Four Famous UFC Fighters That Started Off As Boxers
While the UFC started with Royce Gracie’s unstoppable submissions back in 1993, that’s only half of the story. Some fighters prefer to force their opponent down and wrench an arm or a neck while others prefer to stay on their feet and unleash a barrage of punches. If they can’t get you on the floor then they can’t make you submit, after all, but they can knock you out!
Having a career in boxing is incredibly advantageous when heading into the UFC. Not only do these fighters punch harder and stay on their feet, but they also have the conditioning necessary to avoid burning out. When betting on UFC fights, especially those that might go to round five, it’s the former boxer that might have a stamina advantage.
Anderson Silva
Let’s start with a fighter that is considered one of the best of the best – Anderson Silva. While he only fought in a few professional boxing fights to speak of, Silva has returned to boxing in 2021 following his retirement from the UFC.
He made his pro boxing debut in 1998, a month after winning a four-man MMA tournament. Silva clashed with a boxer called Osmar Teixeira at a venue in União da Vitória, in Brazil. Teixeira beat Silva by TKO, ruining his boxing debut, but it wasn’t a big deal at the time. Naturally, Teixeira was later tracked down and asked for his thoughts once Silva became one of the biggest names in the UFC.
Silva wouldn’t take to the ring again until 2005. Silva was up against Julio Cesar De Jesus, who he beat with a knockout to claim his first-ever boxing victory. That set his pro boxing record at 1-1.
Following his release from UFC in 2020, Silva is looking at boxing again. His first fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was in June of 2021, who weighed slightly more than was permitted and had to give $100,000 to Silva. Silva still fought him anyway, winning by split decision and throwing 392 punches to Chavez’s 153. More recently, in September of 2021, Silva boxed UFC legend Tito Ortiz and won by a first-round KO.
Conor McGregor
A fighter that needs no introduction, everybody’s heard of Conor McGregor in the past few years. That’s because the Irish fighter has been the center of high-profile spats with Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and boxer Floyd Mayweather.
Anybody who has watched McGregor fight knows that he works the best standing, where he can deliver his blows and outbox his opponents. Some of his most crushing defeats have been where fighters managed to avoid his blows and then out-grappled him on the mat, to get the submission.
McGregor’s punching reputation doesn’t come from thin air, he started as an amateur boxer back in Ireland. At the age of 12, he started training at the Crumlin Boxing Club. He wasn’t just killing time either, since he became an All-Ireland Champion for youth boxing. Like many young fighters in the making, he joined the club because he wanted to defend himself against bullies while raising his confidence and finding some discipline.
He then started MMA in 2007 at just 18, scoring some victories on the Dublin MMA scene. A few years later, in 2013, UFC president Dana White would arrive in Dublin for an award ceremony and hear about the fighter from multiple people.
As we’ve already mentioned, he later made a professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in a comeback match. The retired veteran boxer beat McGregor, protecting his undefeated record with 50 wins and 0 losses. It was considered a win for McGregor too, having reached the tenth round with Mayweather before being dropped by a knockout.
Jorge Masvidal
Before making his UFC debut in 2013, and even before fighting in Strikeforce or Bellator MMA events, Jorge Masvidal was used to fighting with his fists. The welterweight fighter is known for his fierce striking power, holding the record for the fastest ever UFC knockout at just five seconds. So, he packs a punch, and it’s no surprise that he would turn those fists towards boxing in a 2005 boxing match.
Starting at the beginning, Masvidal has talked about participating in street fights during his upbringing. He has also claimed to defeat “Ray,” the protégé of Kimbo Slice, in a street fight hosted in Kimbo Slice’s own backyard. That sounds ridiculous, except for the fact that there is video evidence on YouTube!
That brings us to his pro boxing debut in 2005. Only two years into his MMA career, Masvidal was up against Joseph Benjamin. After four rounds of fighting, Masvidal was declared the winner by majority decision. Since then, he hasn’t boxed professionally, and now he's a renowned UFC fighter who has beat the likes of Donald Cerrone.
Holly Holm
In the world of women’s MMA, Holly Holm has the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship under her belt and is ranked #2 in the UFC’s official bantamweight rankings. Before Holm took to the octagon, she wasn’t just a professional boxer, she was also a professional kickboxer. That means she had priors in both fist and foot striking, giving her the meanest striking ability in the female UFC divisions.
At just 16 years old, Holm was interested in many sports and athletic activities, which led her to boxing and kickboxing. Originally taking them up for aerobics class, Holm would later become the International Kickboxing Federation’s International Rules Adult Women’s Welterweight champion. After winning this amateur title, she entered into pro boxing.
In her boxing career, Holm has been called one of the best female boxers currently around. This is because she has held multiple welterweight boxing titles at once. That led her to be named Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine in 2005 and 2006. She suffered a loss in 2011 against Anne Sophie Mathis, before bouncing back in 2012 to get her revenge.
From 2014, Holm joined the UFC and quickly established herself as one to watch when she scored a second-round knockout against Ronda Rousey.