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I was going to make fun of Bob Arum for believing you can win a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight by way of pinfall, but honestly, the guy is 88 years old and still bouncing around Las Vegas as one of the top promoters in boxing.
I’ll be happy to get to 88 without diapers.
Still, I couldn’t help but laugh when Arum deconstructed a possible MMA fight between Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) multi-weight attraction, Conor McGregor, and decorated boxing phenom, Terence Crawford.
“Terence Crawford will do McGregor in the Octagon, and then three months later they can do it in the boxing ring,” Arum told Little Giant Boxing (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “Crawford is a really tough dude who has a wrestling background, so it’s not like a guy like Mayweather who’s just a great boxer and would be lost, pretty much, in the Octagon. I wouldn’t be surprised if Crawford pins McGregor in an MMA fight. I really mean that. I think Crawford’s a better wrestler than McGregor is.”
McGregor made headlines in the “sweet science” after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in summer 2017, a performance that was good enough to warrant a return to the boxing ring. Potential opponents have ranged from Manny Pacquiao to Paulie Malignaggi.
Boxing has sent representatives to the Octagon with similar results. James Toney tried to upset the combat sports apple cart back in late 2010, but the wrestling and submission game of Randy Couture ultimately prevailed.
Even without a “pin.”