Found May 06, 2009 on MMAFrenzy:
PLAYERS: Anderson Silva

Professional boxer Roy Jones Jr., in his latest attempt to organize a fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, has offered to fight “The Spider” in the UFC octagon instead of the boxing ring, but UFC President Dana White has nixed the contest. “You won’t see a Silva versus Jones fight while Silva is under contract [...]

22 Comments:
  • roy jones is a great boxer no doubt but can he fight in the octagon? this is what everyone would like to know, ive seen roy jones KO so many people in the ring but in the octagon it may be different, guess we'll never know.
  • i agree at 85% The only thing i disagree or have a different opinion on is that we don't need to see it to know he would get the beating of his life. (Jones would) MMA encompasses all fight sports & techniques including boxing. it's like trying to buid a house only with a hammer when another guy has a complete tool box!
  • I can't say I blame Dana on this one,if something freakish happen,we will never here the end of it .
  • Yeah,that's not in the best interest for the sport of MMA,if either athlete got hurt it would opening the flood gates for negative press and criticism,and Dana White is doing the right thing and as for Roy Jones Jr. why would you even think about entering the octagon? From what I have seen of Anderson Silva,dude is a problem..
  • yup if roy jones wants to enter the octagon he should have to start in a lower league against a lesser opponent. In my opinion, it's not fair to the contenders working hard for a guy life roy jones to leap frog them for a shot at silva. I respect dana white for not comporomising the integrity of the UFC for a few bucks
  • [not displayed: comment from locked account]
  • Obviously he's intimidated by what Jones has done in the past. I also think he's somewhat intimidated by what he might do to Silva. Remember very serious injuries have happened from boxing due to excessive blows to the head, these guys punch and punch and punch, obviously more then any UFC fighter and can punch harder and faster. I think Jones with a set of grappling gloves as oppose to boxing gloves is too much to risk for a big money making main event. He's worried about Silva, which is the reason for Dana's low blow defense.
  • either you are kidding or you haven't got a clue....Roy jones would get the beating of his life and Dana has done the right thing by not compromising the sport. Imagine the bad publicity for MMA if Something Happened to Roy Jones. Which certainly would get hurt.
    No doubt jones was a great boxer but MMA is a totally different ball game & Jones being past his prime would certainly get injured or worse. nobody would win in the end!
  • You obviously aren't even considering the knockout power behind Jones which I think is more than enough to rattle Silva's dome, and Dana mentions how he wants to leave match-ups like that for pride and other leagues, then why did he allow a former WWE wrestler into the octagon. Its was purely a move to attract more viewers to the sport, maybe even sway those die hard wrestling fans from there sport they love. Regardless he deserves a fight in UFC and you have no idea what a fighter like him can do against an opponent like Silva. It is something you would have to see to call. Remember boxers injure people badly not just break a bone or something, that's the argument he would turn Silva's brain to mashed taters if he ever mounted him or stood toe to toe.
  • Forget breaking down the non-match-up. The real question in all this is, who would stand to gain more by participating in such an event? The answer is Roy Jones Jr. who understands that boxing is dying and that he has much to gain from reinventing himself. White is wisely turning down the fight, because he knows UFC and MMA have the advantage.
  • If Roy wants to seriously compete he should do what Oscar de la Hoya is doing. Get a group of investors and start up and promote simular boxing/ MMA venues. Days inside the ring are over the problem is no World Champion Boxer hasn't seen a ring they didn't love. Besides dude ran his business dealings very well during his career up to now. I dont see why doing business behind the scenes wouldn't be successful as well.
  • Please!!!!!! If Dana White let Silva fight, a real fighter, one who has trained damn near his whole life. If he let them fight, we would all see the reality of the crap we have been fed by mixed martial arts hype. Dudes who've been fighting in the back yard against roid using punks.Let's be real, Most flyweights would beat down half the UFC fighters.

    Lets Keep it real
  • You definately no NOTHING about MMA!
  • Oh Keybrite, where shall I start your education? Let's dismantle your first myth that Mixed Martial Artists are backyard brawlers. Former Pride champion and current UFC MIddleweight contender Dan Henderson is a 2-time U.S. Olympian in Greco-Roman Wrestling; UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion; Legend Fedor Emelianenko has multiple National Championships in his native Russia's national sport of Sambo.
    I could go on-and-on, but the point is they all appear to be world-class athletes to me.
    Ironically your second myth can be dismantled courtesy of a "backyard brawler": If you recall it took Kimbo Slice 74 seconds to submit former WBO Heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oihc7Rmfp0U)
    The case file regarding boxers vs. Mixed-Martial Artists is still being built, but your argument that "most flyweights would beat down half the UFC" is hardly legitimate.
  • now here's a guy who knows his sport! WAY TO GO CHAMP!!!!
  • This is the biggest pipe dream I have ever heard of. Roy, please take the advice of the boxing community and retire from all combat sports. He is 40 years old and has a family. He suffered through two vicious back to back KO's (and they were no joke). I don't even think an athletic commission would allow him to fight in a MMA event. Roy is a Hall of Famer, it would be nice to hear him talk about it. Below are some videos of KO's which should have ended his career. I would even discourage a straight out boxing match between the two.
  • Does this look like a guy who needs to take anymore blows to the head?


  • If that didn't convince you, then what about this. His very next fight! MAKE SURE TO WATCH IT TILL THE VERY END!


  • Dana is 100% right here. I obviously don't know Roy, but after seeing what has happened to other fighters, I would hate to see him get seriously hurt. Call it my attempt at caring for mankind.
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