UFC fighters are some of the greatest athletes on the planet, and it makes sense considering that many fighters on the UFC's roster have loads of experience in not only MMA obviously, but in other sports. Some even played in the highest level of their respective sports before moving on to MMA.
There are obviously the known figures within the sport such as Greg Hardy in the NFL, or Alexander Volkanovski playing Rugby at over 200 hundred pounds, however, there are many fighters in the UFC that's an athletic experience outside of the sport of mixed-martial-arts that will shock many fans.
10 Walt Harris: Basketball
Walt "The Big Ticket" Harris has been a UFC mainstay since 2013, and along the way has earned six knockouts during his time in the promotion with his biggest win coming over Aleksei Oleinik in 2019 in 12 seconds. Harris's large frame and knockout power are quite known, however, what isn't is that Harris was previously a college basketball player for Jacksonville State University.
Harris played one season of college basketball for the school but ended up opting for MMA after declining NBA tryout offers after college.
9 Stipe Miocic: Baseball
Stipe Miocic is largely considered to be one of the greatest UFC heavyweights of all time. The multiple-time champion defeated the likes of Daniel Cormier, Junior Dos Santos, Francis Ngannou, and Alistair Overeem just to name a few. However, what many fans may not know is that Miocic was close to not even going into MMA, in large part due to his success out on the baseball field.
Miocic played college baseball for Trevecca Nazarene University and Cleveland State University. Miocic's best year came in 2005 where he batted.344 with seven home runs leading the Trevecca to the TranSouth Athletic Conference tournament championship. Miocic had interest from MLB teams but opted for fighting in the cage instead.
8 Matt Mitrione: Football
Matt Mitrione got a late start in MMA to put it lightly, making his debut in his early 30s. The main reason for his late start being his previous professional football career. First playing college ball at Purdue as their starting Defensive Tackle, Mitrione went undrafted in the 2002 NFL draft.
Mitrione signed with the New York Giants in 2002 but was released the following year. Mitrione retired in 2005 after two additional stints with the San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings.
7 Travis Browne: Basketball
Travis Browne's 6'7' frame was notable for being one of the biggest among a division of big men in the UFC. However, his large frame not only helped in MMA but on the basketball court, as Browne was quite the baller in his teenage years.
Browne in high school in San Diego was actually the 2000 Coastal North League Player of the Year, Browne then continued playing basketball for Palomar College before quitting the sport once he found his love for jiu-jitsu in his mid-20s.
6 Alexander Volkanovski: Rugby
The aforementioned Alexander Volkanovski was known for playing rugby, as it mostly became a joke that as a man with a smaller frame he regularly played rugby at over 200 pounds. What isn't known is that Volkanovski was more than just a joke in rugby, he was actually quite good at the sport.
Volkanovski played professional rugby for the Warilla-Lake South Gorillas in the South Coast Rugby League, winning the Cronin medal in 2010 for the best player in the league. After leading the South Gorillas to the victory in the Grand Final in 2011 over the Gerringong Lions, he would begin training in MMA and quit the sport not long afterward.
5 Brock Lesnar: Professional Wrestling, Football
Brock Lesnar is notable for having been one of the few fighters to do multiple sports. Lesnar headed into MMA after a successful amateur and professional wrestling pedigree, but many forget that Lesnar actually originally left the world of professional wrestling in order to achieve his dream of playing in the NFL.
Lesnar signed with his home state's Minnesota Vikings in 2004 as a Defensive Tackle and despite not playing football since high school actually played in pre-season for the team. Lesnar was released prior to the season beginning but was offered a role to be a Viking's representative in NFL Europa but declined the invitation to wanting to stay in the United States with his family. He transitioned to MMA later that year.
4 Brendan Schaub: Football
Brendan Schaub's journey has been like few others, going from a budding MMA fighter to a successful stand-up comedian and podcast host whose shows have skyrocketed in terms of popularity over the years. However what is forgotten about that journey is the beginning stop for Schaub, which was his football career.
Schaub played college football for the University of Colorado but went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. Schaub had a brief stint with the NFL's Buffalo Bills before being released and playing for the Arena Football League's Utah Blaze. However, after one season with the team Schaub retired from football to pursue MMA.
3 Dominick Reyes: Football
In the leadup to Dominick Reyes's title bout against Jon Jones at UFC 247 he commonly referenced his athleticism, and fair credit to Reyes, he was quite the athlete in college. Reyes played high school football, eventually playing college football for Stony Brook University.
Reyes started for the team for three years, being labelled team captain and making the all-conference team twice in his three-year run. After finishing out his career as the school's all-time tackler, he was undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft. Despite getting invitations to the Canadian Football League, Reyes opted to take up MMA instead.
2 Eryk Anders: Football
Eryk Anders wasn't even just a good college football player, he was an excellent one. Anders started for the powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide from 2006 to 2009, with his career culminating in the 2009 National Championship game against the Texas Longhorns in which Anders lead the team to victory with seven tackles and a forced fumble.
Despite his college success, Anders went undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft. He had brief stints with the Cleveland Browns and the CFL's Calgary Stampeders before decided to step into the cage instead.
1 Greg Hardy: Football
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Greg Hardy is known for being the primer crossover to MMA because he's without a doubt, the best one to attempt it. Hardy wasn't just a football player, for a brief period he was one of the greatest defensive players in the NFL. Hardy was drafted out of Ole Miss in 2010 and went to the Carolina Panthers where he made a name for himself.
Hardy played four seasons for the team, with his best season coming in 2013 where he got All-Pro honors. However, Hardy was released in 2014 due to a domestic violence charge. After sitting a year out he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015 but after a mediocre season moved to MMA the following year.