Fighters who have made the full contact crossover?

Another thread,put up by Big H, really has me thinking about which athletes/boxers/PKA and MMA participants have found success and made a name in another 'fighting' sport? Bit of a scattered thread but it Just has me milling it over quite a bit as to which has made the leap from one ringed-caged sport to the another?

Off the top I remember scrappy Troy Dorsey originating as a Champion in Karate and kick boxing prior to him entering the sport of professional boxing.He seemingly made the transition well and became a world champion in the Featherweight division in 1991.He would fight on a high level for many years against some of the better fighters that came along in his trademark face first and unrelenting style.

Cruiserweight Champion James Warring was reportedly highly successful on a multi championship level as a kick boxer and delved into the squared circle minus the feet to devastate and flatten James Pritchard in the early 90's for a title strap in record time and would hold his own against the likes of Al Ice Cole,heavily hyped but faulty Hvy Alex Garcia and wins over Johnny Nelson and Nate Miller.

The rest for me is a smorgesboard as far as who else has gone to boxing and from another contact type sport and conversely which boxers have duplicated the above? Ive read in the past that Wlad Klitschko was an accomplished kick boxer.

'Tough men' contest AKA bar room brawling to Boxing ?Greg Haugen,Eric Esch...cough.....Rocky Gannon,Tommy Morrison..........there has to be a million others.

Tex Cobb was good with his feet.

Not to forget the world of Muyi Thai to professional boxing...again,has to be countless guys.

Who else has come to or left boxing and achieved big things ?

Ray Mercer and Francis Botha, both pretty good at it as well so it seems.

Matt Skelton was a K1 kickboxer and had a couple MMA fights
Christ Lylte was 13-1 as a pro boxer
Marcus Davis was 17-1-2 as a pro boxer
Yosuke Nishijima is probably the most decorated pro boxer @ 25-2-1 and winning a couple small cruiserweight belts. He got destroyed in MMA though

Khaosai Galaxy who made the transition from Muay Thai kick boxing. A name that I'm pretty sure only hardcore boxing fans have heard.

Yeah, I remember the name Khaosai Galaxy. Back in the 80's he was knocking everyone he faced in the ring.

During a time when KO's with regularity for the lighter divisions in boxing was a rarity, he disposed of many via the short route with ease. Many of the up and coming Filipino fighters, he halted with impunity, exposing their unworthiness and "generously" dashing their collective hopes on further entertaining thoughts in advancing well in the sport!

I think his greatness in the ring, off-handedly shed light to his sport of origin, which was Muay Thai. At a time when the rest of the world was still clueless on kickboxing, his exemplary exploits in boxing, gave a thread to the other, soon as his background was examined and to have found Muay Thai as its roots.

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Terdsak Jaendang (pardon the spelling, I'm sure), is a Thai fighter who Steven Luevano defeated in an undercard fight, to the Pacquiao vs. JMM 2 fight last year, was also a full-pledged, former Muay Thai fighter, who crossed-over to boxing. The lure of the bigger pay, and the wider based fame I believe, is more than enough reason for these former kickboxing champions to switch.

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Originally Posted by Spicoli

Tex Cobb was good with his feet.

Not to forget the world of Muyi Thai to professional boxing...again,has to be countless guys.

Who else has come to or left boxing and achieved big things ?

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I know kj NOONS IS A PRO BOXER AS WELL mma FIGHTER...hIS BOXING RECORD IS SO SO though and against limited comp...

Tex Cobb used to throw the minimum kicks allowed per round then just punch the hell out of his opp....had a good run doing it..he took less abuse then he did in the boxing ring.....

One problem is your body has a hard time untraining itself for things...

EG- a boxer will throw a jab, right, hook, uppercut combo without thinking

A Thai fighter will throw a punch, elbow and get the clinch without thinking.....

An MMA fighter will take his opp to the ground on instinct when being battered with punches.....

These guys train to make their body act on instinct...it is actually harder to get the body not too do these things on instinct...you actually have to think about not doing what you do best....

Imagine the MMA fighter turned boxer who has to remind himself after a punch not to shoot in? They start to shoot then suddeenly stop and have to reset....

Like a boxer not being able to pull the trigger anymore.....This is why so many guys have the transition problem...

It is easiest to be a boxer then transition because you are adding to your arsenol not taking from it

Seems almost any fighter that has transitioned seems to have had trouble mimicing their past success.....

It was Vitali who was the accomplished kick-boxer & it's the only place he's been KO'd. Ironically by Brit journeyman Pele Reid. Wonder who'd win in a boxing fight ;D

I won't lie I can't think of any new names to add apart from Reid, who wasn't really successful

Yeah Vitali was very accomplished as a kick boxer

Shannon Briggs did ok in K-1