Is Dana White Right to Say Fury Won’t Succeed in the UFC?
Tyson Fury is a larger-than-life character with an instantly recognizable style that brought some charisma back into boxing.
In 2015 he won the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles and in doing so catapulted himself to instant stardom. He’s had his struggles since then but has recently bounced back as explosively as he first arrived.
He’s even turned his hand to WWE Wrestling, recently appearing in a battle with Braun Strowman and later being one of the stars flown out of Saudi Arabia on a chartered jet after their commercial flights were grounded.
He’s now looking to turn his hand to mixed martial arts, something that has not impressed Dana White, the UFC president.
“If Tyson Fury wants to fight in MMA, I’ve got a ton of guys that would love to fight him. I just don’t know why,” said White. “Promoted the right way, [Fury] could be a part of 3 or 4 of the biggest fights in heavyweight [boxing] history. Why come over and get smashed when you could stay there?”
It’s a fair point to make; Fury is hot property in the boxing world, not only because of his fabulous victory over Vladimir Klitschko but also the way he made a remarkable comeback after relinquishing his title, including a comfortable win in his most recent fight again Otto Wallin. A preview of the fight by bwin Boxing reported how the Gypsy King went into that fight undefeated, with his victory over the Swede carrying on that streak.
Does that streak mean he’s ready for MMA? Whilst White believes not, there is evidence to suggest that Fury could thrive in a more brutal environment. He’s fought bare-knuckle in his early days and Talksport claims he even challenged Deontay Wilder to a bare-knuckle fight in New York this year.
Whilst he’s a brawler who can soak up pain, the big question mark would be over his speed and grappling. Whilst he gave WWE a decent show, he was cumbersome in some of the faster moves and that was in a scripted, pre-planned show. The Express reveals some WWE fans found it hard to watch as Fury looked to apply his talent in unfamiliar surroundings. How would he deal with the range of skills presented by Stipe Miocic?
White shouldn’t be playing down Fury’s desire to enter UFC though, because from a commercial point of view he’d be a big draw. He’s a one-man publicity machine – he wears clothes that catch the eye, says words that capture attention and makes statements that draw in fans. His WWE stint might have cast doubts over his ring ability, but it raised his profile massively in the U.S.
That’s exactly what the showman will crave – that and another shot at Deontay Wilder. This latest development ensures that he’s still in the spotlight here in the U.S and will continue to be if he keeps pulling clever publicity stunts.
Who knows, given his remarkable record since returning to the ring, the Gypsy King might just thrive in a more brutal test of his endurance.
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