Former WBA and WBC Unified World Welterweight Champion Ricardo Mayorga will get an opportunity to fight in the world of mixed martial arts when he takes on MMA veteran Din Thomas this Saturday night. The consensus seems to be that the Nicaraguan fighter will be overwhelmed early and taken to the ground, where he’ll be highly out of his element.
While I believe it takes years of Brazilian jiu-jitsu training, wrestling, and kickboxing to excel in mixed martial arts, we still have no idea how good Mayorga’s learning curve is. For all we know, Mayorga may be a natural at certain other aspects of the game.
And remember: it was only 6 years ago when K-1 star Mark Hunt first competed in MMA and defeated the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva. Hunt proved to be an easy learner and a natural at the sport.
I do agree with the general consensus that Mayorga will lose his first professional mixed martial arts fight, but I do hope he sticks with the sport. Facing a fighter like Din Thomas in your first mixed martial arts fight is an arduous task for anybody and should be treated as such. Thomas has been a durable veteran for quite some time now and has been in there with the likes of BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, Clay Guida, and Jeremy Stephens.
There are purists out there who will say mixed martial arts will take a hit if Mayorga wins. I don?t believe that. If Mayorga puts the work in and defeats Din Thomas, it does not speak badly of MMA — it only solidifies Mayorga’s work ethic and dedication to the sport.
Will Mayorga silence the critics? Or will Din Thomas overwhelm Mayorga? Tune in to “Shine Fights 3: When Worlds Collide” live on pay-per-view this Saturday night at 9:00 pm ET to find out.