Street fighting is often glamorized in films and on TV, but in real life, it is an incredibly stupid and dangerous thing to do.
Most MMA fighters and martial artists are the LAST people you would ever see engage in a street fight as not only do they have nothing to prove, but also, they get all their fighting done in the gym.
Sometimes, though, the same type of person who engages in street fighting ends up finding their way into MMA as a means to prove something to others or even just to themselves.
Usually, this type of person doesn’t make it very far as their ego cannot handle the humbling that MMA and martial arts training provides.
Occasionally, however, a street fighter somehow finds their way into the big show like the guys we see here, and some of them even made it to the elite-level.
5) Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez is one such guy who made it to the top of the food chain in his division when he knocked out Rafael dos Anjos in brutal fashion to win the lightweight title at UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez in July of 2016.
Coming from the tough streets of Philadelphia, according to Alvarez, he was in around 100 street fights before he even got into MMA.
Though he ended up losing his title to Conor McGregor in brutal fashion at UFC 205, he is now coming off of a great win over Justin Gaethje and perhaps another title is in Alvarez’s future.
4) Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal is another example of a street fighter turned MMA fighter then made it to the elite-level. Masvidal is one of the top dogs in the welterweight division and has knocked out tough guys like Donald Cerrone and Jake Ellenberger.
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Unlike Alvarez, however, there is actual video footage of Masvidal throwing down in an unsanctioned street fighter like we see here in this video.
3) Lee Murray
‘Lightning’ Lee Murray is a notorious figure and perhaps one of the most badass men ever to compete in mixed martial arts. While Murray is currently incarcerated for being part of the biggest bank robbery in UK history, his story is more so a cautionary tale as to what might have been.
A legendary figure on the streets and, while there is no video proof of this, several other fighters have confirmed that ‘Lightning’ Lee Murray knocked out Tito Ortiz in a street fight in London when Tito was at the top of his game, and also much larger than Murray.
2) Tank Abbott
Before there was Kimbo Slice, there was Tank Abbott. Abbott was a ferocious, terrifying figure in the early days of MMA, as well as a fan favorite. Claiming to have had over 100 street fights before ever fighting in the UFC, Abbott had some success in MMA but faltered against high-level opponents.
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Nevertheless, Abbott is certainly a pioneer of the sport and had a few big KO wins like we see here.
1) Kimbo Slice
The late Kimbo Slice is perhaps the best example of a street fighter turned MMA fighter. He became a huge star thanks to YouTube after several of his street fight videos went viral. While he never made it to a super high-level skill wise, he was still a massive draw and just the fact that he went from fighting in backyards all the way to the UFC where he did get a win is still quite amazing nonetheless.
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Check out the video above to see what happened when two legendary street fighters collided in the MMA cage.
