There is no doubt that boxing and MMA are not for regular people; it require blood and sweat, not metaphorically but in reality. However, there is a long-running debate in combat sports about which is more brutal—MMA or Boxing. Talking about it on the Joe Rogan Podcast, the former UFC champion Daniel Cormier himself shared his thoughts. And surprisingly, he believes that boxing is far more brutal than MMA.
Daniel Cormier recently appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience. Where the highlight of the conversation was his insights on the interesting comparison between Boxing and MMA. DC in the recent JRE surprised many by claiming Boxing is more dangerous. He explained;
“People always kinda scoff at me when I say boxing is more dangerous than MMA. ‘Oh, how could you say that when they’re only boxing and they can’t jump on you when you hit on the ground when you fall.’ I said I would argue with you that that’s safer than you knocking me out bang. My body, which is trained for my whole life to get up gets up. They count to 8 or 9 and they say go fight more when I’m still concussed.”
Furthermore, he added that in boxing, despite getting hit so hard and knocked out, boxers still continue to fight, taking more damage until they are out cold. However, in MMA, fighters, when knocked out, get on the downed fighter and follow up with some shots, and the fight is over. DC believes that, as boxing provides recovery time after which fighters receive more damage, it makes the sport more brutal.
Subsequently, he gives an example of his fight against Stipe Miocic where DC knocked him out and then followed with some shots and got the win. DC says that was equivalent to what Deontay Wilder did when knocking out Tyson Fury. However, as ‘The Gypsy King’ had recovery time, he got up and still fought the match, unlike MMA where fighters get the win. Talking about the same, Sean O’Malley once shared his thoughts.
What UFC Champ Sean O’Malley Thinks About Boxing vs MMA Debate?
Two years ago, during an appearance on the Full Send Podcast, Sean O’Malley was asked whether MMA is more brutal than boxing, given past calls to ban the promotion for its perceived brutality. O’Malley echoed DC’s sentiments, stating that boxing is more dangerous due to the 8-second counts, where the boxer has to continue fighting, resulting in more brain damage.
Indeed, in the past, we have witnessed many boxers suffering brutal injuries. And tragically, some have even lost their lives. However, as of now, we haven’t seen any incidents in MMA that are as brutal. Given the extensive experience of DC and O’Malley in the sports, both having been champions, their assertion that boxing is more dangerous is not illogical.
