WWE to mma

Crossing over: MMA fighters and professional wrestlers WHO transitioned from one world to the opposite

Editor’s note: This story was originally revealed once Ronda Roused proclaimed her move to WWE.

The worlds of grappling and mixed martial arts have drawn their rosters from all walks of life, as well as football game and body wrestling. For any variety of reasons, as well as similar techniques and ability sets, a number of the most important stars in every world have crossed over from the planet of MMA to grappling, and contrariwise, to variable degrees of success.

WWE to mma Brock Lennar

By virtually any live, Lennar had so much and away the foremost productive crossover between the WWE and MMA, so back and forth once more, because the solely man to ever hold each a UFC title and a WWE world title. when double earning college All-American recognition as a heavyweight amateur grappler for Bismarck State school, he transferred to MN and have become a cheat on Division I All-American in Later that year, Lennar signed with the WWE and trained over succeeding number of years before debuting on Monday Night Raw in March 2002 and virtually instantly billowing toward the highest of the organic phenomenon. By August 2002, he had defeated The Rock to become WWE undisputed champion, creating him the youngest WWE world champion in history at the time at twenty five years getting on.

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He would have variety of world title reigns and unforgettable rivalries; however he left the WWE to pursue a career in soccer with the MN Vikings. When failing to catch on, Lennar ultimately found his thanks to MMA in 2006 and won his 1st professional MMA fight in Japan in 2007. He lost in his UFC debut against Frank Mir when obtaining caught during a knee bar, however he became UFC heavyweight champion when beating Heath Herring and horny dressmaking within the span of 3 months. He lost his last 2 UFC fights throughout that run, to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Oversee, and simply a number of months later came to the WWE, wherever he presently reigns as Universal champion. Whereas beneath contract with the WWE, Associate in nursing agreement was reached in 2016 to permit Lennar to come to the UFC for an additional fight at UFC 200; he won against Mark Hunt, however the choice was later became a no contest when Lennar failing a USADA drug take a look at.

WWE to mma Dan Severn

No matter the format of the fight, be it classical or race wrestling, judo, jiu-jitsu or virtually the rest, Severn was willing to throw down with anyone WHO crossed his path. When a body wrestling career that saw Severn become a three-time All-American at Arizona State, Severn eventually found his thanks to skilled fighting and also the UFC in Dec 1994. At UFC 4, once the format was a single-elimination one-night tournament, Severn lost within the finals to Royce Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen when one continuous spherical that lasted over quarter-hour. Severn won the UFC five tournament, however he lost the primary ever UFC Superlight championship bout against Ken Shamrock, during a time once there have been no weight categories.

WWE to mma Ken Shamrock

Cooper Neil for ESPN; Courtesy WWE

Though Dan Severn created the crossover at an analogous time, Shamrock was the primary UFC fighter that almost all professional wrestling fans became at home with within the Nineteen Nineties. What several fans do not know is that before he began his skilled MMA career with Pancreas in Japan in 1993, Shamrock trained to become an expert grappler and performed throughout the first ’90s within the us and Japan. On Nov. 12, 1993, simply four days when winning his third professional fight in Japan, Shamrock competed in UFC one in Mile-High City within the 1st of its one-night-only tournaments. when winning his 1st fight, he lost via submission to Royce Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen within the semifinals. Shamrock split his time between Pancreas and also the UFC over succeeding four years, and he became each {the 1st|the primary} ever Pancreas Open weight champion and also the first UFC Superlight champion.

Antonio Invoke

When it involves legendary figures within the world of Japanese grappling, it does not get any larger than Invoke. He trained beneath the likes of Rikidozan and learned grappling and shoot fighting from Karl Goth. He supported New Japan professional Wrestling. Anoka’s grappler versus boxer fight with Muhammad Ali, though’ universally panned for the way it contend out, helped lay the groundwork for what mixed martial arts would become. Invoke helped bring a huge wrestling show to D.P.R.K. within the mid-1990s, wherever he visage Rice aptitude and entered politics in Japan. Invoke is Associate in Nursing icon within the ring. Over throughout his life and career.

CM Punk

CM Punk began his raid professional wrestling as a part of the yard wrestling movement within the mid-1990s, before moving on to a spread of indie promotions — a run Over succeeding three-plus years, Punk stone-broke out with attention-grabbing matches against most of the most important names in freelance wrestling at the time, as well as Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) and Samoa Joe — the latter during a three-match series of 60-plus-minute matches that place him on the map.