Over the last few years, a handful of athletes have managed to compete in both the WWE and the UFC successfully. Some WWE competitors have made the shift to the UFC, but have struggled to make their mark, while others have transitioned well, and have gone on to hold titles. The same can be said for athletes who go from the UFC to the WWE.
Only two have managed to make marks on both of the franchises mentioned, and they’ve been listed below:
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar can be viewed as one of the pioneers to shift from the WWE to the UFC. Lesnar had had a long history in the sport of wrestling, which aided his cause in the UFC, as according to many sources, fighters that enter the UFC with a strong wrestling background tend to fare quite well as they have the ability to control fights.
Lesnar’s near decade long experience in the sport of professional wrestling, both in the WWE, and various other franchises served as a great foundation for his entrance into mixed martial arts in 2007. His initial interest came with joining K-1’s mixed martial arts league, and in June of 2007, he went on to win via TKO in the first round against decorated Judo and kickboxer Kim Min-soo.
Lesnar’s UFC career began in 2008, and his star power put him on a fast track to face top heavyweight contender Frank Mir. Despite his loss to Mir, Lesnar was offered another UFC contract, and was scheduled to fight Mark Coleman, who had to drop out, leading Lesnar to fight Heath Herring, in a bout that he went on to win by unanimous decision.
Lesnar was the favorite amongst sportsbooks across the world for his fight against Herring in the UFC, His ferocious nature in the cage struck fear in many of his opponents, and was far too much for a well rounded Herring to handle.
His win against Herring earned him a shot at the title, and Lesnar went on to beat heavyweight champion Randy Couture to secure the UFC Heavyweight Championship, solidifying his place in combat sports folklore as the only person to hold primary heavyweight championships in the WWE, Ultimate Fighting Championship, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NKWP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is one of the most influential people in the world of combat sports, having been the first woman to be signed to the UFC. Having practiced and competed in the Olympics for Judo, Rousey was well versed in competitive combat sports when she began showing interest in mixed martial arts. Her career in MMA began in 2010, where her trademark armbar was featured for the first time in her win over Hayden Munoz. The fight lasted just 23 seconds.
Rousey’s career in the UFC began in 2012, and was characterized by dominance. Rousey was arguably the most ferocious female fighter at the time, having gone on a 12 fight professional winning streak, having successfully defended her title 6 times.
Rousey officially signed full time with WWE in 2017, and her debut in 2018 has been quoted by many sources as arguably the best debut ever seen. The tag team bout, which involved Rousey and Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon was ended by Rousey submitting McMahon with her trademark arm bar, thus inducting her into WWE folklore.
She later became a WWE champion in 2019, after submitting Alexa Bliss, and went on to defend 5 times, making her one of the most formidable WWE stars of recent times.
While there have been other athletes to represent both of these franchises, it’s clear that the two mentioned above here are two of the most influential. Lesnar and Rousey both went on to be crowned champions in the WWE and UFC, feats that not many other athletes can boast.
