Crossing Over to MMA - Can Ricardo Mayorga Succeed?

Former welterweight champion and junior-middleweight belt holder Ricardo Mayorga will make his MMA debut against seasoned veteran Din Thomas on May 15th in Fayetteville. For years fans have wondered how a high level professional boxer would fare against a capable mixed martial artist, and while the Nicaraguan wild man is past his prime, he could still make things interesting because of his brutal strength and heavy right fist.

Despite the nickname "El Matador", there's very little polish about the way Mayorga boxes.  He's the very opposite of a fundamentally sound fighter, as technical craft has always taken a back seat to raw power, and pure instinct.  While that snarling approach to prize fighting may have hurt him against sharper opponents in the boxing ring, I believe it could work reasonably well in the early stages of his MMA career because of the fear factor.

There is nothing new or scary about him in the boxing world, but Din Thomas will respect Mayorga's punches, and if he connects with one of his clubbing shots, the results could be frightening.

To be honest, I was hoping that those handling Mayorga's MMA aspirations would match him with a few really low level fringe opponents before throwing him in with someone who knows what they're doing. You know... just to see what kind of damage he can do with 4 oz gloves, but I guess they didn't want to risk him losing to someone they can't push.

Still, Thomas seems like a strange opponent. He's a solid fighter who can handle himself standing up, but also has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Why would you put a potential money maker in with a guy who could embarrass him? This fight could very well be as quick and predictable as I'm sure many MMA fans say it will be. Then again, Mayorga has been anything but predictable throughout his roller coaster of a career.

There is intrigue from all angles in these "MMA vs Boxing" events that are starting to become more common thanks to the increase in popularity that cage fighting (vale tudo, no holds barred competition) has enjoyed during the past decade, but one question I haven't been able to find an answer for is what weight will this fight take place at?

I ask because it's hard for me to believe that Mayorga can still comfortably make 155 lbs at this stage of his career, and Thomas has recently fought at 145. For those who don't know, the former boxing champ last made weight (153.5) in September 2008, but was likely closer to 170 lbs when he stepped in the ring.

Maybe he actually can get himself in great shape for one more run, but I'll believe it when I see it. If he actually does make 155, the weight-cut may diminish some of his strength and stamina. He only has to fight for 15 minutes, but the new rules and environment are sure to burn off a good bit of nervous energy. He's never had to stuff a takedown or fight off his back before, and the pressure could overwhelm him.

To have a chance of winning the fight he's obviously got to stay off the mat. Normally I would say that's impossible against a ground fighter of Thomas' skill level, but Ricardo is a very strong man who should be able to handle himself quite well in the clinch. Actually, I've always thought that could have been one of his strengths in the boxing ring, but that part of fisticuffs has become a bit of a grey area these days. If I was his trainer I'd have him working on holding and hitting (or "dirty boxing") like crazy, as well as sprawls and achieving underhooks to stay upright.

In my opinion, anyone who thinks Din Thomas will snipe "Ricky" off with his crisp, straight shots is in for a surprise. Looking at film you might wonder just how Mayorga became a World Champion because his punches look unprofessional. They are, but he's been getting down that way for years, so it is by design. It's not the same situation as many of the stand-up novices we see making technical errors out of inexperience or bad technique. When Mayorga wings that wild right, he's got a sense of timing and anticipation that those guys just don't have.

I figure this fight will be over sometime in the first round. Either Mayorga hurts Thomas with one of those bombs or he makes a mistake and gets tapped out. I'll play it safe and take Thomas by submission in the first after surviving a nervous moment or two.

e-mail Lee Payton

For more analysis on Mayorga's chances, check out Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook: Ricardo Mayorga's MMA debut set for May 15