I forget the cat's name, but he fought Nick Diaz and actually threw some straight punches! He was outweighed by a couple of weightclasses, but he gave a good showing for an MMA guy.

Apparently he sparred with Andre Ward some in preparation. It was pretty obvious since he was able to slip a lot of shots too.

His name was Muhsin Corbbrey...and actually, A LOT of those guys know how to throw straight and slip punches, it's just rare that you actually see a typical "boxing" style in a MMA fight because you have to take a totally different stance. Most MMA fighters actually train with boxing trainers and some actually spar with pro fighters. Diego Sanchez spars with Joey Gilbert and I know Quinton Jackson has sparred with Shane Mosley in the past. Andrei Arlovski is currently working with Freddie Roach and Roach has worked with other MMA fighters in the past, including BJ Penn (who gave Sean Sherk a pretty good boxing lesson recently). As far as I know, Roach is the first big name, world-class trainer to cross over to the MMA world, but I certainly don't think he'll be the last.

Most big-time boxing trainers have big-time boxers preparing for big-time fights. That's probably why you don't see more of them training MMA guys. Especially considering that the money disparity between MMA and Boxing is significant, the pay check would be a lot less. Tripled with the fact that most big-time boxers have a lot less faults then MMA guys, so working with them isn't as frustrating...boxers can make the adjustments in a more timely fashion, because they've probably done it before and just forgot.

So, you gotta ask yourself the same question that the big-time boxing trainers are asking themsleves...do I want to work HARDER for LESS money?

Nope.

I don't necessarily know if they would get less money...it just depends on who you're talking about.

And I DEFINITELY don't think training boxer automatically means that it's going to be less frustrating. I mean, just because you're a boxer, that doesn't mean that you're automatically going to pick up on things...I would think that would depend more on a person's personality and ability to learn.

I think you're making a lot of incorrect assumptions when it comes to boxing trainers. Actually, I think you've got it all wrong. I think more and more "big-time" boxing trainers WILL start to train more MMA guys simply because it means an opportunity to make more money...period! I think if a trainer has a set price that he charges and a guy is willing to pay it, then the trainer will be more than happy to train him...whether it's a pro boxer, mixed martial artist or an average joe off the streets.

Actually, come to think of it, I believe Buddy McGirt has worked with a few MMA guys as well (although given Buddy's track record as of late, I don't know if that's a good thing)...I'm pretty sure he trained Kurt Pellegrino.

Dan Birmingham is probably another trainer that will follow, if he hasn't already, seeing as how he has a black belt in Kempo and is located in Florida, a hotbed for MMA action.

You know as well as I know that the amount a trainer gets paid is closely dependant on how much the fighter is making. If it's not a direct percentage of the fight, then the fighter is probably Oscar. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that 5% of $2 million is a little more worth your while than 5% of $10k.

Now if the trainer is out-of-work at the time, and doesn't have a fighter to prepare...I'd argue that he probably isn't a "big-time" guy...but, in the rare case that he is and is too bored counting his loot...sure, get some cash from an MMA/Average Joe.

Freddie Roach probably works with Arlovski on James Toney's days...because you know his fat ass ain't in the gym! jk

Come on Hype, who do you think would be easier to train to throw punches: Forrest Griffin or Oscar de la Hoya? Because isn't that who we're talking about..."big-time" trainers?

One of my old trainers, who is far from a "big-time" guy told me, that training Daniel Edouard is extremely rewarding because he "does what I ask him to." I made him clarify it, because honestly I didn't want him to think that I was lazy or wouldn't do what he asked. He did clarify it and said, "He does it because he can. I only have to say something once to him, and he's able to make the adjustment immediately." In other words, he didn't have to teach him as much as he did the rest of us.

I'm not trying to diss MMA, although I know that sometimes it seems that way. It just comes down to dollars and cents. Right now, boxing pays its people MUCH more. MUCH more.

As someone who is a fan of all combat sport martial arts (Boxing is a martial art for those who like to act up),

Unless you strike in the premise of MMA you might not understand how the punching style becomes some inherently different due to the distance and the stances and the ability to take other shots other than head and body punches. The advantages of punching for MMA and disadvantages of punching for boxing become VERY evident.

It's been working out pretty well for Anderson Silva.