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'Fighting', as an art form, is something that has been around in the world forever. For as long as can be remembered, humans have tested their strength against one another, to see which of them was more powerful.
Now, however, Combat Sports has reached a new level of popularity in the modern world.
When talking about Combat Sports, it is Mixed Martial Arts that people seem to think about more nowadays.
Boxing used to be the one-and-only accepted form of Combat Sports in the United States for a long time. While in Japan and China, there were varieties of Martial Arts, it was boxing that people paid to see in the USA. Names like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and even Floyd 'Money' Mayweather, are well known throughout the world even today.
Mixed Martial Arts, however, is a new sport in the United States when compared to Boxing. Lacking the legacy that Boxing has, it has still managed to create waves in the world of Combat Sports, and in the last decade has surged in popularity, becoming 'the' undisputed king of Combat Sports.
Given its popularity, many newcomers to the world of fight-arts are often confused about which sport to follow. The question of "Boxing vs MMA: Which is better?" -- is not a new one. In fact, over the past decade, this question has seemingly gotten more and more common.
With that in mind, in this article, we are going to take a look at the two combat forms and decide which one is better.
#1 Safety
Let's make this clear.
When you enter an Octagon, or a ring, to fight an opponent with an aim to strike him enough times to incapacitate him, or to knock him out altogether, safety is not a question that naturally comes to mind.
However, safety is an important aspect of the game.
At many points, it has been argued that MMA is a dangerous art form when it comes to combat.
Senator John McCain was recorded calling it 'Human Cockfighting' back in the day when there were no rules as such, and the fights were 'anything goes'.
Since that time, however, MMA has become highly regulated. As a point of note, it was sanctioned only in 2001 in some states and operated under a regulated environment. Since 2001, in sanctioned and unsanctioned fights, 13 fighters have passed away. (5 in sanctioned, and 8 in unsanctioned)
Fights are stopped at the discretion of the referee, whose job it is to make sure the fighters are not hurt.
Boxing has always been known to be the more regulated sport with respected athletes. Naturally, many fans expect the fights to be safer. However, here is where it gets unexpected.
The referees in boxing allow the fighters to continue if they can make it to their feet within 10 seconds.
Since the year 2000, 68 fighters have passed away in different forms of boxing.
That makes it a ratio of 3.8 deaths a year on average in boxing vs 0.7 deaths a year in Mixed Martial Arts.
Decision: MMA.
#2 Number of fights a year
Another category by which we can judge Boxing and MMA is how many fights the fighters have in a year.
Some of the best UFC fighters of all time fight as many as 2 to 3 times a year. A very active Mixed Martial Arts fighter may even take a fourth fight. However, this is a rarity, and fights are limited to 3. Despite having almost weekly events every year, this is the most number of times an average MMA fighter fights.
The Conor McGregor-age may have passed in the UFC, but it is important to note, that even he did not take too many fights in a year. He, in fact, took fewer and fewer fights as time went by.
This differs greatly from the Boxing scene. The best Boxers of all time, once they achieve their notoriety and fame, rarely take more than 3 fights a year. In this respect, they are similar to UFC and other MMA promotions.
The lower-profile fighters in boxing often take 1 fight every two months. Looking to make a name for themselves, it is not uncommon for boxers to fight as often as every 45 days in a year.
In that aspect, UFC and MMA, and Boxing vary greatly.
Decision: Boxing
#3 Purse
How much do MMA fighters make in comparison to boxers?
This is another highly debated topic to know which type of fighter makes the most amount of money.
'How much money does Floyd Mayweather have' is a common query among fans. After all; his nickname is money. He must earn a lot per fight.
In truth, he does.
However, the same cannot be said for every boxer. Not every boxing fight leads to a payday in the tens of millions, but there are several which do.
As a result, the payment to boxers is often skewed. For the top fighters in the world, their pay is beyond what athletes make in any other sport. For example, when comparing Conor McGregor's net worth to Floyd Mayweather's net worth, it is far from a fair comparison. Both were top fighters in their sport, but their pay-scale vary to a huge extent.
McGregor made more money from the Mayweather vs McGregor fight than he did throughout his MMA career.
For less prominent fighters in boxing, they still make at least as much as MMA fighters.
Decision: Boxing
#4 Types of cards
The types of cards which are designed for Boxing and MMA differ greatly.
For Boxing, the cards are usually very top heavy, and this results in overdependence on the top two fights.
Sometimes, the card is even reliant on one fight. Boxing events don't happen as frequently as MMA either.
For the Conor McGregor fight against Floyd Mayweather, it was an exhibition, and in that case, it was understandable. However, regular boxing also depends on that sort of card, with the rest of the card often not being that good.
This is very different from MMA.
A card in MMA has good fights spread all throughout. Be it the Preliminary Card or the main card, the fights are never just thrown together for the sake of it. The January 19th UFC card saw Henry Cejudo face TJ Dillashaw in the main event, but it also had Greg Hardy competing. Elsewhere Joseph Benavidez also had a fight, while in the Preliminary Card, 'Cowboy' Donald Cerrone competed as well.
Decision: MMA
#5 Fighting Style
Let's admit it.
MMA is far more entertaining than boxing when it comes to the types of fights. The length of a typical boxing fight is also far greater, with the two men jabbing at each other throughout.
The intensity of action in MMA outclasses boxing completely.
As if that was not enough, in MMA there is a mix of several different fighting styles. It is a melting pot of the Global Fight Culture, as there is a fusion of Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and other forms of Martial Arts with boxing.
Following people to the ground, while adding regulations to ensure safety makes sure the fights are both safe and entertaining.
The referees are on hand to immediately stop a fight if it is getting too dangerous for a fighter.
The rounds in MMA are short and this ensures fighters do more in less time, leading to true tests of endurance and combat abilities.
Decision: MMA
Final Decison: Boxing 2 - MMA 3 - MMA
