“Stick to Boxing”: Tyson Fury Taking Down Nick Diaz in a Resurfaced Clip Causes Stir in the Combat World

Now that Tyson Fury has managed to defeat an MMA fighter, do you think he’s ready to enter the octagon? A resurfaced video of him fighting Nick Diaz in the MMA format might answer the question. On the 28th of October, the heavyweight boxer went against his debutante opponent, Francis Ngannou in an exhibition-of-sorts boxing match.

His signature powerful jabs went in vain. He received scathing responses from the former UFC heavyweight. Now, in the wake of this Saudi fight, the fighter has come under heavy fire for his disappointing performance. The criticism comes as he, a WBC champion fought against someone who’s never boxed before, only to win through a split decision. Now that the dust seems to have settled on the fight, the resurfaced video in question has furthered the debate about his relevance in another format of combat.

Tyson Fury tries his hand in the MMA format

There has been a rampant debate in the combat realm concerning crossover fights. For a while now, multiple fighters from the MMA side have ventured into the ring. Take the example of Nate Diaz. After having spent 15 years with the UFC, the fighter ventured into boxing in August this year. In his maiden boxing match against Jake Paul, Diaz lost through a unanimous decision.

In the wake of Fury marginally winning over an MMA fighter, the debate was rekindled again. In a video from the past, Fury can be seen fighting Nick Diaz in an MMA training session. Some fans thought Diaz crushed Fury. However, the rest saw the boxer come on top in the session.

A user asked Fury to remain in the ring and not venture into the octagon. They suggested that for a fighter like Diaz who is three years older than Fury and doesn’t even come close to him in size, the boxer did not prove his worth.

In his stint with the UFC, Diaz mostly fought in the middleweight and welterweight divisions. Fury on the other hand is a heavyweight giant. Yet, he let the former establish his dominance over him. A fan implored that if Nick could defeat Fury, then Ngannou would without any doubts do the same.

Another user found the idea of Gypsy King fighting in MMA simply funny.

Possibly impressed, a fan suggested that Fury would win against heavyweight MMA fighter, Jon Jones. The latter last fought in early March this year against Ciryl Gane, and won through a Guillotine Chokehold.

In a sarcastic response, a fan ridiculed Fury for taking down Diaz who is almost half his size.

While many MMA fighters have on multiple occasions crossed over into the ring, hardly has the combat world seen a boxer enter the octagon. It would however be interesting to see if Tyson Fury would ever try his hand in a professional MMA fight. His former opponent Ngannou, however, seems to have landed his next fight.

The Predator to enter the ring sooner than Fury

In early reports, chances of Ngannou entering the ring in December have emerged. Boxing insider portal, Boxing Kingdom has reported that there are chances of him getting his second boxing fight as soon as December 23. The portal also suggested that the opponent for this fight is most probably Derek Chisora. The X post read, “We will most likely see Francis Ngannou vs Dereck Chisora on December 23rd. I will provide extra details this week. This is pending on Ngannou being ready for that date.” The reports come in the wake of Chisora admitting that he would love to fight against the Predator. 

If this fight does take its course, it would be an interesting fight to observe. Chisora was the last fighter Fury went against in December 2022 before he landed the Ngannou fight. The Tottenham fight saw Chisora lose to the WBC champion through a knockout. While Fury stood there figuring out his next fight, Chisora went ahead to win against Gerald Washington in April this year. After the Ngannou fight, Fury remains busy with his negotiations for the Oleksandr Usyk fight.

Also Read: Former World Champion Details Why Tyson Fury Won Against Francis Ngannou Despite Not Deserving the Win “He Is Not Supposed to Lose Like That”

It was reported that the contract for the Usyk fight is still in place. However, Fury’s promoter Frank Warren announced that the fight could be pushed to as late as March next year. When the fight does take place, it will be a historic bout as it unifies all titles in the heavyweight class.

As far as Fury’s fight with Nick Diaz is concerned, it’s a good thing that it has been restricted to online banter. What are your thoughts on crossover fights? Let us know in the comments section below.

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