Prograis Unveils Grand Plan: Three Titles at 140, Then MMA Debut

Former WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis is contemplating a late entry into a new sporting arena—mixed martial arts (MMA). The 34-year-old expressed his desire to explore a second career in MMA during a post-fight press conference following his 12-round unanimous decision defeat to Devin Haney at Chase Center on Saturday night.

Prograis, who began his boxing journey at the age of 17, disclosed that his longstanding interest in MMA had been hindered by his position as a world champion in boxing. He pointed to the example of three-division women's champion Claressa Shields, who successfully branched out into MMA while still dominating in the boxing ring.

The New Orleans native clarified that his consideration of MMA is not a sudden decision, stating,

"It’s not all of a sudden, that’s why. I been had that on my mind for a while. But I was a champion, so it’s like you can’t just give it up as a champion."

Prograis emphasized that he won't earnestly pursue MMA until he achieves his goal of becoming a three-time 140-pound champion in boxing.

"I wanna do that, but I do wanna be a three-time champion before I do that. Three-time at 140, and then after that, I do wanna go ahead and switch to MMA. But three-time champion first,"

Acknowledging that his late start in boxing, triggered by Hurricane Katrina forcing him to move to Houston in 2005, did not deter him from achieving success, Prograis aims to secure his third belt before venturing into the world of MMA. Despite his recent defeat to Haney, Prograis remains a formidable force in the boxing arena, having previously claimed the WBA and WBC titles in the highly competitive 140-pound division.