MMA Community Reacts To Muhammad Ali’s Death

Written by Tom Ngo
June 3rd, 2016

On Friday, boxing legend Muhammad Ali (pictured), considered by many as the world’s greatest fighter, passed at the age of 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Although Ali was never able to articulate his feelings about MMA by the time the sport became a major player in combat sports, many of MMA’s biggest superstars showed their appreciation for Ali and his contributions to fighting after news of his death was announced.

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'” – Muhammad Ali

Rest in peace to my biggest inspiration pic.twitter.com/gqIuuxSpC1

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) June 4, 2016

Nobody will ever come close to this mans greatness.
And if they do, they better wake up and apologise. #RIPAli pic.twitter.com/ED2wgignB2

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 4, 2016

# 1 athlete I looked up to was Muhammad Ali…
This is crazy that he's gone! Doesn't seem real at all.

— Anthony Johnson (@Anthony_Rumble) June 4, 2016

RIP https://t.co/IY1Tuuy2Z4

— Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) June 4, 2016

#RIP To the Greatest https://t.co/OrfcFUIfQy

— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) June 4, 2016

#RIP to an awesome fighter who was inspiration to many and to me. Thanx for sharing your gift with the world. pic.twitter.com/LTxNrs8GkG

— John Dodson III (@JohnDodsonMMA) June 4, 2016

One of my idols has passed away tonight. Never had the honor to be in the arenas in one his fights. #RIPMuhammadAli pic.twitter.com/3zLNwZ8UK7

— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) June 4, 2016

Rest in Peace Muhammed Ali. Forever a fan.

— Shane Carwin (@ShaneCarwin) June 4, 2016

Ali changed the World. He was the Greatest! RIP Ali

— Marc Ratner UFC (@MarcRatnerUFC) June 4, 2016

Your legacy will live forever. We're all going to miss you Champ, float on. #RIPMuhammadAli #GOAT pic.twitter.com/MG5QKLufSt

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) June 4, 2016

RIP an inspiration to so many… 🙏🏼😪 "He who is not courageous enough to take risks … https://t.co/ckUjzRF9mM

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) June 4, 2016

😞 pic.twitter.com/pYGcNp5JqV

— Dana White (@danawhite) June 4, 2016

My heart hurts to hear the news just now about one of my heroes and one of the greatest boxers of all time Muhammad Ali RIP #GOAT #inspiration #legend

A photo posted by Chuck Liddell (@chuckliddell) on Jun 3, 2016 at 10:08pm PDT

A man who shook up the world has passed on to the next stage of existence. Muhammad Ali was one of the most unique and original forces in culture and one of the most spectacularly talented boxers that ever laced up the gloves. Every now and then as a fight fan I like to cue up his 1966 KO victory over Cleveland Big Cat Williams and become reminded of how special he truly was. As powerful a force as he was in the boxing ring he was arguably even more powerful and influential to his generation outside of it, stripped of his Heavyweight title during his prime and robbed of three years of his career because he refused to fight in the Vietnam war. All of that was taking place during the civil rights movement just a hundred years removed from slavery being legal. He was a real one of a kind, and we are all insanely lucky that we got a chance to watch him shine.

A photo posted by Joe Rogan (@joerogan) on Jun 3, 2016 at 10:12pm PDT

Rip to the champ

A photo posted by natediaz209 (@natediaz209) on Jun 3, 2016 at 10:35pm PDT

🏆RIP one of the Greatest combat athletes to walk the planet!

A photo posted by Urijah Faber (@urijahfaber) on Jun 3, 2016 at 10:52pm PDT

Rip to the greatest of all time. A man who transcended his sport and become a American icon. #greatest #champion #heavyweightchamp #olympicchamp

A photo posted by Daniel "DC" Cormier (@dc_mma) on Jun 3, 2016 at 11:11pm PDT

The two men challenging Ali as boxing’s greatest also expressed their condolences:

“Words can’t explain what Muhammad Ali (has) done for the sport of boxing,” Floyd Mayweather told ESPN. “He’s one of the guys that paved the way for me to be where I am today. We lost a legend, a hero and a great man.”