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Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski retired for a second time this offseason and seems set to stay away from the game.
Gronkowski announced his retirement via Instagram this past offseason and has been a busy man ever since.
'Gronk' is now partnering up with the UFC with a promotion for their upcoming event this weekend.
The former tight end tweeted a video of him answering a video call from UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, who's calling him into the sport. Gronkowski then showed off some footage of him jokingly working out. He then sits in the locker room and receives another call from Buffer asking him if he's ready and 'Gronk' asks who he's fighting.
Buffer said he wouldn't be fighting anyone but would be hosting a watch party called, "UFC 278 with the Gronks."
Clever advertising by the UFC and Bruce Buffer here as they reel in one of the most famous NFL players of this era to promote their upcoming pay-per-view event. It doesn't seem like Rob Gronkowski will be training for a UFC career, but he could help promote the sport starting with advertisements like these.
This weekend's highly-anticipated event is headlined by Kamaru Usman looking to defend his welterweight title against Leon Edwards. Usman defeated Edwards earlier in their careers in the UFC and is looking for a straight title defense.
In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will take on Paulo Costa, with the winner potentially getting a crack at the middleweight title.
The event will be held in Salk Lake City, Utah and will begin Saturday at 6:00 PM ET.
Rob Gronkowski retired as one of the greatest tight ends of all time
Gronkowski entered the NFL in 2010 when the New England Patriots used their second-round pick on him coming out of Arizona State.
'Gronk' shone early on, recording over 500 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie season. His sophomore season saw him total over 1,300 receiving yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns.
The tight end finished his career with 621 receptions, 9,286 yards, and 92 receiving touchdowns. He retired as a four-time Super Bowl champion and four-time First-Team All-Pro, and made the Pro Bowl five times.
Rob Gronkowski will be hosting UFC 278 with the Gronks on ESPN+ during Saturday night's event.
