Joe Rogan loves to stir things, and he did the same when he once again sparked the debate of real fighting, i.e., MMA vs. boxing. Both remain at the pinnacle of combat sports, but with the rapid surge of MMA in recent years, it begs a question. How will a boxing champion survive a fight with an MMA champion in a real fight scenario? The podcaster believes they won’t, even if the champion is Tyson Fury, who is pitted against Francis Ngannou.
Rogan, 57, sat down with the UFC champion, Belal Muhammad, at JRE MMA Show #162, and the two indulged in a passionate conversation revolving around combat sports. When Muhammad, 36, recalled the incident of a reporter identifying him as a street fighting champion, the host explained how MMA was a hard sport to master. He invariably drew parallels with boxing and then jumped on the idea of Fury, 36, and Ngannou, 37, meeting outside the boxing ring.
Rogan believed the hypothetical fight wouldn’t last one round, with the former UFC champion taking the win. The UFC commentator said, “I’m a huge boxing fan. Boxing is amazing. I love boxing. But we all know if Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury had a fight-fight, that sh*t would not last one round. Not a chance in hell. If they had a fight-fight, a real fight, like an MMA fight.”
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Notably, Fury and Ngannou clashed in the squared circle last year, where ‘Predator’ lost a close decision to ‘Gypsy King’. Some thought he had done enough to bag the win. But the visuals of the British boxer lying on the canvas bewildered are still fresh in fans’ memories.
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Rogan then called boxing a “sport,” whereas MMA was the “sport of fighting.” He even called it the “hardest f*king thing” an athlete could do and then cited the examples of Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis.
Joe Rogan labels MMA the ‘real sport of fighting’
The famed TV presenter lauded Muhammad, at 24-3, for becoming a champion. While he pointed out it would have been just as difficult in boxing, he believed MMA was harder. Rogan continued, “I’m not saying boxing’s not hard. It’s hard as f*ck to be a Ryan Garcia. Hard as f*ck to be a Gervonta Davis. Just the same mentality they have, they would have been world champions in MMA. But MMA is harder. It’s harder. And it’s more effective. It’s the real sport of fighting.”
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Rogan also made similar remarks about Jon Jones and Fury in the past, which gave rise to some heated discussions. But it seems the combat sports world is divided on the same.
What do you make of these comments by Joe Rogan about Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury? Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments below.