5 NFL players who have tried their hand in boxing and MMA

NFL players who switched to MMA

#1 - Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar participates in a fight at UFC 200

If Charlie Powell was a multi-sport superstar in boxing, in MMA that title belongs to Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar not only played in the NFL, he made his name as a professional wrestler.

Competing at the highest level in three sports is no small matter.

Brock Lesnar began his career in professional wrestling and found great success there as he became the youngest ever champion in 2002 at the age of 25. He joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2004, but only made it onto the practice squad and was cut before the regular season.

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He joined the MMA in 2007 and by 2008 he was the UFC Heavyweight champion. After a brief hiatus, he returned in 2010 to become the undisputed MMA champion in the UFC Heavyweight category.

He returned to the wrestling arena in 2021.

Though his successful wrestling and MMA careers have been sandwiched by a less than stellar NFL career, the fact he made it onto a team at the very top of professional football is, in itself, no small feat.

#2 - Greg Hardy

UFC 249 Ferguson v Gaethje

A former defensive end in the NFL, he made his name with the Carolina Panthers, with whom he played from 2010 to 2014. He had his best season in 2013, when he won nominations to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team.

He ended his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015.

He began training for MMA in 2016, and then made his UFC debut in 2019. Since being in MMA, he has played a total of 12 times and won 7, 4 disqualifications and 1 no contest.

His next match is slated to be against Alexey Oleynik on January 2022.

#3 - Herschel Walker

Philadelphia Eagles v San Francisco 49ers

The greatest college player and a great NFL player, Herschel walker is the most accomplished player to try his hand at MMA. His rushing yards for the USFL and NFL combined are the most for any player who has played in the NFL, excluding Henry Williams, who played in the CFL as well.

They included more than 10,000 yards from scrimmage and over 5,000 rushing yards. He played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in his NFL career.

Herschel Walker's MMA career spanned two fights, one each in 2010 and 2011. He dispatched both fighters in the first and third round knockouts.

It is a novel performance related to a promotion but his two wins are nothing to be sneezed at, especially when one considers that he was nearly 50 years old at the time. He ended his brief MMA career undefeated.