Mixed martial arts (MMA) vs. boxing was on full display earlier tonight (Fri., Feb. 13, 2026) at Karate Combat 59 from inside Telemundo Center in Miami, Fla., as former UFC middleweight, Claudio Ribeiro, went toe-to-toe with former Olympic boxer, Michel Borges.
There’s been a lot of talk about MMA vs. boxing recently after Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson both defended boxing against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Crawford believes “UFC will never be better than boxing,” while Stevenson called
out UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria to “come fight me.” This prompted UFC welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley to step in and let Stevenson know he’d “kill” him if they ever actually fought. The back-and-forth exchanges have been interesting and in turn have sparked much debate.
On Friday night, Karate Combat 59 played host to a matchup between Ribeiro and Borges. It was MMA vs. boxing, but limited to a standup battle. MMA backers would like to see grappling infused into a showdown with a boxer, but this matchup was good enough for what it was. It still allowed fight fans to see what a one-punch knockout artist like Ribeiro can do against a former Olympic boxer like Borges.
Ribeiro, who only had one win inside of UFC’s Octagon, didn’t need that long to move in, find his range, and unload heavy hands. The former UFC fighter first landed a sweeping leg kicked that briefly knocked Borges off his feet then scored a nasty combination inside. Borges fell to the canvas and Ribeiro fired off heavy ground shots until the referee stepped in for the stoppage.
Check out the highlights below and let us know if this at all impacts your outlook on the whole MMA vs. boxing debate!
