UFC vs Boxing
type: WebPage
description: UFC is a mixed martial arts sport allowing striking, grappling, and submissions across multiple fighting disciplines, while boxing is exclusively hand-striking with strict rules limiting techniques to punches above the waist. UFC has grown 340% in global revenue since 2015, while professional boxing maintains higher individual fighter purses but smaller overall audience engagement.
language: en-US
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date published: 2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z
date created: 2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z
date modified: 2026-08-18T09:00:24.148Z
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caption: UFC vs Boxing — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B

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UFC vs Boxing
type: Article
type: TechArticle
abstract: UFC is a mixed martial arts sport allowing striking, grappling, and submissions across multiple fighting disciplines, while boxing is exclusively hand-striking with strict rules limiting techniques to punches above the waist. UFC has grown 340% in global revenue since 2015, while professional boxing maintains higher individual fighter purses but smaller overall audience engagement.
description: UFC is a mixed martial arts sport allowing striking, grappling, and submissions across multiple fighting disciplines, while boxing is exclusively hand-striking with strict rules limiting techniques to punches above the waist. UFC has grown 340% in global revenue since 2015, while professional boxing maintains higher individual fighter purses but smaller overall audience engagement.
language: en-US
main entity of page: UFC vs Boxing
content reference time: 2026-08-18T09:00:24.148Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
date published: 2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z
date created: 2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z
date modified: 2026-08-18T09:00:24.148Z
text: Boxing remains the higher-revenue sport with greater individual fighter payouts and a longer historical legacy, making it ideal for traditionalists and those seeking hand-striking purity. UFC offers superior spectator engagement metrics, faster-growing popularity (particularly among millennials and Gen Z), and more diverse technical opportunities, making it better for viewers seeking varied striking and grappling action. Choose boxing for legacy prestige and lucrative mega-fights; choose UFC for year-round competitive excitement and global growth momentum.
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about: UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
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mentions: Permitted Techniques
mentions: Global Annual Revenue (2024)
mentions: Average PPV Buys Per Event
mentions: Fight Duration
mentions: Year Established
mentions: Global TV Audience Per Event
mentions: Average Fighter Injury Rate
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citation: UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) — Wikipedia
citation: Professional Boxing — Wikipedia
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A Versus B
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UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
type: SportsActivity
description: Mixed martial arts combat sport combining striking, grappling, and submissions under unified rules.
alternate name: U(FC
alternate name: Ufc Ultimate Fighting Championship
language: en-US
subject of: UFC vs Boxing

Professional Boxing
type: SportsActivity
description: Combat sport featuring two fighters using only hand punches in a sanctioned ring competition.
alternate name: PB
language: en-US
image: ImageObject
  caption: Professional Boxing
subject of: UFC vs Boxing

UFC vs Boxing — Comparison Data
type: Dataset
description: Structured comparison data for UFC vs Boxing with 8 attributes.
language: en-US
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
creator: A Versus B
distribution: Schema.org JSON-LD (pure)
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distribution: JSON-LD knowledge graph
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distribution: Raw comparison JSON
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distribution: AI Answer API (citation-ready)
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distribution: Related comparisons JSON
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variable measured: Global Annual Revenue
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  value reference: Financial Performance
variable measured: Average Event PPV Buys
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  value reference: Viewership
variable measured: Injury Rate Per Event
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  value reference: Safety
variable measured: Number of Sanctioning Bodies
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  value reference: Governance
variable measured: Championship Fight Duration
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  value reference: Match Format
variable measured: Permitted Strike Types
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  value reference: Technical Rules
variable measured: Audience Age Under 45
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variable measured: Years Established
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UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary
type: DefinedTermSet
language: en-US
description: Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for UFC vs Boxing.
has defined term: Financial Performance
has defined term: Viewership
has defined term: Safety
has defined term: Governance
has defined term: Match Format
has defined term: Technical Rules
has defined term: Demographics
has defined term: History

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in defined term set: UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Viewership
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term code: viewership
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Safety
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term code: safety
in defined term set: UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Governance
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term code: governance
in defined term set: UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Match Format
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in defined term set: UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Technical Rules
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in defined term set: UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Demographics
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term code: demographics
in defined term set: UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary

History
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term code: history
in defined term set: UFC vs Boxing — Attribute Category Vocabulary

faq
type: FAQPage
language: en-US
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
date modified: 2026-08-18T09:00:24.148Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
is part of: UFC vs Boxing
main entity: Is UFC more popular than boxing?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: In the United States, UFC has surpassed boxing in mainstream popularity, particularly among 18–34 audiences. UFC's ESPN+ deal guarantees consistent broadcast exposure; boxing is more fragmented across PPV, DAZN, and traditional networks. Globally, boxing retains stronger followings in the UK, Mexico, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. UFC has the larger organizational footprint globally. By Nielsen US ratings and cultural conversation: UFC leads. By international historical following: boxing still has broader roots.
    language: en-US
main entity: Do UFC fighters make more money than boxers?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: At the top: boxers earn significantly more per fight. Canelo Álvarez earns $40–80M per fight; Tyson Fury $40–60M. Conor McGregor (UFC's highest earner) earned ~$3M base + PPV bonuses. Mid-card and undercard: UFC actually pays more reliably — undercard boxers can earn as little as $5,000; UFC offers show/win money with medical coverage. The structural difference: UFC controls the entire promotional apparatus and takes 82–84% of revenue; boxing promotes have negotiated harder for top stars who earn 30–40% of fight revenue.
    language: en-US
main entity: Can a boxer beat a UFC fighter?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: In a boxing match with boxing rules: a skilled boxer at the same weight class would likely have a major advantage over an MMA fighter — punching technique, footwork, and head movement are more refined. In an MMA fight: a pure boxer without wrestling or submission defense would be highly vulnerable to takedowns and submissions. Mixed results in crossover fights: Conor McGregor (UFC) lost to Floyd Mayweather in boxing; MMA fighters have generally performed poorly against elite boxers when boxing rules apply.
    language: en-US
main entity: Is MMA safer than boxing?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: This is debated among sports medicine researchers. Boxing has longer bouts with more total punches and significant cumulative head trauma risk; the repeated sub-concussive hits over 12 rounds can be more damaging. MMA bouts are shorter (3–5 rounds) but involve more diverse trauma sources (leg kicks, elbows, ground strikes, submissions). UFC's anti-doping program (USADA partnership) is more rigorous than most boxing organizations. Both sports carry significant injury risks; neither has been proven definitively safer.
    language: en-US
main entity: Who are the biggest stars in UFC vs boxing in 2026?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: UFC stars: Jon Jones (heavyweight champion), Alex Pereira (light heavyweight/middleweight), Islam Makhachev (lightweight champion), Leon Edwards, Sean O'Malley. Boxing stars: Saul "Canelo" Álvarez (the sport's biggest pay-per-view draw, multiple division champion), Tyson Fury/Anthony Joshua/Oleksandr Usyk (heavyweight), Terence Crawford, Ryan Garcia. Crossover: Jake Paul and Logan Paul have built large audiences fighting both boxers and MMA fighters, blurring the traditional boundary.
    language: en-US