The Ultimate Fighting Championship is undoubtedly the biggest mixed martial arts promotion on Earth. It has crowned fighting champions from all walks of martial arts, and in some cases has even offered a path to a pro wrestling career.
World Wrestling Entertainment has long been the biggest pro wrestling organization, and in recent years it has been boosted by MMA stars making the switch to the promotion upon retirement from the UFC.
Some have even become so big in the WWE, that their UFC career is merely an afterthought when considering their legacy in combat sports.
But who are the most significant stars of the biggest MMA promotion that have also starred in the globe’s grandest wrestling promotion?
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar is perhaps the biggest star that made the switch from the UFC to the WWE. His time in the MMA promotion was incredibly successful, as he achieved undisputed champion status in the heavyweight division and dominated to a level few have replicated since.
In present times, Jon Jones is the holder of the heavyweight title, he will next defend the belt at UFC 295 against Stipe Miocic, where in sports betting he is a heavy favorite to retain his belt.
The heavyweight division has been extremely competitive in recent years, with the belt changing hands several times in succession. Lesnar managed two defenses of his title, after claiming it in November of 2008. Only two fighters in the 15 years since have managed to defend the title on at least two occasions.
Lesnar was one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the UFC, and in WWE his fortunes have not been much different. He played in the pro wrestling promotion either side of his short stint in the UFC.
In 2003 and 2022 he won the Royal Rumble match demonstrating his incredible longevity in the WWE. Lesnar repeated his UFC feat of becoming the heavyweight champion in 2014 in the wrestling promotion.
He is one of the biggest individual brands within the WWE, having headlined many WrestleMania and Summer Slam events.
Lesnar has ultimately been hugely successful in all his combat sports ventures throughout a lengthy career.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is one of the greatest female MMA fighters that has ever lived. Her influence on the women’s side of the UFC was huge, as she dominated the bantamweight division between 2023 and 2015.
Rousey appeared invincible in the bantamweight division for some time, as she went on a six-match winning streak following her arrival in the UFC. However, her subsequent defeats to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes partially derailed her career, and soon after she made the switch to WWE.
She made sporadic appearances in WWE events while her MMA career was ongoing and her full-time focus turned to wrestling in 2018. Rousey went on to become the RAW Women’s Champion and the Smackdown Women’s Champion during her pro wrestling career.
Lesnar and Rousey’s combat sports careers have shown that some of the UFC’s most dominant stars can make top entertainers in the world of the WWE. Perhaps we could see more legends of the MMA scene make the switch to the wrestling promotion in the future.
