Although many boxing fans are gearing up for big events like Terence Crawford’s huge bout with Errol Spence Jr, top fighters from other divisions are waiting to see who they could come up against in the future. That certainly appears to be the case with Tyson Fury, as the heavyweight champion is seemingly so desperate for a fight that he is even considering jumping over to the UFC.

After calling out the likes of UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former favourite, Francis Ngannou, it appears as though the Gypsy King is desperate for a big payday. With potential opponent Oleksandr Usyk following many fighters’ lead and signing up to the Saudi adventure, Fury, who is yet to do the same, is evidently worried about what the future might hold as his list of potential opponents gets smaller and smaller. As a result of this, on top of hinting at a potential acting career and joining the WWE, Fury is calling out UFC royalty.

Of course, Tyson Fury is known to wind the media up and send out the odd comical message to create headlines, but this isn’t the first time he has suggested that he could transition over to MMA. While many boxing fans will back Fury for the win with regards to any UFC betting predictions should he face the likes of Jones, translating his achievements from the world of boxing into the Octagon will be tough. Here’s why below.

There is no evidence to suggest he has ever done it before

While the sweet science deserves respect, MMA is a completely different ball game given the various disciplines it takes to learn. Fury would certainly be comfortable when it comes to any stand-up battles, but should he be taken to the ground, then it could be over in an instant. The charismatic fighter has overcome numerous obstacles in his life already but a match-up against a skilled technician like Jon Jones would surely expose him in a situation that he has never in before. Yes, Fury knows how to perform in front of big crowds and he’s a natural fighter, but MMA is a completely different ball game to boxing.

Fury doesn’t have enough power

Typically, when looking at the few boxers that have explored MMA fighting in the past, they generally need to have explosive power to give them a strong chance of success. Although Fury has recently adopted the Kronk style after dismantling Deontay Wilder, he largely jabs his way to victory which is something that won’t be successful in a cage setting. Not only would he have to deal with a selection of different skills, but Fury would also need to learn about them from scratch. The fact is, many MMA fans wouldn’t be surprised if Tyson Fury was left choked and unconscious should he decide to go to war with the likes of Jon Jones, arguably the most talented fighter the sport has ever seen.

You can’t learn wrestling in a few months

Probably the most realistic discipline Tyson Fury would be able to learn before a big bout in the Octagon would be wrestling. Combining his boxing ability with wrestling could create a dangerous fighter, although even learning wrestling requires time and dedication. Many wrestlers have been doing it since a young age, for example. Assuming Fury hasn’t ever done it before in great detail, then he’d be entering the sport at the highest level as a novice. He wouldn’t necessarily have the strength and conditioning for it either. Fury is confident man but he could be exposed within seconds of entering the cage even if he starts learning various wrestling techniques today.

He might just see it as a payday

Apart from the obvious issues around his lack of ability in the martial arts arena, Fury’s mentality could also hinder his MMA journey. With huge sums of money potentially being up for grabs should a fight of this nature be made, Fury could just see it as nothing more than a big payday and not have enough dedication to actually winning. Make no mistake about it, Fury would have nothing to lose in this scenario, with the vast majority of people not expecting him to beat fighters like Jones or Ngannou anyway.