5 stars who you might not know who tried MMA

#3 Ray Mercer

Ray Mercer fought Lennox Lewis in boxing before making the move into MMA in 2009

Most MMA fans have seen former boxing champion James Toney’s foray into MMA, as it came on the highest stage – the UFC – as he was quickly choked out by the legendary former UFC champion Randy Couture. Fewer fans have likely seen the lone professional MMA fight of another former Heavyweight boxing champion from the 90’s – ‘Merciless’ Ray Mercer.

Mercer won an Olympic gold medal at the 1988 games in Seoul and went on to become one of the more successful Heavyweights of the 90’s, fighting the likes of Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and in 1991 he won the WBO Heavyweight title by defeating Tommy Morrison. By the late 90’s though he was clearly past his prime and retirement seemed to beckon.

A boxing comeback in 2001 saw him earn a fight with Wladimir Klitschko, but he was defeated easily and looked every inch of his 40 years old. So it came as a surprise when he decided to move into the world of MMA in 2007, and lost an amateur bout to a pre-Elite XC Kimbo Slice. It was even more surprising when he was matched with former UFC champion Tim Sylvia in his first professional fight.

The fight was initially supposed to be fought under hybrid rules, but in the end, full MMA rules were used. Incredibly, it didn’t matter as Mercer scored a stunning 9-second knockout in the first round, countering a low kick with a crushing right hand that knocked Sylvia unconscious. This was Mercer’s only professional MMA fight but it remains one of the biggest upsets in the sport, and practically ended Sylvia’s career as a top-level MMA fighter.