UFC News: Hall of Famer backs Tyson Fury to be a formidable force in the UFC
Tyson Fury is a busy man these days. The Gypsy King got a solid payday from his short stint with the WWE recently, but he isn't content with just pro wrestling.
Fury also has his sights set on potentially branching out into a career in MMA. The Heavyweight Boxing Champion has made his intentions clear of possibly going toe-to-toe with the top contenders in the UFC's heavyweight division, such as Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou.
Michael Bisping believes that Fury has a realistic chance of succeeding in MMA.
Bisping opened up on Fury possibly competing inside the Octagon on the Believe You Me podcast. The former UFC Middleweight Champion explained how the promotion could book Fury in a few tune-up fights before pushing him against more established opponents.
There aren't many people who expect Fury to overcome the grapplers in the UFC but Bisping added that the UFC matchmakers can play it smart if the boxing standout does end up giving MMA a shot.
“Absolutely he could. I truly believe that if you matched him up correctly. Cause there is some good wrestlers like Stipe, for one. He outwrestled Ngannou, Ngannou’s been doing MMA longer than Fury so you’d think he’d outwrestle Fury as well. That just goes without saying, really. And they’re not gonna give Tyson Fury a title fight right off the bat anyway. But then you’ve got other guys. I mean Cormier’s gonna be done soon.”
He added:
"If Tyson Fury was to come over, I’m not gonna say the word ‘groom,’ but they would stagger his matchups and give him logical matchups.”
According to Bisping, Fury fits the current era of MMA, which is all also about entertainment and fight promotion. Fury is a proven trash talker, who has all the charisma in the world to be a marketable mixed martial artist and a big draw for Dana White and co.
"Listen, look at the UFC. People call it the entertainment era and Fury ties into that perfectly. The guy can talk, he can talk s*** for days. He’s very, very funny. He can put people down, he sings on the microphone. Not only is he the heavyweight champion of the world but he’s also massively charismatic. He’s an absolute huge star and if he can come over, win a couple of fights and then get a title fight, for the UFC that’s big business. That’d be a massive, massive pay-per-view.” H/t Credit: BJPenn
Tyson Fury is expected to take on Deontay Wilder again in the first half of 2020 and it may be some time until we see the Manchester-born giant swap the boxing ring for the Octagon.
The 31-year-old boxer was recently seen sparring with Darren Till which fueled speculation of a possible transition to MMA. That, and the fact that Fury has called out many UFC Heavyweights in the past makes us believe that he may actually jump over to the brutal world of Mixed Martial Arts sometime in the future.