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Heavyweight Dillian Whyte is confident that it won’t take much to get back in the swing of things for a potential UFC debut.
Whyte was a professional kickboxer and became a two-time British heavyweight champion by winning the BIKMA super heavyweight British title and the European K1 championship. He had a 20-1 record under K-1.
He also had a professional MMA bout, when he made his mixed martial arts debut for Ultimate Challenge MMA on December 6, 2008 – with a demolition of Mark Stroud in only 12 seconds into the first round.
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At the moment, Whyte’s return to the boxing ring is shaky at best. He was scheduled to return on May 2 in Manchester, against former champion Alexander Povetkin. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the entire event was postponed until July 4 – but that date is also in jeopardy.
Whyte believes he has more than enough in his arsenal to topple UFC heavyweights like Francis Ngannou and champion Stipe Miocic.
“I have not trained in kickboxing or MMA for a while but, for me, it is like riding a bike,” Whyte told The Sun.
“Once I knock off some of the rust, my instincts come rushing back and I am ready to dominate again. The heavyweight guys over there, champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, are elite and I would have to work on my grappling and wrestling. But I know, standing up and boxing in 4oz gloves, I could knock any of their top ten heavyweights out.
“In these cages it is five-minute rounds of non-stop moving, kicking, punching, wrestling — it is no joke. But I have better hand skills than any of them and because they try to cover a lot of aspects, that leaves a lot of holes in their game.”
One UFC fight that Whyte verbally blasted was Ngannou.
“I have called Ngannou a coward because, for a guy who is 6’4 and 18 stone, he has not shown enough heart in his two defeats. He was on a ten fight win streak, mostly first round wins against journeymen, and as soon as he stepped up he lost twice, when people did not just stand there and let him hit them,” Whyte said.
“Ngannou said he would fancy a boxing match but I notice he didn’t mention my name even after I publicly called him a coward. Says it all really. However, I like the sound of stepping over to the UFC, seeing what sort of deal could be done. Becoming heavyweight champion in both is something no one has ever come close to doing before.”