How would Muhammad Ali have fared in MMA?

Arguably the most celebrated sportsman of the twentieth century, Muhammad Ali revolutionized the sport of boxing. With cat-like agility, a titanium chin and the ability to switch up strategy at a moment’s notice, he was almost impossible to deal with in the ring.

Ali’s immense charisma, coupled with his fondness for poetry and remorseless approach to trash talk, made him the master of self-promotion in his day. Witty, sharp and imaginative, Ali would talk up a game like no one else could and, better yet, could nearly always back it up come bell time. Ali’s inspiration for this brand of verbal warfare was Gorgeous George, a seminal professional wrestler from the Golden Age of the industry.

After winning just about every accolade he could at the amateur level (including a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics), Ali - then known as Cassius Clay - went professional. Over the next two decades, he firmly cemented his legacy as one of the finest heavyweight champions the sport has ever seen.

Would Muhammad Ali’s conditioning have lent itself to the octagon?

In short, yes. Ali put endurance first, going for long runs in the morning (often 7 miles or more) followed by jump rope and hundreds of push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. Keen to enhance his speed and agility, Ali avoided traditional weightlifting for fear of their connection to increased muscular stiffness.

Throughout the day, Ali would spar, shadowbox, work the heavy bag and work the speed bag. He would also continue to iron out ‘The Ali Shuffle’, an unconventional take on footwork that added to his wild speed and defense in the ring.

UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson recently acknowledged the similarities between karate and Ali’s boxing style. Ali would often keep his hands surprisingly low, luring fighters in with the hope of catching him on the chin. With his lightning footwork, he’d dodge their shot at the last second, pivoting around to land a lethal jab on his exposed opponent.

On top of his near superhuman reflexes, fight IQ and freakish speed for his size, Ali also enjoyed a long reach and a prodigious knack for timing. There’s also his psychological conditioning to keep in mind. Not only did Ali have tunnel-vision focus, he also knew how to break his foes down mentally.

A key example of this was the notorious Sonny Liston. Gradually driven into a blind rage by Ali’s endless mockery, Liston threw caution to the wind in both of their fights and wound up getting knocked out twice for it.

So how well could Muhammad Ali have performed in MMA?

Despite his razor-sharp pugilism and all-round athleticism, Ali had a huge flaw for the world of MMA. As was exposed by NJPW founder Antonio Inoki during their bizarre 1976 inter-sport exhibition fight, Ali struggled with leg kicks.

Knowing he’d be nothing short of doomed on his feet, Inoki dropped to the mat and began executing killer thigh shots. A seasoned grappler, Inoki took advantage of Ali’s limited martial arts knowledge to deal out severe damage. Struggling to adapt to a mat-based fighter, Ali’s lower body defense was poor and left him in a shocking state of injury by the end of the bout. The one bright side of this for Ali was that the puroresu legend never managed to take him down to the mat.

Had MMA been a prominent sport in Ali’s day, he would’ve fought in the heavyweight division. At 6’3 and approximately 230lbs, Ali’s speed and long reach would’ve served him well on the feet. His striking abilities would’ve been unparalleled and chances are he would’ve secured knockouts aplenty as he did in boxing.

As a talker and self-promoter, Muhammad Ali would’ve rivaled Conor McGregor (who has acknowledged Ali as a key influence in this area) in the box office department.

However, he would’ve been far behind most on the mat and likely would’ve floundered against those quick enough to strike his legs. Overall, Ali would’ve commanded respect as an MMA heavyweight but would’ve lacked the cross-conditioning necessary to truly rule the way he did in boxing.