Pro Wrestlers in MMA
From entertainment to fighting: 9 pro wrestlers who impacted MMA MMA has a history of taking talent from pro wrestling’s…
From entertainment to fighting: 9 pro wrestlers who impacted MMA
MMA has a history of taking talent from pro wrestling’s ranks, going back at least to the turn of the 20th century, when pro wrestling matches weren’t fixed. In modern times — that is, the last 20 years or so — the two have chiefly intertwined in Japan, whose MMA industry was born from pro wrestlers’ desires to prove themselves in a competitive setting.
In the wake of Lesnar’s victory at UFC 100 to become the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s undisputed heavyweight titleholder, let’s look nine of his noteworthy predecessors. Note that the list excludes athletes who reached pro wrestling’s major circuits only after they started fighting — thus, no Josh Barnett, Don Frye or Ron Waterman.
1. Kazushi Sakuraba
2. Ken Shamrock
3. Masakatsu Funaki
4. Akira Maeda
5. Dan Severn
6. Kiyoshi Tamura
7. Kazuyuki Fujita
8. Nobuhiko Takada
9. Antonio Inoki
