Over his years as a boxing coach, Teddy Atlas has established himself as one of the most familiar names in the fight business. A coach to boxers like Michael Moore, he has a long history with combat sports. Atlas is often credited for molding a young Mike Tyson into the heavyweight legend everybody knows and loves.

But no matter who you are, the MMA community is ruthless when it comes to anyone’s opinion, especially when it is a controversial one. And Teddy Atlas is no exception.

Teddy Atlas compares Sean Strickland vs Abus Magomedov to the all-time great boxing match.

In one of his recent tweets, Teddy Atlas came up with an unlikely comparison. He drew a parallel between Sean Strickland vs Abus Magomedov and the legendary bout between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns. Atlas wrote:

“Hagler broke down and dismantled Hearns, Strickland broke down Magomedov #UFCVegas 76.”

legendary boxing coach compares Stricklan/Abus to Hagler/Hearns
by u/RDA_Enjoyer in ufc

This comes off as surprising, considering the legendary status the bout holds among boxing fans. For those unaware, Atlas was referring to the famous clash between boxer Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler. In 1985, the two middleweights went toe-to-toe against each other. Throughout the entire fight, Hagler kept pressing Hearns, regardless of the onslaught from his taller opponent. This ultimately led to a stoppage victory for ‘Marvellous’ in the third round, despite his reach disadvantage. Even though the fight lasted for just three rounds, those three rounds are considered one of the greatest in the history of professional boxing.

Read More: “We Went Through Rough Contract Negotiations…”: Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Spills Beans on the Unfair Treatment He Received Following Brock Lesnar’s Entry Into the Company

The other bout being referred to here took place during UFC Vegas 46 inside the UFC Apex. In another middleweight bout, Sean Strickland managed to knock out Abus Magomedov. In the main event of the night, Strickland secured victory after weathering storm from the Dagestani in the first. While action-packed, the fight wasn’t even close to the caliber of the above-mentioned boxing clash. Though Strickland is a veteran, Magomedov had just one fight in the promotion going into this bout. In comparison, Hagler and Hearns were considered among the best going into their clash.

Fans react to Teddy Atlas’s strange comparison

Teddy Atlas’s tweet went viral among fans in no time. And as with anything popular on the internet, it soon found its way to Reddit. As expected, Atlas comparing a fight involving a rookie to an all-time great match didn’t sit well with the Redditors. Here are some selected comments:

“It’s the same way I break down and dismantle my little brother when we’re slap fighting.”

“Relevancy is a helluva drug.”

“Teddy should take his Alzheimer’s meds and visit his great-grandkids.”

“One was an exemplary display of heart, grit, and technique; a true classic – the other was just a boxing match /s.”

Watch This Story: Why is Leon Edwards’ Name “Rocky”? Does it have a Sylvester Stallone Connection?

“Except Hearns was a champion and a legend, and Abus had 19 seconds in the Octagon before last night.”

“One was an exemplary display of heart, grit, and technique; a true classic – the other was just a boxing match /s.”

“Can we admit that Strickland with Pereira’s help might be a little scary?”

“Shut up, Teddy, you’re drunk.”