Boxing's Vic Darchinyan target MMA
One of the best bantamweights in boxing needs to test his spirit in mixed martial arts.
"I will do MMA," Vic Darchinyan told Showtime days before Saturday's title bout with Anselmo Moreno, the World Boxing Association's 118-pound champion. "I will struggle in 2012. ... At the same time I want to do MMA and boxing."
Darchinyan has contemplated mixed martial arts for a short time, he said. His boxing advocate, Gary Shaw, has knowledge in both sports; as leader of EliteXC, he was accountable for turning Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson into a hot product among MMA viewers.
Shaw drew a contrast to Ferguson.
"Vic is grave about going into MMA after he completes his victory on Saturday night," Shaw said at a press meeting Wednesday.
Ring Magazine rates Darchinyan at No. 5 for bantamweights in boxing. While some knowledgeable boxers have had honest careers in MMA, such as Chris Lytle and Marcus Davis, the going might be tougher for Darchinyan, given that he's previously 35 years old.
He'd also need to bulk up for mixed martial arts, where the minimum men's division has a 125-pound bound. If he aspires to fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship or Bellator Fighting Championships, he might have to put on even more muscle; they at present go no lower than 135 pounds.
UFC parent Zuffa has been thinking about a 125-pound division for years, but those plans haven't gone past the conversation stage. Some fighters in UFC's 135-pound class are basically 125-pounders fighting heavier than their optimal weight, counting former contender Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson, as well as John Dodson, a finalist on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter.
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