'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The UFC features fighters with otherworldly athleticism and a will to grind through the rigors of a full-contact sport.
While UFC being the topmost MMA organization in the world, possesses some of the most elite athletes on the planet, the world of professional wrestling boasts the same—with the two fields having never been mutually exclusive to one another.
Several notable figures from either side have dipped their toes into the other, as Ken Shamrock, Josh Barnett, and many more MMA legends have tried their hand at pro-wrestling. Similarly, sports-entertainment bigwigs such as Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Batista and Bobby Lashley have made inroads for pro-wrestlers in the world of MMA.
With the WWE Royal Rumble 2018 coming up this weekend, today we look at a few UFC stars who could partake in the Royal Rumble Match as surprise entrants.
#5 Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier is no stranger to the world of professional wrestling and has in fact been pretty vocal about his fandom for the WWE and the sport of pro-wrestling.
DC successfully defended his UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship against feared KO artist Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 and has previously stated that he’d like to attend the Royal Rumble this year. While Cormier has asserted that he can’t compete as a full-time sports-entertainer owing to knee issues, a one-off in-ring performance at a special annual event such as the Royal Rumble wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the former US Olympic wrestler.
Besides, Cormier was recently making headlines in the pro-wrestling media owing to his social media beef with The Young Bucks. Perhaps the UFC Champion could enter the Men’s Royal Rumble Match and show Matt & Nick Jackson his idea of how a professional wrestling match should be presented.
#4 Jon Jones
One doesn’t simply mention Daniel Cormier without speaking about his biggest rival Jon Jones.
While Jones deals with issues pertaining to his steroid test failure and potential suspension from the UFC organization as well as the sport of MMA, the young combatant has a ton of opportunities waiting for him outside the Octagon. Jones possesses the gift of gab and could truly use it to the fullest, should he choose to make the transition from the cage to the squared circle.
Besides, the former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion already has an excellent nickname well-known to one and all—Bones. JJ at the Royal Rumble would indeed be a pleasant surprise, and given his controversial nature, would bring additional mainstream media attention to the WWE event.
#3 Colby Covington
Colby Covington is in line for a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship and has previously performed for Impact Wrestling in an angle where he and his ATT (American Top Team) teammates attack members of the Impact Wrestling roster.
Covington is also well-known for playing up his heel persona on social media—at times to his own detriment, as he received death threats from several Star Wars fans after he spoiled the franchise’s latest installment on Twitter. Furthermore, Covington has previously spoken about his desire for working with the WWE.
With youth, mic skills, and athleticism on Covington’s side, the man could perhaps be a great surprise entrant at this year’s WWE Royal Rumble.
#2 Ronda Rousey
‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey is one of the most recognizable sportspersons in the world today. While Rousey may have fallen upon tough times lately in her MMA career, the vast majority of professional wrestling and combat sports experts believe that Rousey is WWE-bound. Rousey, on her part, has teased a transition to the WWE on multiple occasions over the past few months.
Rousey is likely to win the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, provided that the WWE chooses to have her make her official debut as a WWE Superstar at the event. Expect the roof to be blown off the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia if Ronda Rousey does participate in the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant.
#1 Chael Sonnen
‘The American Gangster’ is one of the most prolific trash-talkers in the history of MMA.
Chael Sonnen, who spent the better part of his career at Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight, recently beat Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson—at Heavyweight! Sonnen will look to ride his wave of success for the foreseeable future, and given that he’s a big professional wrestling fan, seeing him at the WWE Royal Rumble wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.
Sonnen, when he chooses to be, is one of the classiest trash-talkers in the game today, besides being an excellent wrestler and the Bellator fighter could very well pull off an entertaining performance at the Royal Rumble this weekend.
