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MMA Shockingly Ranked Outside Top 5 in ESPN's Level Of Difficulty

ESPN's recent list has MMA just outside the top five.
Zain Bando|
MMA Shockingly Ranked Outside Top 5 in ESPN's Level Of Difficulty
MMA Shockingly Ranked Outside Top 5 in ESPN's Level Of Difficulty

A list from ESPN repurposed on 'X' Tuesday ranking the 10 most difficult sports to compete in, including MMA.

Notable sports were mentioned, which included American football, tennis, basketball, soccer, and ice hockey.

Boxing came in at No. 1 as the most challenging sport, while MMA came in at No. 6

It is unsurprising given that both are combat-based, but MMA arguably has more involvement, given that all disciplines are fair game instead of just using punches to win a fight.

Crossover fights are more common in today's sport than ever before. A few examples include Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor, Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, and Randy Couture vs. James Toney, to name a few.

It's safe to assume that more of these crossover bouts will continue as long as the interest is plentiful. The latest example will see Francis Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion who successfully transitioned into boxing, face Anthony Joshua on March 8.

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Although UFC is nearing its 31st birthday in November, knockout artists continue to pop up in leaps and bounds, including older legends like Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson, B.J. Penn, and Anderson Silva. Each prided themselves on highlight-reel finishes, making them mainstays in their respective divisions.

No matter how long combat sports continue, boxing will always be an intricate part of the MMA scene as one of the most common ways for a fighter to win a fight.

MMA and boxing weren't the only combat sports to make the list, as wrestling came in at No. 5.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer & columnist for Gameday Media's MMA Knockout, expanding his portfolio as a Staff Writer for Dallas Wings On SI with previous in-network contributions around the echosystem. Outside of covering fights, Bando's background includes Big Ten football and men's basketball with leans toward Illinois and Northwestern with a broader league view for bylines including The Sporting News, FanSided, Men's Journal and others since 2019. Bando can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or via his social media accounts @zainbando99.

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