For years, UFC fighters have been no strangers to the world of professional wrestling. There have been a number of fighters that have gone on to successfully transition and maximize their appeal and expand their fanbase, and at same time, prove that pro wrestling can be a viable outlet for them and possibly lead to additional opportunities in the entertainment industry.
With the UFC merging with WWE to form TKO under the Endeavor banner, there is now more of a direct pathway for fighters to transition to pro wrestling should they wish to pursue that career, which wasn’t the case in the past.
This list will look at 5 UFC champions that crossed over to pro wrestling.
Andrei Arlovski and Junior dos Santos (Tag Team)
Former UFC heavyweight champions Junior dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski made their pro wrestling debuts as a tag team during an interesting period for All Elite Wrestling.
At the time, their American Top Team coach Dan Lambert had been involved in a feud with AEW star Chris Jericho and his faction, The Inner Circle, which resulted in Lambert calling on some reinforcements in the form of his ATT pupils.
Lambert played the heel role exceptionally well and had fans booing him as he shared his thoughts on the state of the industry and the AEW fanbase. ‘JDS’ and ‘The Pitbull’ were among a star studded group of ATT fighters including Paige VanZant, Kayla Harrison, and Jorge Masvidal, who also made appearances to support their coach against Jericho and his faction.
The rivalry culminated with a 10-man tag team match billed as: Minneapolis Street Fight, which saw the former UFC heavyweight champions team with Lambert and AEW tag team Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky and ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page). Arlovski and dos Santos came out on the losing end, but appeared to have embraced their heel roles and seemed enthusiastic about being part of the rivalry and match itself.
Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez shocked the pro wrestling world when he joined WWE in 2019 and immediately targeted his former foe Brock Lesnar.
At the time, WWE had made a groundbreaking TV rights deal that saw SmackDown move to FOX in a Friday night timeslot. The company ensured that their debut on FOX in Oct. 2019 was a memorable one as they had a number of top stars both past and present appear.
The main event saw Lesnar defeat Kofi Kingston in less than 10-seconds to become the new WWE champion, but he was in for a surprise after the match as Velasquez appeared along with Rey Mysterio, and attacked ‘The Beast Incarnate’.
The feud culminated with a match at Crown Jewel later that month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It wasn’t a long match by any means as they aimed at replicating an MMA fight.
Unlike their UFC 121 encounter, Lesnar submitted Velasquez in 2:10 to retain his title. Unfortunately for fans, they wouldn’t see the continuation of the rivalry as the former UFC heavyweight champion was released in Apr. 2020, along with a number of other superstars due to budget cuts as a result of the pandemic.
Dan Severn
Dan Severn is one of the most accomplished MMA fighters of all-time. He competed in an astonishing 120 pro MMA bouts and won 101 of them, while also splitting time with his pro wrestling career.
‘The Beast’ primarily performed for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and in 1995, did something that has never been replicated. He won the UFC 5 tournament, while being the active NWA World Heavyweight champion, and celebrated in the octagon by holding up both titles.
Severn then followed former foe Ken Shamrock as he joined WWE during their Attitude Era in 1997. Although he and Shamrock didn’t carry their MMA rivalry to the ring for a big WWE feud, they were still involved in a program with each other.
‘The Beast’ served as the referee when ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ took on Owen Hart in a Dungeon Match, which was filmed at Hart’s family home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and aired on the WWE Fully Loaded 1998 broadcast. The following month at SummerSlam, Severn stood in Hart’s corner when he took on Shamrock in a Lion’s Den match.
Since his WWE departure, Severn has continued to make appearances on the independent circuit as well as other companies including NWA and MLW.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey was regarded by many as a trailblazer for women’s MMA, but she was also a big part of history when she transitioned into pro wrestling in 2018.
‘Rowdy’ made her highly anticipated WWE debut immediately following the women’s Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble 2018. The appearance generated plenty of interest and led to her in-ring debut a few months later at WrestleMania 34, where she teamed with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
In 2019, then WWE Raw women’s champion Rousey made history along with 2019 Royal Rumble winner Becky Lynch, and WWE SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair as they became the first women to main event WrestleMania.
After a two-and-a-half year hiatus, Rousey returned as a surprise entrant in the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble and won the match. The UFC Hall of Famer’s WWE tenure lasted until SummerSlam 2023, where she lost an MMA rules match to longtime friend and UFC veteran Shayna Baszler.
Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock was the first high profile UFC star to make the transition to pro wrestling when he joined WWE in 1997. He served as the special guest referee for the famous No Holds Barred match between Bret Hart and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13, which brought legitimacy to what they wanted to accomplish with the match. He joined the company during their Attitude Era, which was the height of their popularity, and achieved plenty of success.
The UFC Hall of Famer essentially became a trailblazer for other MMA fighters to follow as he was involved in meaningful programs with the likes of The Rock, The Undertaker, and Owen Hart, and proved that he belonged with the company’s top stars. He went on to win the Intercontinental championship, tag team championships, and King of the Ring.
In 2002, Shamrock made history by becoming the first-ever NWA-TNA World champion while still being an active fighter.
