Jon Jones tried to convince Gervonta Davis to fight in MMA by telling boxing star 'I'll teach you myself'
03/19/2025 08:56 AM
MMA and boxing have always had a crossover appeal despite the vastly different rule and skillsets.
The two sports are now set to collide with UFC president Dana White officially entering boxing via his and TKO’s partnership with Turki Alalshikh.
This huge move for boxing could see White join forces with the likes of Canelo Alvarez in the future along with the potential opportunity to see UFC fighters step in the ring.
Long before this game changing deal came into existence, one of the greatest of all time looked to tempt a huge boxing star over to the other side when they shared a brief encounter.
Demetrious Johnson may have disputed Jon Jones’ undefeated claim but if you’re going to learn MMA, you’d struggle to find a better person to absorb knowledge from than ‘Bones’.
Jon Jones tells Gervonta Davis that he’ll personally train him in MMA
In a video that was posted on social media, Jon Jones tried to convince boxing star Gervonta Davis to step inside the cage at some point in his career.
The controversial knockout artist who has finished 28 of his 30 wins by knockout recently suffered the first blemish on his record as Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr ended in a draw.
We have seen the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz step through the ropes in recent times but boxers competing in MMA is far less common aside from some notable exceptions like Claressa Shields and James Toney.
At the time that he crossed paths with the UFC’s heavyweight champion, ‘Tank’ was 28-years-old which Jones said was more than enough time for him to think about competing in MMA.
Not only did Jones say that he thinks Davis would do well in the sport, he offered to personally show him the ropes.
“When are we gonna get you in the cage? I’ll teach you myself man. I’ll teach you how to grapple, Jiu-Jitsu, all that. A little wrestling. It’ll be easy for you bro, it’ll be easy for you. Those hands right there, ain’t nobody trynna see them hands… Oh man, you got so much time. I see super fights in your future bro. Nobody want no problems with you my guy.”
Whilst Davis didn’t commit to anything on the spot, with plenty of huge boxing clashes still in the picture for him, he did show an interest in testing himself in a different arena.
“Let’s do it. I’m willing to do it.”
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Sean O’Malley called for a super fight with Gervonta Davis
During his reign as the UFC’s bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley was trying to put together a crossover super fight between MMA and boxing.
‘Suga’ spoke about the prospect of facing a big name like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney or Gervonta Davis before turning his attention back to the Octagon.
Whilst it still seems unlikely at this point in time, with Dana White becoming heavily involved in boxing, it would open a door for this kind of special attraction if the right fight comes along at the right time.
Oleksandr Usyk did name Alex Pereira as one of the opponents that he wants to face before retiring but that may have changed following UFC 313.
