5 UFC stars who should consider switching to boxing

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Francis Ngannou (left), Eric Nicksick (right) [Image Courtesy: @francisngannou on Instagram]

Boxing has been labelled as somewhat of a dying sport lately, especially when compared to the rise of the UFC. However, the sport continues to produce big pay-per-view events despite its apparent shortcomings.

This is in part due to promotions such as Triller and Showtime putting on events in which athletes and celebrities from outside the world of boxing step into the ring. The most notable current examples are of course the Paul brothers, who have had remarkable success since transitioning from YouTube to boxing.

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A slightly older example is that of former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who faced off against Floyd Mayweather in 2016. The event was immensely successful, resulting in both McGregor and Mayweather being paid millions.

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There are, of course, legitimate boxing stars who can still turn the needle, with Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder's recent trilogy fight testimony to this. However, if there are any UFC fighters who have aspirations of one day crossing over to boxing from MMA, now is the perfect time.

In the following list, we break down five UFC fighters who should potentially consider switching to boxing at some point in their careers. Honorable mentions go to Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway and Stipe Miocic.

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#5. Rose Namajunas - UFC strawweight

The number five pick goes to the current UFC strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas. A long-time pupil of one of the best coaches in the game, Trevor Wittman, Namajunas has some of the best striking in the entire UFC.

In the early days of her career, Namajunas was primarily known for her high level Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as well as a variety of taekwondo-based kicks. However, since training with Wittman, 'Thug Rose's boxing has come on exponentially.

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UFC 251: Andrade v Namajunas

Namajunas recently told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that if the money was right, she would seriously consider a crossover to boxing.

She stated that:

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“You know, I love boxing – I definitely [would box] if the money was there, you know, that would be cool. That’d be cool. We could try it out."

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