5 former UFC heavyweight champions who made the move into pro-wrestling

#4. Cain Velasquez – Won the UFC heavyweight title in 2012

Cain Velasquez struggled for traction in WWE despite his UFC success

Like his greatest UFC rival Junior dos Santos, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez made the move into the world of pro-wrestling after retiring from MMA. Unfortunately, it’s probably fair to say that he wasn’t all that successful.

Velasquez was actually a fan of pro-wrestling growing up, something that may well have played into his successful run as a collegiate wrestler with the University of Arizona. However, Velasquez didn’t follow the pro-wrestling route once he finished college, instead heading into the world of MMA and eventually the UFC in 2008.

He ran through opponents such as Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira en route to defeating Brock Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight title in 2010. He remained the promotion’s top big man for most of the next five years.

When he lost his title to Fabricio Werdum, though, his body began to betray him. Multiple injuries kept him out of action from 2016 to 2019. When he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in his comeback fight, he chose to hang up his gloves.

Just months later, he signed with Mexican pro-wrestling promotion AAA Worldwide. He debuted wearing a traditional luchador mask in matches with the likes of Cody Rhodes and Brian Cage.

Despite gaining positive reviews for his work in AAA, though, his run with WWE was far less memorable.

He was brought into the promotion in late 2019 as a foe for Brock Lesnar, but struggled to really establish a character for himself. He ended up losing his match with ‘The Beast Incarnate’ at Crown Jewel before being removed from television.

A return was planned for 2020. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, WWE released the former UFC champion from his contract. He has since returned to the AAA promotion, but at the age of 39, the opportunity for a successful pro-wrestling career is likely beginning to fade.

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#3. Mark Coleman – Won the UFC heavyweight title in 1997

Mark Coleman's pro-wrestling career largely took place in Japan

The UFC’s first ever heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman, burst into the world of MMA in 1996 following a hugely successful career as an amateur wrestler. ‘The Hammer’ was an NCAA Division I champion in 1988. While he wasn’t able to make it to the Olympic games in 1996, he was able to thoroughly dominate his foes in the UFC.

Coleman won two straight heavyweight tournaments at UFC 10 and UFC 11. He then defeated Dan Severn to claim the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 12.

While ‘The Hammer’ eventually lost the title to Maurice Smith, he remained one of MMA’s top heavyweights well into the following decade, winning PRIDE’s 2000 Grand Prix and making a semi-successful return to the UFC in 2009. Fewer fans will be aware of his pro-wrestling career, though, primarily because it took place in Japan and not the US.

Coleman first competed under the New Japan banner in late 2000, facing the likes of Yuji Nagata and Takashi Iizuka before moving to All Japan in 2002, where he even wrestled future WWE champion The Great Khali.

Later on, he wrestled for the more tongue-in-cheek Japanese promotion HUSTLE. He competed against legends such as Naoya Ogawa, Toshiaki Kawada and Wataru Sakata. He also often teamed up with another former UFC heavyweight champion, his training partner Kevin Randleman.

Coleman’s career as a pro-wrestler was not as notable as his run in MMA, but it definitely helped his standing in Japan, where he remains a well-liked figure today.