MMA and boxing are two of the most popular combat sports in the world.

However, both sports are worlds apart with one being practiced for centuries and the other has only been around since the 90’s.

What is the difference between Boxing and MMA?

MMA is a mixed martial art which is fought in an octagon cage with five minute rounds and has very few rules. On the other hand, boxing is fought in a boxing ring with 3 minute rounds and only punches are allowed.

The gloves are also quite different. Professional MMA gloves are a lot smaller than boxing gloves and have an open palm with full use of your fingers. Professional boxing gloves are a fully closed glove with more padding over the knuckles.

Many fight fans dispute which one is better for as well as which is more popular and which makes them a better fighter too.

However, to be an MMA fighter you need to have very good boxing skills as well as other techniques.

But, would an MMA fighter beat a Boxer?

In any fight, the grit and determination of the fighter should be exactly the same.

In the end, it all comes down to the individual fighter. For instance, if an MMA fighter has all the moves up his sleeve, but still walks onto a boxers right hand it’s game over and vice versa.

One example of these two sports colliding is the fight between Conor Mcgregor vs Floyd Mayweather.

The favourite was always going to be Floyd Mayweather as it was his discipline and in his town too. As the MMA fighter was only able to use his hands, this showed he could nearly go the distance with one of, if not the, best pound-for-pound boxer ever.

The fight was generally one-sided but Mcgregor did prove he could still land some shots. So, in this case, the boxer wins.

Who would win if it was an MMA fight in Ireland?

The UFC is the biggest promotion in the world with a total of 42 events just in 2019, whereas Matchroom boxing may only hold a few per year.

The UFC continues to run regularly, whereas Matchroom is looking to put on super fights with the likes of Anthony Joshua.

Anthony Joshua has been by far one of the biggest names in boxing for years. Being from the UK, which is just a small island compared to America, his last fight still generated 1.6 million pay per views.

So, demographically, it is very difficult to compare the numbers in both boxing and MMA. It simply boils down to the popularity of the fighter themselves.

How does Boxing Compare to MMA in Views?

Mayweather vs Pacquiao 4.6 million pay per views.

Mayweather vs Mcgregor 4.3 million pay per views.

UFC 249 Mcgregor vs Khaib 2. 4 million pay per views.

Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz 1.6 million pay per views.

Do MMA fighters earn more than boxers?

This, again like above, is really dependent on the fighter themselves. Take a lok at the statistics below for some insight into the pay packets of fighters.

Khabib earned £4.7 in his last fight in the UFC 242.

Anthony Joshua earned over £40 million against Andy Ruiz in the rematch.

Mayweather earned a staggering 275 million when he fought Mcgregor. This wasn’t just for his purse though, as he runs the boxing promotion Golden Boy Promotions.

As you can see, the top level boxer will earn more than the top level MMA fighter. But from the grass roots both sports, promotions can pay both MMA and boxers just hundreds of pounds per fight.

Which is better: Is MMA better than boxing?

Well, that really is dependent on what you prefer really! MMA might be your cup of tea, but so might boxing.

Being two of the most popular sports in the world, both MMA and boxing can stand the test of time in terms of their popularity, skills needed to fight and pay too.

At the end of the day, both MMA and boxing are great sports and should be recognised individually for their merits.