Boxing legend Muhammad Ali passed away on Friday and there has been no shortage of tributes to his greatness delivered by a wide variety of people, from family members to presidents to celebrities like Paul McCartney and JK Rowling. ESPN delivered an excellent 10-minute eulogy to Ali that documented many of his best moments in boxing. And now the UFC has delivered their own touching tribute to the greatest boxer of all time, and it’s guaranteed to give you the shivers.
Even though he retired from prize fighting in 1981, Muhammad Ali continued to influence and impact the world of combat sports. That’s made obvious in this UFC video showing mixed martial arts greats like Georges St Pierre and Anderson Silva copying his moves in the cage. We’ve also seen comparisons outside the cage with fighters like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor recreating classic Ali photoshoots.
The video was played during UFC 199, which went down at The Forum in Inglewood, California on Saturday night. The event actually carried a couple of extra connections to Muhammad Ali. The Forum is the location where Ali won his NABF heavyweight title back from Ken Norton six months after losing to him (and suffering a broken jaw) in 1973.
In addition to that, the prelims of UFC 199 actually featured Kevin Casey, the son-in-law of Muhammad Ali, who married his second daughter Hana Ali. Casey fought to a hard-earned draw in his fight with Elvis Mutapcic.
“It’s a lot to go through before a fight but thank you guys for the support,” Casey said afterwards. “God bless my family.”
