Anthony Joshua Humbled By Paddy Pimblett – Gets ‘Choked Out’

“So I control your wrist and my other arm comes around your head and I put my chin over it and I just (squeeze),” Pimblett

“And it goes tighter? That’s mad isn’t it? If you done that properly I reckon I could get out. That’s the first time I’ve been in the cage, I just said to myself, this ain’t for me,” Joshua

The Reality

Joshua’s success against Ngannou in their boxing match shows the problem, as it occurred under boxing rules where Ngannou was stripped of his primary weapons: wrestling, clinching, and ground-and-pound. The crossover success was a win for boxing, not an indication of Joshua’s versatility. In contrast, MMA is a complete ruleset that demands proficiency in four distinct areas: striking, wrestling, clinching, and submissions.

Top MMA heavyweights, such as Jon Jones or Curtis Blaydes, possess high-level wrestling and BJJ skills developed over decades. To become competitive, Joshua would have to dedicate years to developing these skills, a time investment that is prohibitive for a boxer in his physical prime, making the transition to elite MMA practically impossible. However, that has not stopped fighters such as Deontay Wilder calling for an MMA fight against Ngannou.

“I’m still interested in that fight; I would love to do that one in Africa. I know he’s (Ngannou) doing his own thing, I’m proud of him for following his heart, doing what he feels. I’m very interested in it, let’s do it man. Two big, black superheroes. I even thought about this idea: Let’s make it a two-fight deal. Everybody always comes to boxing, let’s do this: You come to my (sport), I’ll come to yours. You come to my house, I’ll come to yours. I’m a true warrior. I’m serious about that, too. I wanna do something different since everybody doing this crossover between combat sports,” Wilder said