Anthony Joshua Wants to Try the MMA (Mixed Martial Art)
The unbeaten heavyweight champion admits he’d probably lose in that sport.
The 6-feet-6, 250-pound Joshua told Sky Sports for a story posted to its website Monday that he is intrigued by the possibility of participating in an MMA match. The 6-feet-6, 250-pound Joshua told Sky Sports for a story posted to its website Monday that he is intrigued by the possibility of participating in an MMA match.
“I like fighting,” Joshua told Sky Sports. “I’d do whatever.”
“I’d probably get beaten,” Joshua continued. “The only thing that they can’t do [in a fight against me] is submissions. But they can kick, elbow, bite – whatever they want. Just no submissions.
“I can’t beat a guy [by submission]. That takes a lot of time to learn the skills and submissions, which I don’t have the time for. But when it comes to pure aggression and fighting rules, I can definitely fight, so I don’t mind that.”
Joshua learned by watching other boxers fail in MMA that submissions would be his downfall if he tried that sport.
“If you look at most boxers who’ve crossed over to MMA, they get beaten on the ground,” Joshua said. “James Toney, Roy Jones, they were phenomenal boxers, but they just couldn’t compete in the cage because of the ‘ground-and-pound’ game.”
Now that former champion Wladimir Klitschko has opted for retirement over an immediate rematch with the Joshua, the knockout artist from Watford, England, is headed toward a fall fight against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev. Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) is expected to face Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs), the mandatory challenger for his IBF title, on October 28 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
The unbeaten heavyweight champion admits he’d probably lose in that sport.
The 6-feet-6, 250-pound Joshua told Sky Sports for a story posted to its website Monday that he is intrigued by the possibility of participating in an MMA match. The 6-feet-6, 250-pound Joshua told Sky Sports for a story posted to its website Monday that he is intrigued by the possibility of participating in an MMA match.
“I like fighting,” Joshua told Sky Sports. “I’d do whatever.”
“I’d probably get beaten,” Joshua continued. “The only thing that they can’t do [in a fight against me] is submissions. But they can kick, elbow, bite – whatever they want. Just no submissions.
“I can’t beat a guy [by submission]. That takes a lot of time to learn the skills and submissions, which I don’t have the time for. But when it comes to pure aggression and fighting rules, I can definitely fight, so I don’t mind that.”
Joshua learned by watching other boxers fail in MMA that submissions would be his downfall if he tried that sport.
“If you look at most boxers who’ve crossed over to MMA, they get beaten on the ground,” Joshua said. “James Toney, Roy Jones, they were phenomenal boxers, but they just couldn’t compete in the cage because of the ‘ground-and-pound’ game.”
Now that former champion Wladimir Klitschko has opted for retirement over an immediate rematch with the Joshua, the knockout artist from Watford, England, is headed toward a fall fight against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev. Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) is expected to face Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs), the mandatory challenger for his IBF title, on October 28 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
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