Cristiano Ronaldo Reveals He Prefers Boxing And UFC Over Soccer

Cristiano Ronaldo says he likes watching boxing and UFC over soccer, despite being a professional soccer player.

Ronaldo is arguably the best soccer player in the world but doesn’t watch much of the sport in his down time. Instead, that goes to combat sports.

“Playing football is my passion, but I prefer watching other sports on TV,” Ronaldo said in the documentary “Parallel Worlds” for DAZN (via ESPN). “Between watching a football match or a boxing or UFC fight, I choose boxing or UFC. When I was at Manchester United, a coach boxed with me. I think practicing boxing is useful for football because it sharpens your senses and you learn to move.”

Not only does he enjoy watching the sports, but Ronaldo revealed he actually talked to Anthony Joshua on how to improve his work outs to keep his body going so he can remain at the peak of his career.

“Last summer, I had a chat with Anthony Joshua,” Ronaldo said. “At 33 you start to think your legs are going. I want to stay in sport, in football. People will look at me and say: ‘Cristiano was an incredible player but now he’s slow.’ I don’t want that.

“You can change a lot about your body, but the problem isn’t that,” he continued. “It’s depends on your mindset, your motivation and your experience, which I think is the most complex thing. In sport, you can gain maturity. Look at [Roger] Federer in tennis. He’s 37 or 38 years old and he’s still at his peak, and there are some in boxing too.”

This is not the first time Ronaldo has talked about his love for combat sports as he has shouted out Khabib Nurmagomedov a few times. Regardless, it is definitely interesting that Ronaldo prefers combat sports over soccer.

What do you make of Cristiano Ronaldo preferring combat sports over soccer?