The grandson of Muhammad Ali is confident that his grandpa would have been an outstanding mixed martial arts (MMA) champion.
The grandson of one of the greatest boxers of all time opted to fight after a successful high school football career, but he chose to compete in mixed martial arts rather than boxing. He now holds a 2-1 record as an amateur.
On PFL 2 media day, prior to his second Professional Fighters League (PFL) debut, on Friday, versus Isaiah Figueroa inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. Biaggio Ali Walsh, who is 24 years old, was asked about his thoughts on a hypothetical fight between Jon Jones and Ali and whether or not he believes his renowned grandfather would have been successful in mixed martial arts.
“I think just his mentality alone would take him very far,” Ali Walsh told reporters. “You know, if he obviously wrestled, did jiu-jitsu, and did all these other things that are pretty much required for MMA, I think he’d do great. Jon Jones actually looked up to him, as far as mentality and stuff like that. So, if Muhammad Ali was an MMA fighter and he was fighting against Jon Jones, it’d be a great fight because they both have that mentality. So yeah, I think he’d hold up pretty well.”
Although Muhammad Ali didn’t see the opportunity to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA), it is likely that he already has. In 1976, he competed against Antonio Inoki, the world heavyweight wrestling champion from Japan, for which he was paid a significant sum of money.
Although it was a stupid yet legendary bout, many people consider it to be the event that began mixed martial arts.