Joe Rogan is an idiot. In the time of the ancient Greeks, there was Boxing, Wrestling, Kick Boxing, and a form of anything goes "Ultimate fighting." Thousands of years later, its the same thing. Anyone who doesn't get that thats how it is always going to be is an idiot.
I disagree. Sure, there was a coliseum, but there wasn't a cage. The rules were a lot different, and these Martial Arts never congregated together to create 'Ultimate Fighting'. Boxing is a style, MMA encompasses this, that's all Joe Rogan's pointing out. It's silly to pick a style over a mishmash of fighting, infact, why do people have to pick a side in the first place? Not every combat fighter is interested in boxing, where's their place?
The Colesium was Rome. There absolutely was a form of ultimate fighting in Ancient Greece. I read a great article about it in military history magazine.
I personally think any top notch boxer could do VERY well if they take the time to learn how to sprawl, get back to your feet, and defend against some submissions.
The fight was a side show....old washed up boxers like Ray Mercer and James Toney have the cajones and gumption to compete in the MMA. Now the balls in the MMA'S court. If the best striker out the MMA gets in the ring with a pro boxer in a boxing match it, ends by KAyo IN 1-3 ROUNDS. Imagine if Couture or Liddell fought toney in a boxing Match. their defense and technique sucks as far as hand to hAND BUT both have the balls to stand toe to toe more than not unlike these other grown men hunching on the ground like grade school kids at recess. Trust me...we wont have a MMA guy get in the boxing ring. Silva called out Roy Jones and even as washed up as he is, Jones still tapes that as....he has the fundamentals
Something similar to this would be the Noons-Diaz fight this weekend. Noons was a good amateur boxer and in his MMA fights he fights very well on his feet. He usually tries to keep it on his feet. Diaz as people know is the BJJ type of fighter so it should be a good boxer vs MMA type of fight. Im starting to like Noons the more i see him. I think he is what a good boxer crossing over to MMA would look like. Not Toney or Mercer who are shot.
We've already seen a 48 yr old ray mercer KO a 33 yr old former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Slyvia in 8 secs. A good boxer wood dominate in MMA, especially one who with quick feet who could avoid taketowns. James Toney was known was for his upperbody movement and ability to roll punches, not his footwork. He fights flatfooted, and as such he was tailor made for Randy Couture. Fight proved nothing.
The Vitali Klitschko of today has no business messing around with MMA. Firstly, he'd be taking a pay cut. Secondly, he's past his prime. Third, you can't just jump into a whole different sport and expect to transition with ease. It takes time and experience to learn a new style. James Toney never had a chance, for all of these same reasons. His fight with Couture was a joke when it was signed, and it was a joke in the ring. It means nothing. You have one guy with 20 MMA fights vs a guy with 0 MMA fights. Who do you think is going to win? I like this video, haven't seen it in awhile. Vitali looks about 20lbs lighter here. If Vitali had applied himself to MMA the way he has boxing, then I think it's safe to say that he would have dominated just as well. He is the goods.