hyped up the event to the maximum.
The actual fight saw Mayweather start slowly and then exert his authority as the rounds progressed. By the 10th, McGregor was exhausted, and Mayweather bombarded his opponent with shots, forcing the referee to halt the bout.
Not only did Mayweather manage to have this fight added to his pro record for his 50th win, but he earned $100 million. McGregor reportedly earned $30 million before PPV sales. The contest generated 4.3 million domestic buys and a live gate of $55,414,865.79.
Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki (1976)
Ahead of its time, Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki is the event often brought up when it comes to crossover fights. It featured one of the greatest boxers of all time against one of the most influential pro wrestlers in the world.
Dubbed "The War of the Worlds," the event took place at the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo in front of over 14,000 people. The match saw Inoki kick Ali's legs 107 times, and Ali only landed a few punches in return. It was deemed a draw following 15 rounds and considered a precursor to modern-day MMA, from Pancrase and Pride in Japan to the UFC.
Over 1.4 billion worldwide viewers tuned in.