Unless you are Amish, you are probably aware that Jake Paul VS: Mike Perry took place last night in a sanctioned boxing match. Jake Paul won of course, so now we are treated to the same debate that has existed since the dawn of combat sports, what martial art is best? Are MMA fighters good boxers? Can boxers beat MMA fighters? Can MMA fighters beat boxers? What is the meaning of life? In this article I will go over what factors I believe influence the MMA VS: Boxing debate most heavily and where I stand on the issue.
Specificity VS: Generality
This is hands down to me the biggest issue at play when it comes to MMA VS: Boxing crossover fights. In boxing the ruleset is very specific and catered exclusively to strikes thrown with the hands only. The clinch operates wildly different than in MMA, as I had to find out firsthand my first time sparring in boxing. I was naïve and proceeded to grab an over hook on one of my opponent's arms to tie up while I used my free fist to land punches to the body. My coach gave me a lot of shit for that one and had to tell me it's not MMA and I can't do what I see on tv, I understand now. There are no kicks of any kind, no grappling other than their toned down version of clinching, no knees, no elbows unless you're in Mike Perry's new league, etc. You get the point. In MMA there are so many different factors at play. Kicks and not just one type, head kicks, leg kicks, body kicks etc. Every form of grappling as long as it's not small joint manipulation is allowed. Every strike as long as it's not 12-6, to the spine, to the back of the head, to a grounded opponent is allowed. No eye pokes and no shots to the testicles or vagina, very barebones rules. Here's how all that comes into play.
If I'm training for golf I don't have to worry about being punched in the head. If I'm training for boxing I don't have to worry about being taken down, kicked, elbowed, etc. Boxing is a very specific sport. If I had a terrible jab I could still be a successful boxer but now my chances are significantly impeded. In MMA many fighters still have a terrible jab, so much so commentary rightfully raves when a fighter showcases a great jab a la GSP, Kamaru Usman being my two instant thoughts. What gives? In MMA you can be a lot more generalized and capitalize on what you are GOOD at to cover what you are BAD at. If your jab is bad but your grappling is elite you could go your whole successful career being challenged by great jabbers and beating them by maximizing your strengths and amplifying their weaknesses. In Boxing a bad jab is instantly exposed and signifies to your opponent your reach is limited and you have limited tools to keep them off you and at distance. A boxer who loves to come forward is quickly going to swarm and overwhelm you as you lose control of the distance and thereafter the pace. In MMA you could shoot a takedown, counter with a knee or elbow, infinitely more possibilities. You can't be a good boxer with a long career if you don't have good punches. In MMA simply look to Khabib Nurmagomedov as how far you can get with serviceable striking but nowhere near ring ready boxing. To drive home this point with one more example look at marathon runners. If you can't run two miles in a quick fashion without being out of breath you will not be a successful marathon runner. If you aren't fast and explosive you will not make it to Olympic gold in sprinting. MMA is beautiful because so many different styles can take hold and have relevance even capturing titles. The meta games change fast and spurs innovation that isn't seen in specific sports such as boxing. An uppercut is an uppercut, a jab is a jab and so on. You can't innovate and reinvent the wheel in boxing.
Previous Boxing VS: MMA Crossovers
Not even 24 hours later the world of combat sports has forgotten every crossover episode that has ever occurred. I'm going to go ahead and say neither sport is "objectively" better or more dominant than the other. I'm sorry to disappoint but going back to the specificity vs generality argument which style comes out on top and demonstrates who can box or perform their combat sport the best and win comes down to rules. Boxing rules obviously favor the boxer, the unified rules of MMA favor the MMA fighter. In MMA you can out jab the better boxer, you can outwrestle the better grappler and so on because of all the other things you can force your opponent to think about. If Antonio Inoki had tried to stand with Muhammad Ali of course he would have been flatlined. Instead he did his best late career Nate Diaz impression and laid on his back kicking Ali's legs a record 107 times. Ali managed only about 3 successful punches and a bunch of wild and missed kicks. Ali's entourage more so than the man himself, tried every trick in the book to alter rules to favor the boxer and humiliate Inoki. Thankfully Ali had the morals to fight in a hybrid rules match and give the world the first precursor to modern MMA and the first boxing vs: MMA crossover. Though it was controversially ruled a draw, many believed Inoki did enough to win in a very lackluster and tepid fight.
When James Toney, who was a world champion multiple times in multiple weight classes stepped into the Octagon on August 28th, 2010 many thought he would make short work of MMA fighter Randy Couture. What happened instead was Couture immediately taking down Toney and securing an arm triangle finish at 3:19 of the very first round. It's rare to attain the accolades Toney did in boxing but even being the 1% of the 1% in the world doesn't mean you will be successful in MMA. MMA can elevate anyone at anytime to heights of the sport and I love that. Outcomes aren't always set in stone and there is no obsession with an undefeated record like in boxing though MMA is quickly heading that direction unfortunately it seems.
Of course there are also the examples of MMA fighters going into boxing under the boxing ruleset and failing. Conor McGregor and Mike Perry being the two most high profile examples of recent memory. It all comes down to ruleset and specificity. Ali was brave enough, Toney was brave enough, a lot of this chatter about Jake Paul would quickly be ended if he would finally face an MMA fighter in an MMA match. That will never happen though because Jake Paul is nothing if not a masterful showman and promoter. I hate the guy but he's doing exactly what the plan is for the most amount of money with the least risk and consequence to his reputation. It's brilliant and clearly organized. He got into boxing for money and that's fine. He is succeeding and owes no one anything but let's keep this in mind when we talk about Jake Paul being a legitimate fighter and by extension a "good" boxer. That's not his goal. As I discussed on Tapping Vegas the goal is promoting and making money after the media aspect of his portfolio was off the rails due to lawsuits. He isn't out to show he's the best boxer in the world, he says it because it's basic marketing and inflammatory. The old adage any publicity is good publicity is true in this world and gets social media talking. This ensures he has a line of opponents waiting for him to pick and until the world gets tired of it instead of just complaining it will go on. People tune in to see him lose like they did Mayweather. Mayweather remained undefeated, time will tell if Jake Paul can do this too.
Conclusion
Boxing isn't better than MMA and MMA isn't better than boxing. It's subjective, not objective. Enjoy whatever combat sport you want or enjoy both even, it's your life. Who will come out on top in an MMA VS: Boxing fight is entirely reliant on the ruleset and venue whether it's an octagon or a ring. There is a reason why Mayweather only teased a move to MMA and that's now been almost 7 years with no updates. There's a reason why Jake Paul has wrestling experience but will likely never move onto MMA. He has dedicated the past 7 years to boxing and nothing else from a sport standpoint so of course this specificity will help him win boxing matches under boxing rules. Mike Perry was a good test by comparison to his previous competition but until there is a hybrid set of rules or an outright MMA match it's hard to say where Jake Paul stands as a "fighter". As a boxer, he's going to have to face actual boxers at his weight class, similar to his experience level, etc. etc. but once again that's not his goal and I don't blame him for doing that because he only wants money fights or fights to get people talking that have no chance of occurring like Alex Pereira. In the meantime and now knowing this the conversation about this isn't going to stop anytime soon. Armed with better information and some history though, we can see where this logically goes next.
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