Ex-UFC Champ Announces Boxing Debut Against Former Heavyweight Champion
Another former UFC champion has announced that he'll make his professional boxing debut later this year.
Quite a few former UFC titleholders have already tested themselves in the boxing ring with varying degrees of success, and Francis Ngannou's near-upset of Tyson Fury last year may be the most impressive example of an MMA fighter who's made the jump to boxing.
It’s been more than four years since his last MMA bout, but now Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is set to become the latest former UFC champion to enter the boxing ring when he takes on ex-WBO heavyweight titleholder Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs later this year.
“Rampage” notes in the announcement video that a fight with Briggs has been in the works for several years, and now the pair will finally settle their trash talk when they square off on June 1 in Qatar.
Jackson claimed the UFC light heavyweight title when he stopped Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 and successfully defended it once before he was beaten by Forrest Griffin, and the MMA legend's list of accolades also includes an incredibly successful pre-UFC career with PRIDE as well as an eight-fight run with Bellator.
Now 52 years old, Briggs hasn’t fought since 2016 but put together a nine-fight win streak with eight knockouts following his last loss to Vitali Klitschko in a WBC heavyweight title bout in 2010.
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