Considering the fact that professional wrestling is predetermined, while MMA is pure competition, it's surprising how many people overlap between the two. While many professional wrestlers come from combat backgrounds, it's strange to think of them going from the scripted, yet still dangerous, the world of Professional wrestling to stepping into an Octagon with highly trained fighters. Many wrestlers have competed for various MMA companies, like UFC and Bellator, both during and after working as professional wrestlers with various levels of success.
On the one hand, wrestlers like Brock Lesnar were able to cross over to the UFC and became huge stars for the promotion. Other professional wrestlers like Jake Hager, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Bobby Lashley also have winning records in MMA. However, not everyone that crosses over from professional wrestling to MMA experiences success. While most fans will remember CM Punk's unfortunate spell in UFC, Alberto Del Rio also has a mixed MMA record, including a loss to Tito Ortiz in the first round in their 2019 encounter.
9 Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez first appeared for UFC in 2008, winning his first fight against Brad Morris in the first round. Velasquez would then go on an undefeated run leading to a main event title fight against a former professional wrestler and UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar. Velasquez defeated Lesnar in the first round via a furious flurry of fists. Velasquez would lose the title on his first defense against Junior Dos Santos, before regaining the title from Dos Santos in 2012.
In 2018, Velasquez made his first transitional steps into professional wrestling after training at the WWE performance center in Orlando, Florida. Velasquez would wrestle his first match in professional wrestling the following year at TripleMania, the biggest event of Mexican wrestling promotion AAA. In 2019, Velasquez would be signed to a WWE contract and faced former UFC nemesis, Brock Lesnar, at the 2019 Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. Velasquez would be released from his WWE contract in 2020 and will return to Triple-A at TripleMania 2021.
8 Matt Riddle
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After a brief stint in amateur MMA, Matt Riddle would earn a spot in UFC's reality television show called The Ultimate Fighter. The show is similar to WWE's Tough Enough and sought to find potential future stars. Riddle was drafted by Rampage during the series but was defeated in the first round of the tournament by Tim Credeur. Riddle would fight on UFC cards in the Middleweight and Welterweight divisions. Out of Riddle's 12 fights in the UFC, he has a record of 7 wins, 3 losses, and 2 no-contest fights.
After leaving UFC, and MMA, Riddle transitioned into professional wrestling and was trained by the Monster Factory. Riddle would wrestle in a variety of independent promotions before signing for WWE in 2018. From 2018 to 2020, Matt Riddle would wrestle in NXT and held the NXT Tag Team titles alongside Pete Dunne after the duo won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2020. Riddle has since gone on to win the WWE United States title and currently holds the Raw Tag Team titles alongside Randy Orton.
7 Junior Dos Santos
Like Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar, Junior Dos Santos is a former UFC World Heavyweight Champion. In 2011, Dos Santos defeated Velasquez for the Heavyweight title and successfully defended the title against Frank Mir. Dos Santos would lose the title back to Cain Velasquez. After beating Mark Hunt, Dos Santos would again fail to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Cain Velasquez. In 2021, Dos Santos was released from his UFC contract after losing his last four fights in a row.
In 2021, Junior Dos Santos made his debut for All Elite Wrestling aligned with Dan Lambert. While other UFC fighters, including Jorge Masvidal and Paige VanZant, would also appear, Dos Santos is the only one to partake in a match. Dos Santos teamed with Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky to take on the Inner Circle of Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, and Sammy Guevara on the October 15th episode of AEW Rampage.
6 Dan Severn
Dan Severn is regarded as one of the pioneers of UFC, having made his debut for the MMA promotion in 1993 at UFC 4. At the event, Severn defeated Anthony Macias, Marcus Bossett, before losing to the legendary Royce Gracie. Severn would periodically return to UFC, winning the UFC 5 tournament defeating Joe Charles, Oleg Taktarov, and Dave Beneteau on the way to the final. Around roughly the same time, Severn would become a prominent professional wrestler, defeating Chris Candido to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
In 1998, Severn made his official WWE in-ring debut squashing Flash Funk on an episode of Monday Night Raw. During his run with the company, Severn would often come to the ring carrying his NWA World Heavyweight Championship as well as his UFC Heavyweight Championship. Severn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2005 and continues to wrestle professionally in the independent scene.
5 Ken Shamrock
While many on this list are better known for their time in UFC than professional wrestling, that isn't the case when it comes to Ken Shamrock. Much like Severn, Shamrock was one of the pioneers of the UFC, first appearing at UFC 1 against Patrick Smith and Royce Gracie. Shamrock would have a rematch with Gracie, as well as a series of fights against Dan Severn and Tito Ortiz.
4 years after his UFC debut, Shamrock would sign for WWE and would be the special guest referee of the submission match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13. In October 1997, Shamrock faced off against Bret Hart for the WWE World Title on an episode of Raw and is considered one of the best to never hold the WWE world title. Instead, Shamrock held the Intercontinental and Tag Team titles throughout his career and even won the 1998 King of the Ring tournament.
4 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey has done a lot of things over the course of her life. Rousey is a World Champion judoka, who won the Bronze medal in her weight class at the 2008 Olympic Games. Rousey would then switch to MMA in 2010 where she was eventually signed by the UFC. Rousey would win her first 6 fights in UFC, after previously winning her first four fights in Strikeforce. Rousey would lose the Bantamweight title to Holly Holm in 2015, and would retire after suffering her second defeat at the hands of Amanda Nunes.
In 2018, Rousey would appear at the end of the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble, interrupting Asuka's victory celebration. Rousey would then compete at WrestleMania 34 in a mixed tag team match against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rousey would defeat Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam to win her first and only WWE title to date, but would lose the title in the main event of WrestleMania 35 to Becky Lynch. Rousey would then leave WWE in order to start a family with the former UFC and Raw champion giving birth in September 2021.
3 Tank Abbott
Tank Abbott made his UFC debut in 1995 where he took part in the UFC 6 tournament, beating John Matua and Paul Varelans before losing to Oleg Tarkov Abbott would face off against the likes of Dan Severn, and Vitor Belfort over the course of his career, losing in each of these encounters.
In 1999, Abbott signed a contract to wrestle for WCW. Abbott would start by one-off fights with the likes of Meng, Jerry Flynn, Shane, and Lex Luger in Devember the same year. In February 2000, Abbott had his first shot at the WCW World Heavyweight title, but lost to reigning champion Sid Vicious. Abbott's run in WCW ended within a year after he was released from his contract. Abbott would return to UFC, losing several fights in a row. Abbott has largely become a controversial figure in professional wrestling, mainly making comments about how he would beat up Ronda Rousey.
2 Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler would fight for a variety of MMA promotions, including Strikeforce, and Invicta before making her debut in the Ultimate Fighter as a part of Team Rousey. Alongside Jessamyn Duke, Ronda Rousey, and Marina Shafir, the four women became known as the Four Horsewomen of the UFC, a tribute to the famous Four Horseman stable of professional wrestling fame.
In 2017, Baszler entered into the first-ever Mae Young Classic where she made it to the final before losing to Kairi Sane. At TakeOver: New Orleans, Baszler would defeat Ember Moon to win her first NXT Women's Title before losing it to Kairi Sane at TakeOver: Brooklyn 4. On the main roster, Baszler was paired with Nia Jax and the two were able to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles.
1 Josh Barnett
Not only has former UFC fighter Josh Barnett made the switch from MMA to Professional Wrestling, but he also runs his own events titled Josh Barnett's Bloodsport, which he took over from Matt Riddle. Barnett made his UFC debut in 2000, where he defeated Gan McGee in a Super Heavyweight fight. In 2002, Barnett would defeat UFC legend Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight title, but was stripped of the title after Barnett failed a drug test.
So far, Barnett has wrestled for a variety of promotions, including TNA, NJPW, and Game Changer Wrestling. Despite never really wrestling for a major company, Barnett has already faced off in the squared circle against the likes of Jon Moxley, Bobby Lashley, Jushin Thunder Liger, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Minoru Suzuki.