Former boxing champion Tyson Fury shared his interest in dabbling in mixed martial arts and was invited to train by former UFC champion Conor McGregor, but UFC president Dana White doesn’t seem to believe that is the smartest decision for the 6-foot-9 heavyweight.
White was discussing Fury potentially crossing over to MMA when he warned the boxing star about what would happen if he stepped into the cage.
As far as White is concerned, Fury would get smashed if he attempted to compete in MMA.
“Tyson Fury is a very marketable heavyweight; I believe he’s one of the best in the world, the top four right now,” White said, via TMZ Sports. “He’s an incredible fighter, and promoted the right way, could be a part of three or four of the biggest fights in heavyweight history. Why come over here and get smashed?”
“Tyson Fury, your time is now. You’re the man in boxing. You’re one of the top four guys in the world in boxing. Why even think about coming over here?”
That said, if Fury ignored White’s advice and was adamant about competing in the UFC, White says he has plenty of heavyweights on the roster who would love to welcome the boxer to mixed martial arts.
“Listen, anything is possible,” White said. “If Tyson Fury wants to fight in MMA, I got a ton of guys that would love to fight him. I just don’t know why. I can’t wrap my head around why, and I shouldn’t be saying – I should be saying, ‘Oh, yeah, we love Tyson Fury. Bring him over,’ and all this (expletive), but now I’m looking at both sports. Three years ago, before I was looking at boxing, I’d be like, ‘Oh, yeah, send me Tyson Fury. I love it.'”
Fury’s professional record in boxing is 29-0-1 with 20 wins by knockout.
Whether he ever steps into the cage remains to be seen, but if Dana White sees an opportunity to bring in the cash then it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t seriously consider offering the boxer a bout. After all, we all remember James Toney, right?
