Anthony Joshua has just about done it all in the boxing ring. Could a cagefight be next?
The British star has already been on the other side of a combat sports crossover, having given Francis Ngannou a rude welcome to the ring in the former UFC heavyweight king’s second boxing bout. Ngannou didn’t make it past two rounds against Joshua, suffering a brutal knockout loss in March 2024.
Now, coming off of a win over influencer boxer Jake Paul, Joshua wonders if he should make a move over to MMA sometime.
“Believe me, I was thinking, why don’t I step over into one of their territories because they keep on coming to our territory?” Joshua said on the Mr Verzace podcast. “Obviously, this is big business. It’s big boxing, it’s heavyweight boxing. You are talking about the best in their chosen field. MMA, kickboxing. These aren’t amateurs, these are actually experienced fighters. It would be good if one of us went into that side and we see how we get on over there.”
It’s possible Joshua could be talking about a kickboxing bout as well, with longtime glory heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven recently facing pound-for-pound boxing great Oleksandr Usyk in one of 2026’s most memorable fights. Verhoeven gave Usyk everything he could handle through 10 rounds, but came out on the losing end of a controversial TKO in the closing seconds of Round 11.
Verhoeven presumably earned a huge payday for the risky crossover bout and while stars from the world of boxing and kickboxing wouldn’t expect similar compensation if they were to transition to MMA, Joshua doesn’t see why the numbers can’t end up in a sensible way with the right opponent.
“So even if let’s say, Anthony Joshua—speaking in third person—was to cross over into MMA, it wouldn’t be as big as them coming over into boxing,” Joshua said. “Boxing is just the pinnacle of combat sport.”
“100 percent [I’d want a name opponent],” Joshua continued. “So that means it’s big business then. MMA, kickboxing, or boxing. It can be done, I believe it should be done. I think that will be the next thing that we want to see.”
Two former boxing champions memorably made their way to the UFC, Holly Holm and James Toney. Holm’s MMA run was an unqualified success as she dethroned the undefeated Ronda Rousey to become UFC bantamweight champion and competed in several other title bouts.
Toney was not so fortunate. The former boxing champion signed on to fight UFC legend Randy Couture, and to no one’s surprise, was immediately taken down and eventually submitted. Joshua notes the cautionary tale, but isn’t letting that stop him from considering the possibilities.
“So there’s been a case study where someone like James has crossed over in to,” Joshua said. “There has been actually, but I was thinking about it. Those guys keep on coming over into our territory. It will be interesting to see who the first one will be to cross over into their territory.”
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Call me a sucker, but yeah, I’d kind of like to see how Anthony Joshua does in MMA. Screw it, re-sign Robelis Despaigne and let’s see what happens.
EXIT POLL
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