Why can't world class Boxers transition to MMA?

We’ve seen world class kickboxers, muay thai, wrestlers, judokas and BJJers do it. Why not even one world champion or highly ranked professional boxer?

Circus stints like James Toney doesn’t count, he has to try to make a serious attempt at a MMA career. Holly Holm doesn’t count either, I don’t count women’s sports.

C’mon boxers, step up and show how good your hands really are in a MMA setting! 2 years of serious grappling training would be enough to be able to survive on the ground until a standup.

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Too much time to learn, which means you are not getting paid in your prime.

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Boxers only use their hands. Muay Thai and kickboxers use hands, legs, knees. So they need to go the cro cop route amd learn good takedown defense and even that doesnt guarantee theyll ever make it out of the regional circuit. Wrestlers have an huge advantage with the rule set and really only need to become adequate in the stand up simce in theory, they can control where things take place to a degree. Pure BJJ guys also have a tough road to transition to MMA. See Kron Gracie.
The sport has really become its own martial art now.

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Not many try. There is much more financial incentive for a kickboxer, wrestler etc to make the switch.

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Holly Holm Hello GIF by UFC

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The best boxers make more money boxing. Sometimes outrageously more money, so that’s where they stay.

There isn’t the financial incentive that those other sports have. Kickboxers and wrestlers don’t make shit so MMA is their path to making a living out of their talents.

Edit Turtle beat me to it

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Yup the money at the top in boxing is way too good to take a huge risk transitioning to another sport where there’s less money. We get kickboxing etc because there’s less money in those sports so it’s worth the risk. Periera’s life changed by doing it, Canelo or whoever have no reason to

Cause wrestling sucks

They could. Petr Yan is the best example of adding other skills around a boxing base. The result is one of the coolest styles around.

Like others have said, most have no reason to make the switch so they don’t.

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Also there is a world class boxer competing in KSW. It’s the guy Usyk won his first title from. Here he is scoring a KO from bottom:

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Lomachenko probably could and do well if he wanted to since he has a wrestling background.

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The ground.

And fihhting someone whos been wrestling since they were 6 is beyond no can defend.

Same with Bud Crawford, except both of them are getting on in the years probably too late for MMA now.

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You hang around wrestling practice and you’ll see kids playing with submissions and when they get mad they throw punches. Boxers get mad and grab each other and start wrestling. Bud Crawford knows how to wrestle.

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I’ve always said that MMA gave wrestlers a professional sport to participate in.

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Planted feet are easy targets.

I remember back in the day, Kermit Cintron was touted as a top boxer that could have a good chance transitioning to MMA due to his wrestling background as well.

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It’s crazy to think all they need is 6 months of sprawl training to be serious contenders too.

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Nobody is good at wrestling right away. It takes a couple of seasons.

I’ve never seen that before.