Boxing/UFC
Tyson Fury challenges Lesnar to bare knuckle war
ESPN staff
September 30, 2011 « Fleetwood steals the limelight with superb 63 | Murray gunning for Federer »
Brock Lesnar has been challenged to a bare knuckle war by British heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury © UFC
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Profile:Brock LesnarBritish and Commonwealth heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury has issued a challenge to Brock Lesnar via the use of Twitter.
Fury's stock has never been higher after he dominated Dereck Chisora, before defending his British title with a fifth-round stoppage of Nicolai Firtha in his last outing. That win extended his undefeated record to 16 fights, and future collisions with the Klitschko brothers have been touted.
However, hailing from an Irish traveller family, Fury has the fighting gene that could well translate to MMA. Unskilled in the art of wrestling or jiu-jitsu, the 23-year-old is nevertheless becoming an increasingly dangerous commodity in the world of boxing.
Fury's next bout comes on November 12, against a yet-to-be-confirmed opponent, and it seems the Manchester fighter is keen to capitalise on his growing status by challenging one of the UFC's biggest star attractions.
Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion, is plotting his way back to the top following a long absence due to diverticulitis. He is set to meet Strikeforce king Alistair Overeem at the end of this year.
Fury, seemingly passing the time by taking to Twitter, suddenly opted to call out the 265lb former WWE star, claiming he would take Lesnar on in a bare knuckle contest.
"I want to do something crazy like be involved in a mad match-up in boxing or MMA! Fury v Lesnar!" the boxer wrote on Twitter . "Fury v Lesnar stand-up and fight with MMA gloves or without!"
The UFC has played host to high-profile boxing v MMA encounters in the past, most recently when James Toney shared the Octagon with Randy Couture. The result was an embarrassingly one-sided win for Couture.
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