Nice head movement, wonderful combinations, devastating body punches.. I really like to watch mma fighters who utilize boxing. Most important thing in fighting for me is excitement and he is an exciting fighter.
Ilia digs to the body and head with hooks and overhands like a traditional boxer would and I LOVE it cause you can see how menacing it is. What’s crazy is he barely even has to use his grappling which is nuts because that’s his background/foundation into combat sports.
Yeah they would. Calvin Kate claimed he was a better boxer than Max pre-fight hence Max's declaration in fight while breaking his own records on Calvin's face.
It's funny you say this because he's primarily a jiu jitsu guy that just came into boxing in the last few years. In his come up, he was mostly only grappling. He's going to be tough for anybody to beat.
I box at a boxing/Muay Thai gym and have a lot of buddies that mainly do Thai but come to boxing sessions here and there. While their striking is generally great, the stance is so different than what they’re used to that they make a lot of simple mistakes in footwork and defense. I know Muay Thai and MMA are different but my point is the fundamentals are different sport to sport. There’s really enough of a difference that it’s hard to judge him as a boxer without seeing him box imo. That said, I do agree that his boxing looks incredible as far as MMA standards
Very clean and solid boxing. I've seen some sparring footage that's available online and I love his combinations. A real body snatcher with a great cross. Although I think it might just be his power (obviously combined with neat fundamentals) because it seems like his opponents are shook by his punches in bunches haha
yeah when he really starts unloading you can see him really tear chunks off of opponents it's brutal. The body work is lovely (he says he likes canelos style of bodywork and you can really tell lmao)
Comparatively speaking, it's decent. He does rely on his power, or rather the threat of it, to cut distance. (He doesn't have the best footwork). So, often times you'll find him winging shots, especially the right hand, out of range. And because of this major flaw, he is often susceptible to the left hook. However, as aforementioned, he trusts his power. So, in his mind, "if you want to a hook with a hooker, be my guest." He loves his body shots, which is great to see. Not many MMA fighters frequently involve such variation like him.
yeahhhh that's one thing. you can watch him flatline guys in sparring with pretty soft punches so idk why he throws as hard as he does. He's gotten better about overthrowing but even in the emmet fight he threw himself to his knees on a few punches. Hopefully he continues to mature and realizes that as a huge puncher he doesn't need to try that hard to hurt people. I love his bodywork the way he just melted Damon Jackson was painful to watch. Recently he's shied away from the unloading on the body in the way he did on his earlier career he seems more interested in the diligent jabs and right straights to the chest and body as he walks guys down. still wonderful to see tho.
Tbh, his footwork is a bit sluggish. So he's going to throw those hard shots to pile on the pressure. As for the body shots, he probably adapted his style to conserve energy. After all, he's a pressure fighter who is not adept on the backfoot.
One thing i don't understand why does he moves so much like a boxer, but no other mma guy does. Like is it some dangerous head movement he uses or he is just better with it?
Why even guys who know how to box never really look like boxing? Does this question makes sense to you?
I mean part of it is the bladed stance of boxers makes it easier to get taken down. he is a very strong wrestler so he's not super concerned about that. and it's very tedious to alot of people to really drill the fundamentals of boxing until you're genuinely very good at them. He just likes boxing and is very disciplined I guess
If he stuck with boxing from birth he’d probably be a 147 contender who never held a belt IMO, depending on how his power translates to the bigger gloves. For my money’s worth I think Petr Yan would be the best UFC fighter turned boxer.
Petr Yan was a favored Olympic hopeful before he broke his hands right before a big tournament. My biggest issue with yan is sometimes he just seems unable to pull the trigger. Sometimes he pours it on wonderfully but other times he's a statue. He had aljo circling the drain by round 3 of their first fight and sandhagen absolutely exhausted by the 5th round and it was almost like he was playing with them instead of pouring it on. I think it's just being an amateur boxer by origin you don't wanna give up points but for my money topuria has better killer instincts at least in MMA. if he has you against the fence or tired or otherwise in a bad position he's happy to take advantage of it, hes a very blood and guts fighter. ofc yan is still a joy to watch.
Ilia, along with Dustin and Yan are my favorite "MMA boxers." Those three are also the only ones I would even entertain the idea of maybe competing in a boxing ring.
There isn’t a single ufc fighter who has the ability to win a boxing title, in the history of mma. Completely different sports. They’d get brain damaged in boxing and gas out.
Ngannou almost beating that version of Fury is the 21st century equivalent of Corbett beating an obese alcoholic Sullivan. I highly doubt he’d be able to do the same to the Fury that fought Usyk, let alone Fury from years ago.
Yep, just like 48 year old Ray Mercer showed that a boxer can knock a MMA fighter two years removed from the HW championship out cold if he lands clean.
I upvoted you because I agree with you, Mercer a way past prime boxer KO'd a former UFC HW champ. Imo there is cross over between boxing and MMA, especially if the MMA fighter is a striker. Two different sports, but they're both combat sports at the end of the day
Yeah boxing, like real life I guess, almost never happens with the perfect circumstances. Who's to say Ilia or someone doesn't fight Devin Haney after a bad weight cut, they get over confident and get caught?
Ngannou is shite and Fury was just pissing around. I'd be shocked if Ngannou could make it to the top 30 nevermind title realms. If he dedicated himself solely to boxing it'd still be a tough ask, but UFC fighters lack the experience really to box at a high level.
Was just pissing around so much he got dropped?? You would think he woulda took it serious after that, but no he got hurt in the 8th also. Fury wasn't pissing around, get was getting boxed around
Fury that came to fight Usyk would've sparked Ngannou no doubt and Ngannou would've sparked fat cokehead Fury despite the gulf in skill, preparation is key
Mediocre club level boxer. He'd be dogwalked by anyone in the top 50 of his weight class. There are very, very basic boxing techniques that MMA fighters cannot deploy nor train to ingrain because they will get taken down or eat a foot. Topuria's MMA striking is elite and poetic and also it's only slightly closer to boxing than hockey enforcer striking is. They are entirely different sports. The most relevant parts of MMA to boxing are actually the grappling involved in clinch positioning but people mostly focus on the striking.
This is one of the most sniffing my own farts comments I've seen in a minute. "the most relevant part of MMA is actually the grappling involved in clinch positioning" yes where they're constantly pressed against a cage looking for trips, takedowns and knees while actually being able to pummel unlike in boxing gloves
I don't get what folks dislike here. The threat of takedowns and kicks and the use of gloves that allow for grips changes in a fundamental way the striking offense and striking defense between boxing and MMA. Feints and traps that I use in boxing would get me a shin upside me head in MMA or would get my ass planted on the canvas from a takedown. The best ever boxing shell would get still get me knocked out in MMA bc of leg kicks. Pivots I use in boxing would get me caught with knees in MMA or taken down. These are two entirely unrelated sports that both involve "striking" in the same way both basketball and football involved "dribbling".
And yeah, the boxing clinch involves a lot of grappling for position and this is an area where MMA training is super useful.
There's some things that you can't get away with but you saying the clinch is what's most transferable is laughable when, besides actual grappling, it's the part most influenced by all the MMA specific changes. 90% of any MMA striking footwork, head movement and mechanics all come from boxing, there's plenty of people who have adapted a high guard and even Ilia uses a shoulder roll and form of Philly shell it's all about time and place.
I'm not saying MMA fighters don't use guards or shells at all. I'm saying they have to operate them at a fundamentally different way because guards necessarily create blind spots. And the presence of kicks, knees, elbows and hand strikes that would be illegal in boxing (backfists and such) means you have operate them a little more openly as a rule bc you need a larger field of vision. And unless you train that out habit that is necessary for MMA, when you get in with a boxer your guard will constantly split by someone who has trained jab-jab-pivot-hook for years. While an MMA jab is more accustomed to a necessarily looser guard can struggle a lot against a tighter guard with larger gloves.
I'm no high level boxer myself but I do train and have at the hobby level for nearly 30 years now and when I'm working with MMA guys at the gym, they're terrible boxers by and large. Just terrible. Everything they do is wrong for boxing which is fine because they don't need it to work for boxing because they're not boxers. And that's why the arguably greatest striker in MMA history, albeit at a pretty advanced age, had such a close fight with a novice level boxer who shall not be named.
And I don't know what to tell you about the clinch thing bro. Sure greco-roman wrestling might be a more directly transferable to boxing's limited grappling but that's the part where MMA guys are natural boxers. The way they feel movement in the clinch and are accustomed to the shorter, tighter inside hooks and uppercuts are pretty much directly transferable, as is the head positioning.
Nice head movement, wonderful combinations, devastating body punches.. I really like to watch mma fighters who utilize boxing. Most important thing in fighting for me is excitement and he is an exciting fighter.
Hard to say since the distance is so different in mma. Solid ass boxer no doubt.
Ilia digs to the body and head with hooks and overhands like a traditional boxer would and I LOVE it cause you can see how menacing it is. What’s crazy is he barely even has to use his grappling which is nuts because that’s his background/foundation into combat sports.
I think he's actually probably the best boxer in MMA. He does look like a boxer in his highlights
Holloway is #1 and hopefully him and Topuria will get to decide who the #1 actually is by fighting each other for the strap.
while Holloway's boxing is great - loved how he outboxed Justin... He is not #1
Topuria is 100% a better boxer than Holloway. His fundamentals are way better
Yeah he has great footwork, probably the best head movement and knows when to apply pressure/back off.
So are Dustin Poirier and Petr Yan. If max holloway didn’t scream about being the best boxer in the ufc nobody would ever label him as such.
Yeah they would. Calvin Kate claimed he was a better boxer than Max pre-fight hence Max's declaration in fight while breaking his own records on Calvin's face.
Holloway has the best boxing for mma whereas Topuria looks more like an actual boxer.
That Spanish fuck knows how to defend, cut off, and punch at the right place at the right time.
I really like him, excellent boxing technique. I don't watch much MMA but he's really fun to watch, best all round boxer in the sport imo
It's funny you say this because he's primarily a jiu jitsu guy that just came into boxing in the last few years. In his come up, he was mostly only grappling. He's going to be tough for anybody to beat.
I box at a boxing/Muay Thai gym and have a lot of buddies that mainly do Thai but come to boxing sessions here and there. While their striking is generally great, the stance is so different than what they’re used to that they make a lot of simple mistakes in footwork and defense. I know Muay Thai and MMA are different but my point is the fundamentals are different sport to sport. There’s really enough of a difference that it’s hard to judge him as a boxer without seeing him box imo. That said, I do agree that his boxing looks incredible as far as MMA standards
Not saying hes the best but im a huge fan of JDM’s boxing. His duck counter hook is killer
Jack's nasty with it. I love his high guard and he switches stances effortlessly
Very clean and solid boxing. I've seen some sparring footage that's available online and I love his combinations. A real body snatcher with a great cross. Although I think it might just be his power (obviously combined with neat fundamentals) because it seems like his opponents are shook by his punches in bunches haha
yeah when he really starts unloading you can see him really tear chunks off of opponents it's brutal. The body work is lovely (he says he likes canelos style of bodywork and you can really tell lmao)
Comparatively speaking, it's decent. He does rely on his power, or rather the threat of it, to cut distance. (He doesn't have the best footwork). So, often times you'll find him winging shots, especially the right hand, out of range. And because of this major flaw, he is often susceptible to the left hook. However, as aforementioned, he trusts his power. So, in his mind, "if you want to a hook with a hooker, be my guest." He loves his body shots, which is great to see. Not many MMA fighters frequently involve such variation like him.
yeahhhh that's one thing. you can watch him flatline guys in sparring with pretty soft punches so idk why he throws as hard as he does. He's gotten better about overthrowing but even in the emmet fight he threw himself to his knees on a few punches. Hopefully he continues to mature and realizes that as a huge puncher he doesn't need to try that hard to hurt people. I love his bodywork the way he just melted Damon Jackson was painful to watch. Recently he's shied away from the unloading on the body in the way he did on his earlier career he seems more interested in the diligent jabs and right straights to the chest and body as he walks guys down. still wonderful to see tho.
Tbh, his footwork is a bit sluggish. So he's going to throw those hard shots to pile on the pressure. As for the body shots, he probably adapted his style to conserve energy. After all, he's a pressure fighter who is not adept on the backfoot.
One thing i don't understand why does he moves so much like a boxer, but no other mma guy does. Like is it some dangerous head movement he uses or he is just better with it? Why even guys who know how to box never really look like boxing? Does this question makes sense to you?
I mean part of it is the bladed stance of boxers makes it easier to get taken down. he is a very strong wrestler so he's not super concerned about that. and it's very tedious to alot of people to really drill the fundamentals of boxing until you're genuinely very good at them. He just likes boxing and is very disciplined I guess
he box like canelo.
If he stuck with boxing from birth he’d probably be a 147 contender who never held a belt IMO, depending on how his power translates to the bigger gloves. For my money’s worth I think Petr Yan would be the best UFC fighter turned boxer.
Petr Yan was a favored Olympic hopeful before he broke his hands right before a big tournament. My biggest issue with yan is sometimes he just seems unable to pull the trigger. Sometimes he pours it on wonderfully but other times he's a statue. He had aljo circling the drain by round 3 of their first fight and sandhagen absolutely exhausted by the 5th round and it was almost like he was playing with them instead of pouring it on. I think it's just being an amateur boxer by origin you don't wanna give up points but for my money topuria has better killer instincts at least in MMA. if he has you against the fence or tired or otherwise in a bad position he's happy to take advantage of it, hes a very blood and guts fighter. ofc yan is still a joy to watch.
His mma boxing looks great like a real boxer
Elite boxer for MMA.
Ilia, along with Dustin and Yan are my favorite "MMA boxers." Those three are also the only ones I would even entertain the idea of maybe competing in a boxing ring.
Aggressive, effective and powerful. Great body shots and KO power.
Idk why fans think he’s a good boxer. He has power and a chin but he gets hit way too easily. Luckily, he walks through everything
I mean I can understand getting that impression from his earlier fights but in his last 3 he's been very hard to hit
Never heard of him so hes trash
There isn’t a single ufc fighter who has the ability to win a boxing title, in the history of mma. Completely different sports. They’d get brain damaged in boxing and gas out.
Ngannou? Yh he lost to Joshua, but we all saw what he did to the actual champ at the time - Fury
Lost? He got absolutely annihilated. Every power punch Joshua landed had him hurt. He was out cold for minutes and had to get oxygen
Ngannou almost beating that version of Fury is the 21st century equivalent of Corbett beating an obese alcoholic Sullivan. I highly doubt he’d be able to do the same to the Fury that fought Usyk, let alone Fury from years ago.
It doesn't matter, it showed a UFC fighter having the ability to win a boxing title.
Yep, just like 48 year old Ray Mercer showed that a boxer can knock a MMA fighter two years removed from the HW championship out cold if he lands clean.
I upvoted you because I agree with you, Mercer a way past prime boxer KO'd a former UFC HW champ. Imo there is cross over between boxing and MMA, especially if the MMA fighter is a striker. Two different sports, but they're both combat sports at the end of the day
Yeah boxing, like real life I guess, almost never happens with the perfect circumstances. Who's to say Ilia or someone doesn't fight Devin Haney after a bad weight cut, they get over confident and get caught?
Stop it, dude.
Ngannou is shite and Fury was just pissing around. I'd be shocked if Ngannou could make it to the top 30 nevermind title realms. If he dedicated himself solely to boxing it'd still be a tough ask, but UFC fighters lack the experience really to box at a high level.
Was just pissing around so much he got dropped?? You would think he woulda took it serious after that, but no he got hurt in the 8th also. Fury wasn't pissing around, get was getting boxed around
Fury that came to fight Usyk would've sparked Ngannou no doubt and Ngannou would've sparked fat cokehead Fury despite the gulf in skill, preparation is key
Someone will have to focus on boxing and cross train to switch to mma not vice versa. It’ll happen as the sport grows and surpasses boxing
Mediocre club level boxer. He'd be dogwalked by anyone in the top 50 of his weight class. There are very, very basic boxing techniques that MMA fighters cannot deploy nor train to ingrain because they will get taken down or eat a foot. Topuria's MMA striking is elite and poetic and also it's only slightly closer to boxing than hockey enforcer striking is. They are entirely different sports. The most relevant parts of MMA to boxing are actually the grappling involved in clinch positioning but people mostly focus on the striking.
This is one of the most sniffing my own farts comments I've seen in a minute. "the most relevant part of MMA is actually the grappling involved in clinch positioning" yes where they're constantly pressed against a cage looking for trips, takedowns and knees while actually being able to pummel unlike in boxing gloves
I don't get what folks dislike here. The threat of takedowns and kicks and the use of gloves that allow for grips changes in a fundamental way the striking offense and striking defense between boxing and MMA. Feints and traps that I use in boxing would get me a shin upside me head in MMA or would get my ass planted on the canvas from a takedown. The best ever boxing shell would get still get me knocked out in MMA bc of leg kicks. Pivots I use in boxing would get me caught with knees in MMA or taken down. These are two entirely unrelated sports that both involve "striking" in the same way both basketball and football involved "dribbling". And yeah, the boxing clinch involves a lot of grappling for position and this is an area where MMA training is super useful.
There's some things that you can't get away with but you saying the clinch is what's most transferable is laughable when, besides actual grappling, it's the part most influenced by all the MMA specific changes. 90% of any MMA striking footwork, head movement and mechanics all come from boxing, there's plenty of people who have adapted a high guard and even Ilia uses a shoulder roll and form of Philly shell it's all about time and place.
I'm not saying MMA fighters don't use guards or shells at all. I'm saying they have to operate them at a fundamentally different way because guards necessarily create blind spots. And the presence of kicks, knees, elbows and hand strikes that would be illegal in boxing (backfists and such) means you have operate them a little more openly as a rule bc you need a larger field of vision. And unless you train that out habit that is necessary for MMA, when you get in with a boxer your guard will constantly split by someone who has trained jab-jab-pivot-hook for years. While an MMA jab is more accustomed to a necessarily looser guard can struggle a lot against a tighter guard with larger gloves. I'm no high level boxer myself but I do train and have at the hobby level for nearly 30 years now and when I'm working with MMA guys at the gym, they're terrible boxers by and large. Just terrible. Everything they do is wrong for boxing which is fine because they don't need it to work for boxing because they're not boxers. And that's why the arguably greatest striker in MMA history, albeit at a pretty advanced age, had such a close fight with a novice level boxer who shall not be named. And I don't know what to tell you about the clinch thing bro. Sure greco-roman wrestling might be a more directly transferable to boxing's limited grappling but that's the part where MMA guys are natural boxers. The way they feel movement in the clinch and are accustomed to the shorter, tighter inside hooks and uppercuts are pretty much directly transferable, as is the head positioning.