I think he didnāt expect the power of FN or the latterās ability to take a shot to the head. TF did hit him clean, and FN ate it. Rd 9 and 10 tho, TG boxed him up and FN didnāt have the gas tank, which has been an issue for him in mma. I was a bit surprised that he didnāt gas but boxing for 8 rounds is not comparable to wrestling a 265 pound heavyweight for 20 minutes. Not even close.
Iāll watch his next fight for sure. Not everyone can take FNās power and recover.
I donāt think an MMA fighter would even come close in the other weight divisions. Still this MMA champ must be legit to stand toe to toe in first boxing fight .
A lot of guys in mma train mma-boxing which I think is more hand fighting and elbows. There have been a few guys who could have crossed over but didnāt. Duane Ludwig for example, who is now a striking coach.
From the narrative, FN has always wanted to be a boxer and trained boxing alongside his mma career. His mma koās are near murders. But again, itās a very different sport and closing the distance is more about preventing a takedown, and hoping to catch someone coming in.
I love the idea of a cross over mma/ boxing fight card.
Yeah, guys in their mid thirties. I like Nate Diaz but nah, get a young gun in there who can strike and weāll see something. And the Paul guys just do Japanese style sideshow fights, donāt they?