5 current UFC fighters who can do better than Logan Paul against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match
Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather went eight full rounds in a much-hyped boxing bout in Florida. While Paul did surprise many experts and analysts after lasting until the whole fight, he could not defeat Mayweather as he had predicted earlier. In fact, even at 44 years of age and facing an opponent with 35 pounds on his side, 'Money' Mayweather was able to cruise through the fight comfortably.
Logan Paul claims to be a trained boxer. While he predicted he was going to hit Floyd Mayweather "with the hardest hook he's ever felt in his life," Floyd stayed unfazed. However, it was still surprising to see the "YouTuber" last so long against "The Best Ever" inside the boxing ring.
It begs the question: can Floyd Mayweather ever be defeated? While trying to figure that out may not be possible, we can still try and point to fighters who can give the former champ a hard time inside the ring.
On that note, let's take a look at five UFC fighters who can do better than Logan Paul against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match.
#5 - Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal is one of the biggest legends in MMA when it comes to handing out left-right combinations. In addition, he also has one of the strongest chins perhaps in all of combat sports. In an MMA career of 50 matches that has spanned over nearly two decades, he has been knocked out only twice.
'Gamebred' started his career with street fights under the famous MMA personality Kimbo Slice. While his 5-second knockout against Ben Askren is considered one of the most brutal finishes ever, he has also displayed excellent boxing IQ time and again.
Masvidal TKO'd Nate Diaz for the BMF title at UFC 244 after landing 112 significant strikes with a 62.6% efficiency, forcing the cage-side doctor to stop the fight. If presented with an opportunity to enter the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather, Jorge Masvidal would definitely do better than Logan Paul.
#4 - Dustin Poirier
Along with possessing a jiu-jitsu black belt, Dustin Poirier is a highly skilled boxer, something that he has proven by winning numerous Fight of the Night awards in his MMA career. 'The Diamond' has often used classic boxing combinations to hurt his opponents and finish them.
Out of 27 wins in his MMA career, Dustin Poirier has secured 13 KO/TKO wins. His most recent display of boxing IQ was against Conor McGregor at UFC 257, where he became the first to knock out 'The Notorious'.
Thanks to his crafty striking game, Dustin Poirier has knocked out some of the best fighters in the UFC, including Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez. Going against Floyd Mayweather, who is considered the best boxer of the current era, Dustin Poirier will most certainly overshadow Logan Paul.
#3 - Max Holloway
Max Holloway is arguably the best boxer in the UFC and most certainly in the featherweight division. Of the 22 wins he has secured in his MMA career, ten are knockouts (nine in the UFC).
While Max Holloway could use a little more power, he more than makes up for it with his high-volume striking. Over the years, he has knocked out some of the best MMA fighters, with triumphs over Charles Oliveira, Anthony Pettis and Brian Ortega standing out. He also KO'd one of the all-time great featherweights, Jose Aldo, in back-to-back fights in 2017.
In his most recent outing, Max Holloway faced Calvin Kattar and rained down record-breaking strikes on his opponent for five full rounds. In the fight, Holloway set the UFC record for the most significant strikes landed, most distance strikes landed and most head strikes landed, among other things.
On top of that, Max Holloway has never been knocked out in his MMA career. He would make an excellent stylistic match-up for Floyd Mayweather, who is also a great defensive fighter. The height and weight difference would be much closer than what it was with Logan Paul.
#2 - Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in MMA. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion is also known for his world-class boxing skills. He is a former Golden Gloves boxing champion.
Stipe Miocic's record for most consecutive title defenses (three) and most title defenses (four) is a result of his combination of superior boxing IQ and advanced wrestling. Out of 20 wins in his MMA career, Miocic has 15 knockouts.
He has knocked out some of the most seasoned MMA fighters like Daniel Cormier, Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem.
Since Stipe Miocic is taller and heavier than Logan Paul, he would dominate Floyd Mayweather much more than the "YouTuber" did.
#1 - Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather in 2017 and lost the bout after 10 rounds via TKO. 'The Notorious' makes it to the top of this list despite losing against Mayweather. After losing against Floyd Mayweather, McGregor said:
"I smoked him in the early rounds, I was pretty handily whooping him in the early rounds.. and then he changed his story, he put his hands up and came down low. And I didn't anticipate that, he threw me off. It was just a composure issue, from a skill level, I felt alright in there. It was really close."
After going toe-to-toe for 10 rounds against Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor will have a better understanding of the boxing great's gameplay. It would make him better equipped to enter the boxing ring against 'Money' once again and have a better chance at beating him.
Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather were supposed to go for a rematch in 2021, but the possibilities fizzled after 'The Notorious' lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. Mayweather said after McGregor's loss:
"Just know, that bum will never be me or be on my level. I’m just built different, my mindset is on another planet, my skills are second to none, I’m a natural born winner and yes I talk a lot of trash, but every time I back it up."