Oleksandr Usyk appears serious about his desire to compete in MMA, but one top coach is not sure it’s a good idea.
Usyk has established himself as a pound-for-pound great in the sport of boxing, where his illustrious career has included undisputed title reigns in two weight classes.
The 38-year-old’s resume is a who’s who of stars at this point, with wins over the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and Tony Bellew contributing to a perfect 24-0 pro record.
It’s clear that Usyk is at the back end of his career, but that does not mean ‘The Cat’ is without ongoing ambitions. One is to try his hand at a different sport, and Usyk’s back-and-forth with Jake Paul has seemingly opened the door to a possible MMA bout.
Fedor Emelianenko’s striking coach says Oleksandr Usyk wouldn’t last a minute against a ‘basic wrestler’
Almost three years after Paul signed with the PFL and announced his intention to add MMA to his polarizing combat sports career, he is still yet to compete inside the cage.
Although Paul is gearing up to box Gervonta Davis in an exhibition and also has his sights on Anthony Joshua, the Cleveland native has also called out Usyk for an MMA showdown.
Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, Fedor Emelianenko’s longtime striking coach, Alexander Michkov, assessed Usyk’s potential crossover to the cage. The trainer gave a grim outlook for the Ukrainian star, suggesting that even a “basic” wrestler would be able to finish him almost immediately.
“Considering Usyk’s age, I think he has no place in MMA,” Michkov said.
“If his opponent is a boxer, then obviously Oleksandr has a better chance to win. But if it’s even a kickboxer, he’s gonna have troubles.
“It would be impressive if Usyk could last a minute against a basic wrestler,” he added.
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Jake Paul predicted to fight much older opponent than Oleksandr Usyk for his MMA debut
One former title challenger appears to disagree with Michkov’s take.
While talk continues to pick up regarding an MMA bout between Paul and Usyk, Dan Hardy thinks the ex-Disney star will pursue a more comfortable first foray into the cage. Hardy expects Paul to choose an opponent older than Usyk, despite the Ukrainian’s “legitimate” interest in competing inside the cage.
“I know for a fact that Usyk is interested, like legitimately interested in fighting in MMA and he’s the kind of person, he’s eccentric enough to have a wrestling skillset or he’s like a brown belt in, something like that,” Hardy told Bloody Elbow.
“He seems like an interesting person who would take to MMA very well. The downside to Jake Paul, though, is unless his wrestling is up to par, that’s a horrible fight for him in boxing or mixed martial arts.
“Usyk’s a smart guy with great footwork, he’s ambidextrous, I think he would be a problem in mixed martial arts,” Hardy continued. “I think if we see Jake Paul, he’s gonna be fighting someone that’s well into their 40s if it’s an MMA fight.”