Mixed martial arts or MMA as it’s fondly called, is a full contact sport that consists of grappling and striking, both standing and on the ground. It has a lot to do with other combat sports and martial arts. The term “mixed martial arts” was first used early 1990s, when the first UFC fight took place. And in today’s world, MMA is something many athletes consider when they no longer want to continue with their own sport.
There has a trend of professional athletes taking up MMA to make more money or to try something different in their careers. American football players, boxers, wrestlers, are always used to physical contact in their own sports so they find it relatively easier to make the transition to MMA than any other sport. We have seen many great athletes making their debuts in MMA but only some have managed to make a mark. Others have failed miserably.
Here’s a look at some of the athletes who turned to MMA after leaving their original careers:
#1 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar is probably the most decorated professional wrestler in the modern era. He has won all there is in the wrestling ring from WWE titles to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the New Japan Pro Wrestling. But the WWE superstar is best known for changing brands and fields throughout his career. He started off with amateur wrestling when he was at Bismarck State College and the University of Minnesota where he had a record of 106 victories and only 5 losses.
Hence, he was signed by the WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation) in 2000. The Beast won the WWE Championship three times where he defeated Kurt Angle twice and The Rock once. Lesnar decided to leave the WWE in 2004 and pursued a career in the National Football League (NFL) where he failed, not managing even a game with Minnesota Vikings.
After spending two years in Japan in wrestling, Lesnar started his career in mixed martial arts in 2006 with Hero’s where he won his first fight against Min-Soo Kim in June 2007. He then signed with the UFC but lost in his debut against Frank Mir. The Beast came back and won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2008. But after suffering from diverticulitis, the American decided to come back to WWE in 2012 after an 8-year absence.
He was allowed to compete by the WWE in the UFC200. He won his fight against Mark Hunt in what could have been his last MMA fight ever as he has showed signs of leaving MMA. His MMA record stands at 5 wins to 3.
#2 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is a former USA Olympian who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for her country in judo. She started her careeer with judo and became the youngest judoka to compete in Olympics at 17 years of age when she qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics. She also won a gold medal at the World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
After the Beijing Games, Rousey retired from judo at only 21. She decided to pursue a much better career in MMA as she used to train with MMA fighters since she was 15 years old. Hence, she developed an interest in the sport and finally made her amateur debut in 2010 when she defeated Hayden Munoz by submission.
After staying undefeated in her three amateur fights, Rousey went on to become a professional when she joined Strikeforce in 2011 where she won her four fights before shifting onto UFC in 2013. The former judoka won her first six fights in the UFC and went on to become a celebrated UFC fighter.
However, she lost her much anticipated last fight against Holly Holm in last November. This left her fighting record at 12-1 with 9 of these victories coming through submission. Currently, she has not been seen getting involved in any MMA fights, but did make a couple of appearances in WWE and some movies. MMA isn’t the only career she has got.
#3 Dave Bautista
Everyone remembers “Batista” from his good old days in the WWE but only some people know that the American has been a professional mixed martial artist. Dave started his careeer with wrestling as he signed with WWE under the ring name Batista, and became a six-time World Champion – winning the World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice.
He was also the longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion. But the wrestler quit WWE after he had got a legitimate compression fracture of his L1 spine in 2010. He later said in a interview to TMZ.com that he wanted to try MMA and will strike a contract with Strikeforce.
After a lot of attempts to get the contract signed, it took one year for the wrestler to put pen to paper in 2011 after Strikeforce had been bought by Zuffa, LLC and after many delays, he made his MMA debut against the 40-fight artist Vince Lucero via a technical knock-out in 2012.
That was his only MMA fight as he moved into the acting business with a role in movies such as Spectre (2015), Riddick (2013), and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He returned to WWE in 2014 but would soon quit the company as he did not like the direction the company was going in. His MMA career may have been short, but you cannot rule out a return.
#4 Hershel Walker
Many of you might not know Hershel Walker, who is a retired American football player from USA. His professional football career lasted for 14 years from the year 1983 to 1997. The running back has been a two-time NFL Pro Bowl. The American came into the mixed martial arts field when it had been 12 years since he had retired from rugby. At the age of 47, Walker signed a contract with a MMA promotion company called Strikeforce. He would compete in their heavyweight division along with other athletes.
Therefore, in January 2010, Hershel fought his first fight in the MMA where he defeated Greg Nagy via technical knock-out strikes at Strikeforce: Miami. The CEO of Strikeforce, Scott Coker, announced that Walker would fight again next year against former WEC fighter Scott Carson. Walker beat Carson via technical knock-out in the first round and his MMA record stood at 2-0. But the former football player decided not to fight again with age not being on his side.
#5 Matt Mitrione
Currently, 37-year old Matt Mitrione is a mixed martial artist who fights in the Bellator MMA. But just like Hershel Walker, Mitrione also used to be a professional American football player in the initial part of his career. He has played college football at the Purdue University and has played professionally with the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League (NFL) . Mitrione has also been a featured fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.
After just four seasons in the NFL, the American decided to make the switch to MMA when his close friend and a baseball player, Jayson Werth, persuaded him to fight in his inaugural promotion. Mitrione, then, decided to train with fighters Chris Lytle and Jake O'Brien. This got Mitrione to start his professional fighting career in 2009 and won his first five fights in The Ultimate Fighter and UFC. After 2011, Mitrione faced disappointment as he lost his 6th and 7th fight.
But his record improved to 9-3 in his favor as he made a comeback to pose victories. He then lost his 13th and 14th fight. But after 15 fights, Mitrione’s record stands at 10-5 as of 24th June, 2016, which is impressive considering how the man came into MMA from football.
