Boxing vs UFC: The Biggest All-Time Bouts

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should know that last summer, on 26th August, the world bore witness to the clash between two of fighting’s biggest egos in the city of Las Vegas. It was the highest earning fight of the century. American Boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr came out of retirement to battle the notorious Irish MMA fighter, Conor McGregor. McGregor put up a good fight, but it was 40-year-old Mayweather who walked out of the ring victorious in the tenth round.

The fight saw the collision of two totally different fighting sports which inspired us to put together this infographic. Which do you think are the biggest boxing and UFC fights ever to hit your screen? And how do they compare against each other? These are the ten most notable fights in history.

Biggest Boxing Fights

Back in September 1999, Oscar de la Hoya took on Felix Trinidad in what was dubbed the fight of the millennium. The bout unified the WBC and IBF’s World Welterweight championships. It looked as if Trinidad was the loser during the course of the twelve rounds. However, it was he who came out on top and clinched de la Hoya’s World Boxing Council title. The fight set the pay-per-view (PPV) record for a non-heavyweight fight until it was broken by De La Hoya vs Mayweather on May 5, 2007. It set the record for millions of buys, the most in boxing history until that was surpassed by the Mayweather vs Pacquiao match in 2015. Check out our infographic for all the stats and figures of these huge fights.

The Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield was a legendary fight! The two had fought several months earlier in Las Vegas in 1997. Despite being a former champion, Holyfield was an underdog after a poor display in his recent fights. He surprised Tyson by controlling the bout and knocking him down in the sixth round. In the eleventh round, the referee decided to stop the fight, giving Holyfield an upset victory. Holyfield was yet again regarded as the underdog entering the rematch on 28th June, however, was quick to dominate the first three rounds. Check out the infographic to find out what happened and what was so memorable about this match – we will give you a hint; it’s infamously referred to as ‘The Bite Fight’. You can win a lot of money by betting on boxing. There are many of big fights lined up this November, but Wilder v Stiverne is definitely one not to miss.

From Rings to Octagons: Biggest UFC Fights

After landing a Nike and Gatorade sponsorship, everyone thought Jon Jones was unbeatable, until his match against Alexander Gustafsson. The Swede surprised the world by giving his opponent the toughest fight of his life. The bout took place in Toronto where Jones was clearly the favourite to win with the odds at 6 to 1 in his favour. Gustafsson could match Jones in reach and length like no other man before him which created an even playing field and was immediately evident when the two men began throwing punches and kicks in the octagon. The indestructible Jones didn’t look so indestructible anymore. Did Gustafsson get the better of him in the end? Find out from our infographic. What are the odds of your favourite MMA fighter beating his upcoming competition? We can show you how you can bet on the outcome of each round on SBO.net.

Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard’s second battle for the UFC Lightweight championship took place on New Year’s Day in 2011 and is to this day considered the greatest lightweight of the year by the World MMA awards and one of the most memorable fights in recent UFC history. The two had their first meeting in 2008 which Maynard won by decision. Both fighters were undefeated in the matches leading up to this bout. Both fighters have similar backgrounds having competed in amateur wrestling prior to making a move to MMA. Edgar challenged Maynard for their New Year’s Day bout which resulted in a controversial decision. Find out from our infographic who emerged from the octagon a winner.

But which blood match earned the most from pay-per-views? We compare the two sports below.

About the author

Eric Roberts

Sports Journalist

Eric has been a sports journalist for over 20 years and has travelled the world covering top sporting events for a number of publications. He also has a passion for betting and uses his in-depth knowledge of the sports world to pinpoint outstanding odds and value betting opportunities.