Boxers Who Made An Impact On The MMA Scene
Boxing and MMA are siblings in the world of sport. While other sports like pro wrestling are closely managed and come with a side of theatre, both boxing and MMA fights are raw, involving big egos that don’t pull their punches. Fist-fighting is half of what’s needed to succeed in MMA, so it’s no wonder that many pro boxers have transitioned to become MMA fighters.
Today we’re looking at boxers who hung up their gloves to pursue MMA greatness. If you’re interested in MMA and want to find a different kind of greatness, consider placing a bet on the next bout. If you do, you’ll need some solid MMA odds.
1. Art Jimmerson
While we will try to avoid exhibition fights in this list, Art Jimmerson’s one MMA bout was the most influential in UFC history. That’s because Jimmerson was one of the eight original fighters that competed in UFC 1 – where every martial art collided to see which was best.
Jimmerson boxed for 17 years straight, racking up a record of 33 wins and 17 losses. Halfway through that career (29-5), in 1993, Jimmerson represented boxing among kickboxing, sumo wrestling, and taekwondo at UFC 1.
While Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau were having first-round success, Jimmerson went up against Royce Gracie and was quickly eliminated. Gracie would then win UFC 1, bring BJJ mainstream, and then later establish the UFC that we have today.
2. Holly Holm
When looking at the most successful boxer that has entered the UFC, Holly Holm stands above everybody else. Before joining Bellator in 2013 and then the UFC in 2014, The Preacher’s Daughter had an outstanding kickboxing and pro boxing record.
Starting out at 16 years old, Holm won several youth awards and established an amateur kickboxing record of 6 wins, 0 losses, and 2 draws. Then she racked up several welterweight titles as the best female welterweight boxer in the world – 33-2-3.
Since then, she has made a 14-5 win/loss record as an MMA fighter. She entered the UFC in spectacular fashion by taking Ronda Rousey out with a high kick and taking her bantamweight championship belt.
3. LaVerne Clark
While Jimmerson was there at the start of the UFC and Holm has had an incredible impact on the UFC, LaVerne Clark was the first boxer to find success in the UFC. Clark started boxing in 1996 and handily beat his first three opponents. After knocking Tyrone Bledsoe out in the first round, he tried his hand at MMA in 1997.
From there, Clark fought as a boxer and MMA fighter at the same time. His boxing career ended first with a 14-18-1 record while he would later retire in 2014 with a 27-21-1 MMA record. That’s right, he was officially better at MMA than boxing. He only made 5 appearances in the UFC during his fighting days.
4. Marcus Davis
Unlike Clark, another boxer entered the UFC with a bigger PR splash – Marcus Davis. After the success of The Ultimate Fighter, Davis was selected to be on the second season after a 17-1-2 win/loss/draw record.
Upon entry to the show, he was embarrassed by Joe Stevenson and later lost to Melvin Guillard. After briefly considering retirement, Davis stuck with it and fought his way to a 23-11-1 record.
5. Ricardo Mayorga
While most fighters here were competent MMA fighters, and Jimmerson gets his dues for being there at UFC 1, Ricardo Mayorga had a different impact on MMA. To end our list, Mayorga teaches us the lesson that being a great boxer absolutely does not guarantee you can fight in the Octagon.
Making his pro boxing debut in 1993, his last fight was in 2019, and finalized his record at 32 wins, 12 losses, 1 draw, and 1 no-contest bout. In 2011, when his boxing record was still impressive, Mayorga tried his fists at MMA. What followed was a win, which quickly turned into a no contest, and then he lost the next 3 fights for a 0-3-1 record.
Conclusion
Those are some of the most influential, successful, and not-so-successful pro boxers that nonetheless made an impact on the MMA scene.
For some like Jimmerson, they represented the sport during one of the most important bouts in MMA history. Others, like Holm, Clark, and Davis, showed boxers can excel in the Octagon. Then there’s Mayorga, and many others out there, who show that boxers can still fall flat on the mat when those gloves come off.