Boxing champion Tyson Fury slams Conor McGregor after his shock loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196

World Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury has lashed out at UFC star Conor McGregor and the sport of mixed martial arts in a series of tweets following McGregor's loss to Nate Diaz. Fury, who is England born but of Irish heritage, reopened the boxing-MMA debate following McGregor's shock loss to Nate Diaz in the Octagon at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on 6 March, Sunday.

Fury who claimed boxing's most coveted belt by beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, compared the sport unfavourably to boxing while also criticising McGregor for not standing up to his words.

The boxer tweeted, "Both top UFC fighters lost this weekend, @HollyHolm showed more ball than @TheNotoriousMMA."

"The fighting pride of Ireland would not of tapped so easy @The NotoriousMMA I would of went to sleep first. There can only be 1Tyson fury."

"If a man talks the bizo then go and back it up, If I say a thing I fu...ing do it."

"MMA is bull s**t, gets hard tap out, boxing is the ultimate combat sport. Where 2 proper fighters stand up and fight."

Boxing as a sport is under threat from the growing popularity of MMA, which combines boxing with kick-boxing, wrestling and jiu jitsu skills. Fury is yet to defend his title but has a rematch with Ukrainian Klitschko, the date of which has not been decided yet.