Dan Hardy Backs Tyson Fury’s Chances In MMA

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy believes Tyson Fury would have little issue making a successful transition from boxing to mixed martial arts.

This past weekend, Fury cemented his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights to ever lace the gloves. He did so by dismantling Dillian Whyte in front of over 90,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium.

After utilizing his jab to great effect in the first five rounds, “The Gypsy King” closed the show in the sixth with a thunderous uppercut.

While many hoped a Fury victory would lead to a future unification showdown against the victor of the upcoming rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, Fury appeared to announce his retirement post-fight and looks set to shift his attention to other areas of combat sports.

While a previous venture to professional wrestling has brought that up as an option, a crossover collision with UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou is leading the way, especially after the pair stood face-to-face in the ring following the Englishman’s recent triumph.

One former UFC star believes Fury could also successfully make his way to the MMA cage.

Hardy: There’s a “Fighting Skill” In The Fury Family

During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Dan Hardy assessed talk of a Ngannou vs. Fury superfight.

After suggesting “The Gypsy King” would have the edge across practically every discipline, from kickboxing to a hybrid-rules fight, “The Outlaw” went as far as to give Fury a chance in an MMA bout with “The Predator.”

According to Hardy, Fury has the fighting skills and fundamentals to find success in the broader form of combat seen in mixed martial arts. Citing his training with UFC middleweight Darren Till, Hardy suggested a crossover to MMA could be very fruitful for Fury.

“There aren’t many rulesets in which Ngannou really causes Tyson too many problems in my opinion,” said Hardy. “I think if this is MMA, then he can’t underestimate how good Tyson Fury is as a fighter, not as a boxer. When you allow someone that’s got a natural fighting instinct to use their elbows and knees, I think he’s gonna be just as dangerous… That uppercut on Dillian Whyte could have quite easily been followed up by an elbow (in MMA).

“You’ve seen Tyson hitting pads with Darren Till. Darren’s spoken very highly about his striking skills anyway,” Hardy continued. “You speak to John Fury, his father, and that man’s a street fighter through and through… There’s definitely a fighting skill in that family that would transfer to mixed martial arts… I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Tyson step into MMA.”

Should Fury truly be finished with professional boxing and defending his championships, it would seem that the world is his oyster. From pro wrestling to MMA, “The Gypsy King” could have his pick of the bunch in the coming months and years.

Wherever he ventures moving forward, it seems some form of a bout with Ngannou is on his immediate radar.

How do you think Tyson Fury would fare in mixed martial arts?

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