5 UFC stars who could follow Ronda Rousey to WWE

Crossovers between MMA and pro-wrestling aren’t exactly new – the whole Japanese MMA scene of the 1990’s and 2000’s was based out of pro-wrestling and the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba started in the squared circle before fighting professionally – but crossovers from the US-based promotions WWE and UFC have been relatively rare.

We’ve seen Brock Lesnar and CM Punk come over to the UFC from WWE (with Lesnar going back the other way) to massively different results, but discounting Lesnar, no UFC stars have found their way onto WWE’s main roster (Shayna Baszler is in developmental) full-time since Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn in the late 90’s. That is, until last week, when former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was announced as being WWE’s latest big signing.

If Rousey succeeds, could we see other UFC stars looking to branch out into the world of WWE? It might sound doubtful, but stranger things have definitely happened before. While it’s hard to see someone like Demetrious Johnson or Cain Velasquez in a WWE ring anytime soon, the following five could well make a move to pro-wrestling at some point in the future.

---

#1 Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier is a longtime fan of pro-wrestling

Right now, Daniel Cormier is probably training hard for his upcoming fight with Stipe Miocic – the first time in UFC history that the reigning Light-Heavyweight champion has faced off with the reigning Heavyweight champ. Cormier could go down as one of the all-time greats. But ‘DC’ has also made it well-known that he doesn’t intend to fight much longer – in fact, he’s promised to hang up his gloves on or before March 20th, 2019 – the day he turns 40.

But for an athlete like Cormier, would he really ever be able to quit active competition? Perhaps he’d prefer not to take any real punches to the face after 40, but pro-wrestling could be another thing entirely. Plenty of pro-wrestlers are still active way into their 40s, while the likes of Goldust and HHH still compete despite pushing 50. While pro-wrestling is arguably harder on the body than MMA, if Cormier could get a part-time deal like Brock Lesnar’s, it’d be perfect for him.

Cormier is a longtime fan of wrestling – he recently got into a Twitter spat with Cody Rhodes over the subject – and through his career in the UFC, he’s learned to use a microphone to his advantage – something that could serve him well in WWE. The current champ may well prefer to settle into a role as a UFC analyst and commentator, but if he were to choose to move to the squared circle, then there’s little doubt that he’d be a success.

#2 Paige VanZant

Paige VanZant would be a marketable star for WWE

It may well prove to be the case that Ronda Rousey’s move to WWE won’t be the last one that sees a female athlete move from the world of MMA to the world of professional wrestling. WWE already has former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler contracted, but right now she’s with the developmental NXT brand. One current UFC star that would almost certainly move straight to WWE’s main roster – and succeed there – however, could be Paige VanZant.

VanZant has been pushed as a major star by the UFC ever since her 2014 debut, but unfortunately, she’s come under some criticism from fans who feel her stardom has been caused by her good looks rather than her fighting skills. She’s lost badly on numerous occasions in the Octagon and while she’s an easily sellable star, to really do well in the UFC you need to win some big fights at least – something that seems beyond VanZant’s skills.

So why not make the move to WWE? She’d come in with a reputation as being a legitimate fighter, albeit not as respected as Rousey, but with her good looks she’s certainly just as marketable. And while she’s not the best fighter, she’s clearly an A+ athlete, which would bode well for a career in wrestling. Throw in her impressive showing on Dancing with the Stars – the kind of mainstream publicity Vince McMahon loves – and it might be the case that a move to WWE would make sense for ’12 Gauge’.

#3 Jon Jones

Jon Jones could become a major heel in WWE

In a different world, Jon Jones would still be holding the UFC Light-Heavyweight title right now and would be widely recognised as one of the greatest fighters to ever step into the Octagon. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case – his title has been stripped and his status as an all-time great is hanging in the balance due to a series of mistakes, most notably a pair of positive tests for PEDs as well as some serious legal problems.

Jones is on the shelf right now, suspended by USADA, and if it’s proven that he willingly and purposefully took the anabolic steroid that he’s accused of using prior to his last fight, it’s highly likely that the anti-doping board will slap him with a lengthy ban – perhaps even as long as four years. By the time he’d be ready to return, Jones would be 34 years old and likely too rusty to really get back into contention.

So could he hang up the gloves for good and move to WWE instead? He’s certainly got the kind of heel charisma that the WWE fanbase would embrace right away, and as one of the UFC’s most recognisable stars over the past few years, he’d likely bring the kind of buzz that Lesnar and now Rousey have brought into the promotion. Maybe it wouldn’t be a permanent move – only for the length of his USADA suspension – but it would keep Jones in the headlines and would probably increase his levels of stardom, too.

Jon Jones' rivalry with Brock Lesnar adds another interesting dimension to the proceedings. Jones was rumored to face Lesnar in a super fight this year before a failed drug test kickstarted his downfall yet again.

Jones vs Lesnar inside a WWE ring is a win-win situation for everyone.

#4 Elias Theodorou

Canadian star Elias Theodorou already has pro-wrestling experience

The winner of 2014’s TUF: Nations tournament at Middleweight, Elias Theodorou isn’t the most recognisable man on the UFC’s roster to casual fans as he hasn’t been pushed that hard just yet. While he’s featured in plenty of televised fights, he has yet to main or co-main event a card, and he’s largely been treated as a mid-card fighter, which makes sense as he hasn’t really picked up a signature win over a big name just yet.

It’s unfortunate really as the Canadian is actually one of the UFC’s most marketable fighters. With his long, flowing hair and chiselled jaw, Theodorou has the kind of good looks that even movie stars dream about and he’s put them to good use previously by modelling for the covers of romance novels. He’s also got a lot of charisma and is one of the UFC’s more entertaining Twitter posters, with plenty of fans following his commentary on the UFC’s events.

More to the point, Theodorou is a huge fan of pro-wrestling and has already made his debut in the squared circle, competing in an independent Canadian promotion in July 2015. He hasn’t returned since, but if his UFC career stalls out, why not make the move to WWE? His style and personality would fit right into the colourful ‘WWE Universe’, and he’d probably become a big star pretty quickly. It could well prove to be a perfect move for ‘The Spartan’.

#5 Conor McGregor

A Conor McGregor appearance could bolster a future WrestleMania card

Okay, so the likelihood of a full-time move to WWE for McGregor – the UFC’s biggest ever star and arguably the biggest star in all of combat sports right now – is pretty low. After all, WWE simply wouldn’t be able to pay him the kind of money he can command right now following his mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather, and at his size – 5’9” and just 155lbs – it’d be a hard sell to put him against some of the giants on WWE’s roster. Simply put, a full-time move wouldn’t work.

But a one-shot deal at a show like WrestleMania? Why not? It’d be the kind of move that could draw more eyeballs to WrestleMania than the show has seen since Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson first returned to the squared circle to face John Cena in 2012 and obviously it wouldn’t be without precedent, as Mayweather himself fought at WrestleMania 24 in 2008, and other boxing superstars like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali also played a part at WrestleMania in the past too.

Would McGregor do it? I think he probably would – he’s a big fan of pro-wrestling, as he’s stolen his promo style from Ric Flair and even copied Vince McMahon’s comical strutting walk. Even if it weren’t a full wrestling match and he were just acting as a guest referee or enforcer, the Irishman would probably jump at the chance to take part in the wrestling calendar’s biggest show. If McGregor’s time in UFC is as limited as some suspect, then a guest shot at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 wouldn’t be a shock at all.