10 Fighters that competed in both Professional Boxing and MMA
Holly Holm makes her return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 55 as she faces Ketlen Vieira in the main event. This will be the first time we have seen Holm in action since defeating Irene Aldana via decision back in October of 2020. Holm brings that boxing pedigree to every fight and is very crisp on the feet. It is very rare for someone in the women's Bantamweight division to carry that one-punch knockout power but, Holm is one to possess this type of power due to that boxing experience. With the return of Holm at UFC Vegas 55, we take a look at 10 MMA fighters that have competed in a professional boxing match.
Anderson Silva
Many fighters try to transition into professional boxing after their time is done with mixed martial artists. What most of these fighters find out is that the transition between the two is not easy whatsoever, unless your name is Anderson Silva. The former UFC Middleweight champion has adapted into his professional boxing career as smoothly as anyone could imagine. A great number of fans may know that Silva has competed in professional boxing prior to his days with the UFC. He made his boxing debut in 1998 when he suffered his first defeat via corner stoppage. Silva would go on to get revenge seven years later and pick up his first win in the boxing ring via KO while still competing in Pride as well as Cage Rage.
Silva then decided to focus strictly on MMA and become the face of the UFC for over a decade. After becoming one of the dangerous strikers of all-time, his time would came to an end in 2020 when the UFC released him after losing three fights in-a-row. It was apparent that Silva was not fighting like how he was in his prime but he still had some fight in him. This is when he joined the boxing scene again and has never looked better. Silva competed in his first professional boxing match since 2005 when he defeated Julio César Chávez Jr. on June of 2021. He would go on to fight three months later when he brutually knocked out Tito Ortiz inside of one round. Silva has always been must-watch when fighting but the way he has looked in his last two boxing fights is nothing short of impressive as his head movement and counter shots are still effective as ever.
Conor McGregor
The face of the fight game has always been Conor McGregor and it only proved furthermore when he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in one of the most anticipated boxing matches ever. Known for his timing and punching power, McGregor was on a roll in the UFC and became the first fighter to have held two championship belts in two different divisions in the UFC. After completing this feat, he took his talents into the professional boxing scene for only one bout. The fight with Mayweather generated a ton of traction around the world and deservingly so. McGregor held his own when boxing against one of the best to ever do it. He landed some clean shots in multiple rounds and was having some success. The end result did not go in his favor as Mayweather would get the TKO victory after 10 historic rounds. McGregor didn't agree with referee Robert Byrd stopping the contest but it wouldn't have mattered as all three judges had favored Mayweather in the scorecards. McGregor still has aspirations in boxing professionally again after his time is done with the UFC but for now, he is recovering from his leg injury he suffered back at UFC 264, hoping to return back into the octagon later this year.
Jorge Masvidal
The debate of who is the best boxer in the UFC is still a hot topic and Jorge Masvidal is always near the top of the list. It is of no surprise that the boxing technique of Masvidal's is special. From growing up a boxing fan to utilizing his boxing skills in street fights when he was younger, Masvidal always had that passion for boxing. The explosiveness and counter shots is what separates him from others in terms of technique. The head movement and Masvidal's one-punch knockout power is the combination that makes him such a fan-favorite. He has even competed in a professional boxing match early on in his career before becoming the superstar he has become with the UFC. Masvidal made his boxing debut back in 2005 in his hometown of Miami, Florida. The contest went all four rounds and Masvidal took the decision win.
Valentina Shevchenko
Despite the fact that Valentina Shevchenko is known as one of the most dangerous muay thai fighters in the UFC, regardless of gender, she may have some of the best boxing techniques as well. It's rare for someone in the women's Flyweight division to carry one-punch knockout power. In this case, Shevchenko falls into that unique category. We have all seen the power she holds in the UFC but, it came from boxing professionally early in her career. Shevchenko has a professional boxing record of 2-0, with her most recent victory occurring in 2011. This is when she defeated her opponent via RTD (referee technical decision). Her other win is when Shevchenko picked up a dominating victory in her professional boxing debut, back in 2010. Shevchenko is back in action soon and will be defending her Flyweight belt at UFC 275 against Taila Santos.
Nick Diaz
When talking about mixed martial artists and boxing, Nick Diaz will always be brought up in the conversation. The fan-favorite has some of the most polished boxing fans have seen in MMA. The ability to slip punches and counter effectively the way Diaz had done was something special to watch. He wasn't known for his power but, the volume and pace he fought at was overwhelming for his opponents as Diaz is known for his great conditioning. In the midst of his UFC career, Diaz made his professional boxing debut in 2005. The match was only agreed up to four rounds for it to go to the judges scorecards and Diaz earned the victory via unanimous decision.
Clay Collard
There is no one that is more active in both mixed martial arts and boxing than Clay Collard. The ability to compete in both at the same time is kind of remarkable. Usually fighters dedicate all their time on one than the other but Collard has managed to do both. Collard started off his career building his way up to the UFC. When he got signed to the promotion, his debut fight was against Max Holloway. After he suffered the defeat in his debut, Collard would go on to get released after going 1-3 in the UFC. This is when he went all-in on boxing. Collard had his professional boxing debut in 2017 when he earned his first boxing win. It was until 2019 when Collard had multiple boxing fights lined up. He had eight boxing matches in that year and managed to put together an three-fight winning streak. As of now, Collard is still boxing professionally as well as fighting in the Professional Fighting League (PFL). He's currently 3-1 in the PFL with wins over former UFC fighters, Anthony Pettis and Jeremey Stephens. As a professional boxer, Collard has a record of 9-6-3.
Claressa Shields
Since signing with the PFL, Claressa Shields has had a target on her back from many people that have criticized her making the move to MMA. She currently sits at 1-1 in her MMA career but, this does not show how great of an athlete she truly is. Known for her incredible boxing, Shields is undefeated as a professional boxer with a record of 12-0. Shields has recorded two knockout wins and ten decision victories that were not even close in the judges scorecards. Shields is the first boxer ever, regardless of gender, to hold all four major world titles. She is virtually unstoppable as her last round she lost (according to the judges) was back in 2019. Much like Collard, she is competing in both the PFL and continuing her dominance in boxing too. Shields just earned a victory over Ema Kozin in February via unanimous decision to make it 12 straight wins in her professional boxing career.
Alex Volkanovski
The current Featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, has been a winner his whole professional career. He's an outstanding 24-1 in his MMA career while still being undefeated in the UFC. Volkanovski has beaten the likes of Max Holloway (twice), Chan Sung Jung, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo, and more. The way Volkanovski approaches the fights are so technical. In his most recent one against Jung, he displayed his boxing beautifully. Coincidentally enough, Volkanovski has competed in professional boxing before. While only having one professional boxing match, Volkanovski debuted back in 2015 when he earned his victory via unanimous decision.
Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort is one of the greats in the sport of MMA. Many fans know of him just because how he used to win. Belfort wouldn't just cruise himself into a decision win, he would try and finish his opponent. Out of his 26 professional wins, Belfort has 18 knockouts and three submission wins. The same could be said about when Belfort has competed in boxing. In his professional boxing career, he's 1-0 with that victory being back in 2006, which ended in the first round via knockout. Belfort recently had an exhibition boxing match that was hosted by Triller in September of 2021. Belfort defeated Evander Holyfield via TKO, once again in the first round.
Holly Holm
The name Holly Holm will always be connected with boxing. The way she changed and inspired women's boxing was second to none. Holm recently just got announced as an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame class of 2022. The legacy she holds with boxing is something special. Holm has a professional record of 33-2-3 and debuted back in 2002. Since then, Holm went on to become a three-division world champion and cement her legacy with the great amount of accolades she has. After shifting her focus only on MMA in 2013, it was to no ones surprise that the success transferred over. Holm won her first 10 professional fights in MMA and after winning her seventh, she signed with the UFC. After defeating Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau, Holm got her chance and knocked out the once undefeated, Ronda Rousey, to become the UFC Bantamweight champion. Holm had shocked the world and now she continues to add to her legacy to MMA. In a recent article that came out by ESPN Staff Writer, Brett Okamoto, Holm expressed her feelings about getting back into title contention in the Bantamweight division. Holm also mentioned competing in professional boxing for the first time in almost 10 years. If she does go back to boxing, Holm would still want to fight in the UFC and hopefully hold titles in both sports.
