The world of wrestling and mixed martial arts has never been as intertwined as today. 2023, TKO Group Holdings, Inc. is WWE and Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. was established during the merger with.
That being said, these two different industries have been connected for many years, with athletes dabbing in both worlds. Let’s take a look at combat sports athletes who participated in both MMA and professional wrestling during their careers.
Ronda Lucy
First Lady to Main Event Wrestle Mania
- She was an Olympia judo athlete.
- She was a world champion in the Strike Force and a world champion in the UFC.
- Fought in the first women’s battle in UFC history.
- She was part of the first women’s main event in WrestleMania history.
Rousey is the most legendary female MMA fighter to date. She was a pioneer in the sport and became the first woman to compete in the UFC, the first women in the UFC, the UFC world champion, and soared, and perhaps MMA’s biggest star at her peak.
After her MMA career stopped several fights and stopped, she seamlessly jumped into WWE and used Star Power to become the first woman in the main event at Wrestle Mania.
Brock Lesnar
WWE and UFC World Champion
- He became WWE Champion at WrestleMania 19 when he defeated Kurt Angle.
- He began his career in combat sports as a university wrestler at the University of Minnesota, winning the NCAA National Championship.
- He defeated Randy Couture and became the UFC heavyweight champion in his third professional MMA fight.
Brock Lesnar is one of the most legendary combat athletes of all time. Using his incredible physicality and athleticism, he shot superstars in his mid-20s in WWE, pairing with his personality on the microphone, making him the headlines for the PPV event.
After his stellar power began to arise in WWE, he decided to test his luck in MMA and was discovered by Dana White. He signed with the UFC after one pro MMA fight in regional promotions and became the world’s heavyweight champion in two fights.
Paige Vanzant
The Possibility of Superstars in both Worlds
- He signed the UFC at the age of 20.
- After being released by UFC in 2020, signed with AEW.
Vanzant began his MMA career at a young age and was the best in the world by the time he was 21 years old. She began her UFC career with four straight wins, but she felt sick when she began to reach the top of the straw weight division.
After being released by the UFC in 2020, she began her wrestling career using star power and popularity on social media. She has appeared on the AEW Show multiple times and was officially signed to the company in early 2022. She debuted in May 2022.
Matt Riddle
WWE Tag Team Champion
- He competed in the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighter.
- Signed with the UFC in 2008.
- He became the WWE Tag Team Champion along with Randy Orton.
After a promising start to his MMA career and several big wins at the UFC, Riddle appeared in a positive test of marijuana and parted ways with the company in 2013.
He ultimately focused on professional wrestling, competing in regional circuits for four years, and had the opportunity to get a chance with WWE’s developmental brand NXT. He then joined the main roster, with future Hall of Fame Randy Orton becoming WWE Tag Team Champion as his partner.
Junior dos Santos
Former UFC heavyweight champion has taken on pro wrestling
- The UFC World Heavyweight Champion has the longest winning streak in UFC heavyweight history (9).
- He began appearing in AEW along with his American top teammates, including Paige Vanzant.
A potential future UFC Hall of Fame, Junior Dos Santos, has made his MMA career extremely successful. He put together the longest winning streak in UFC heavyweight history and won the world title. After resigning from the UFC and breaking up, Dos Santos tested the waters of the AEW ring along with his first-team teammates in America. He won six tag matches at AEW Rampage on October 15th, 2021.
Ken Shamrock
Pro Wrestling and MMA Crossover OG
- He was one of the first athletes to crossover between MMA and professional wrestling.
- He won many titles in professional wrestling between WWF, SAPW, BCW and NWA.
- The UFC Hall of Fame Inductees and former UFC Super Fight Champion feature two title defenses.
Shamrock walked and made it possible for everyone else on this list to do it. He was a vital piece for both professional wrestling and the UFC during his time as a combat sports athlete. He was a major part of the first few UFC events, opening the finals in the UFC 3 tournament, playing a 36-minute fight with Royce Gracie, and being a Super Fight Champion.
He was also a WWF superstar and feuded with guys like Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and the Undertaker during his time of attitude. Shamrock is one of the most important superstars in all of the history of sports entertainment.
CM Punk
The legend of WWE that is not suitable for UFC
- Punk has a long list of professional wrestling achievements. It includes numerous regional championships, AEW World titles, WWE World titles, and more.
- He signed with the UFC and made his UFC 203 debut against welterweight Mickey Gull.
CM Punk is a legend in professional wrestling and will certainly be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He has won multiple world titles in AEW, ECW and WWE. His resume was unpleasant in outlook, and he urged countless people to pursue their dreams.
After becoming one of the biggest stories of the year at UFC 203, his debut with Mickey Gal didn’t grasp the way he wanted. It was clear that his skills were not ready for that stage of MMA, and seeing many MMA fans was upset. That being said, he has brought a lot of attention to sports and did what many can say can.
And Severn
NWA World Champion and UFC Hall of Fame
- He is an inducted by the UFC Hall of Fame and a highly decorated martial artist.
- NWA Hall of Fame and World Champion.
The most impressive resume on this list may belong to Dansevern. He is an Arizona State University Hall of Fame wrestler, three-time Olympic athlete, UFC champion and Hall of Fame, and has won countless championships in many professional wrestling shows.
Severn won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and put together a Hall of Fame career, but his WWF/WWE career never pans out. He had memorable moments in WWF, rebutting Ken Shamrock, but in the end, the company’s talents feared him, and the plans Vince McMahon had for him never worked.
Bobby Rushley
The outstanding WWE Champion and Bellator
- He won two heavyweight titles in the regional MMA promotion and accumulated a 15-2 professional MMA record with 12 finishes. He was 5-0 with five finishes while fighting for Bellator MMA from 2014-2016.
- Shelton Benjamin won the AEW World Tag Team Championship twice at the ECW World Championship and WWE Championship.
Lashley was one of the most underrated entertainers in the history of professional wrestling, and he had an impressive MMA skill set that many MMA fans today don’t know about. Even when he began to look like a legitimate candidate for Bellator MMA, Lashley retired from the sport in pursuit of being the best thing possible in professional wrestling.
He became WWE Champion after beating Miz in a Lumberjack match at Raw in March 2021.
Shayna Baszler
She is a former WWE NXT women’s champion
- She competed in the Ultimate Fighter, losing a fight with future two-time world champion Juliana Pena before signing with the UFC to advance to 0-2 and was released. One of the losses was the greatest Amanda Nunes ever.
- After retiring from MMA, she won the NXT Women’s Championship and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Baszler’s MMA career did not pan out, but she was unlucky in facing the best fighters in the world early in her career, but she achieved many successes in professional wrestling. She used her big personality and unique look to gain opportunities at NXT, rising in rankings throughout the regional shows.
Baszler is a two-time NXT women’s champion and three-time WWE tag team champion, with one of his titles winning Ronda Rousey as partner. Rousey was the one who chose her for her team during the ultimate fighter.
