5 former NFL players who made a move into the UFC

#4. Brendan Schaub – former UFC heavyweight

Brendan Schaub picked up a number of strong wins in the octagon

While he’s better known these days as the semi-controversial host of the popular podcast ‘The Fighter and the Kid’, Brendan Schaub was once a very legitimate contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

‘The Hybrid’ claimed huge victories over opponents such as Gabriel Gonzaga, Mirko Cro Cop and Matt Mitrione during his octagon career. While he fell to the better opponents he fought, names like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Travis Browne, he was always a dangerous out for any fighter.

Prior to entering the promotion via the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter, though, there was plenty of hype around Schaub thanks to his background as a high-level athlete, particularly in the world of football.

‘The Hybrid’ was a collegiate standout at the University of Colorado. After ending his time there, he was signed by the NFL’s Buffalo Bills after going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately for Schaub, he was cut by the Bills before he could make any actual appearances in the NFL. He ended up signing with the AFL’s Utah Blaze before transitioning into MMA in 2008.

‘The Hybrid’ needed just four professional fights to come under the radar of the UFC. While he failed to win TUF 10, it was easy to understand why he was so highly ranked as a prospect at the time.

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#3. Matt Mitrione – former UFC heavyweight

Matt Mitrione actually began his professional MMA career in the UFC

While he failed to defeat his TUF 10 teammate Brendan Schaub when they faced off in the octagon in 2013, Matt Mitrione did achieve something that ‘The Hybrid’ was unable to. He actually made multiple appearances in the NFL and played for three of their teams.

Like the other fighters on this list, Mitrione focused on football during his collegiate days, attending Purdue University on a scholarship and starting 35 consecutive games for them as a defensive tackle.

From there, ‘Meathead’ signed with the New York Giants after going undrafted in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for them until 2004, when he was released following some injury problems.

He was then inked by the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. After failing to make an impact, he found himself out of the world of football altogether.

It came as no surprise to see him move into MMA given that he’d reportedly competed in Toughman Contests as a student. Surprisingly, he was actually signed by the UFC to compete on TUF 10 before he’d made his professional debut.

While he became somewhat of a cartoonish villain during the season due to some bizarre behaviour, Mitrione did develop into a strong contender in the octagon. He picked up wins over opponents like Derrick Lewis and Gabriel Gonzaga before moving to Bellator MMA in 2016, where he somehow managed to knock out former PRIDE great Fedor Emelianenko.