The worlds of mixed martial arts (MMA) and pro wrestling have drawn stars from all walks of life, including collegiate wrestlers and professional footballers. For any number of reasons, including similar skill sets and techniques, some of the biggest names in each sphere have crossed over from the MMA world to professional wrestling and vice versa, each with varying degrees of success.
This article will take a look at some of the biggest successes, mishaps, and all that’s in between, focusing on some of the biggest names in the industry who have chosen to make the switch. In case you have a favourite from this list, we have one recommendation for you: if you want to get in on the action, register at one of the most popular casinos rated by Bonusmonitor and place a bet!
1. Dan Severn
Whether you’re thinking along the lines of freestyle wrestling, jiu-jitsu, Greco-Roman fighting, judo, or anything else in between, Severn was willing to get right into it whenever challenged. After enjoying a great collegiate wrestling career that saw him smash his way to achieving three All-American awards in Arizona, Severn eventually found his way into pro fighting and the UFC back in 1994.
Beating Shamrock with a split decision during the UFC Ultimate tournament of 1995, Dan went on to rack up multiple wins before losing to Coleman during the UFC heavyweight championship of ’97. Continuing to fight all over the world up to the early ‘00s, Severn is also known for his pro wrestling career, with two NWA world heavyweight championships and a spot in the NWA Hall of Fame under his belt, as well as a two-year stint with the WWE in the late 90s.
2. Ronda Rousey
To date, Rousey is one of the biggest names to have crossed over from the world of MMA to the one of pro wrestling. Enjoying an extremely successful mixed martial arts career over a year and a half, Rousey revolutionized female MMA by being the first-ever UFC women’s champion defeating Liz Carmouche and retaining her UFC bantamweight title in the women’s division.
This winning streak, however, soon came to an end following a series of back-to-back KO losses against the likes of Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm, causing her WWE shift as of 2018. Since then, Rousey has been recognized for her legitimate talent which led her to take on some of the biggest names in female WWE history, while landing her a spot in female professional wrestling’s Hall of fame for years to come.
3. Kazushi Sakuraba
This avid martial artist fought his way throughout his adolescence and branched out into professional wrestling in the early 90s. Working at UWF International for a couple of years before moving on to Pancrase, Sakuraba is known for his unique fighting style and one-of-a-kind techniques. Now before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s be clear that Kazushi didn’t deliver anything we hadn’t seen before, but his unpredictable nature is what makes him so exceptional.
If you’ve ever watched one of his fights before then it’s almost certain that you’ve thought ‘did he just do that?’ halfway through the round. Winning the Japanese UFC title back in 1997 amongst others, this fighter is best known for beating the four ‘Gracies’, Royce, Royler, Ryan and Renzo Gracie during some of the most iconic moments in MMA history, landing him the nickname ‘The Gracie Killer’.
4. Matt Riddle
Enjoying success both as an MMA fighter as well as a professional wrestler, Riddle is notoriously known for his high-profile controversies which proved to be his downfall in both worlds. After being very publicly released from the UFC in 2013 following two positive cannabis tests, further failed drug tests led to a public bashing by UFC president Dana White and eventual expulsion.
Following this incident, Riddle chose to dip his toes in the world of pro wrestling, which led to a four-year run as an independent fighter before signing up for the WWE in 2018. Here, he enjoyed a very successful two-year stint which saw him winning titles against the likes of Dusty Rhodes Classic and Pete Dunne amongst others during this time.
5. Paige VanZant
Despite not exactly being known as the best MMA fighter of all time, VanZant eventually went on to make a name for herself in the UFC, ending her career with a record five wins (and four losses) during the promotion. Her final MMA fight saw her facing Amanda Ribas before making an official move to the BKFC.
Launching her professional wrestling career in 2021, VanZant made her debut in AEW appearing as part of the Inner Circle vs American Top Team storyline. In 2022 she went on to sign an AEW contract live on air, which unfortunately only led to a single fight – can’t fault her for trying!
6. Brock Lesnar
This champion is mostly known for crossing over from the WWE to the MMA and then going back and forth again for a couple of years. He’s also the only fighter to hold both a WWE world title as well as a UFC title, which is pretty impressive in itself.
Had he remained in the industry, he would have probably racked up more world title reigns, however, Lesnar chose to move out of wrestling to pursue a career in football with the Minnesota Vikings which didn’t prove to be as successful. Failing to catch on, Lesnar eventually made his way back to MMA in 2006, winning his first professional fight the year after in Japan. Losing his first UFC fight against Frank Mir didn’t seem to hold him back, with Lesnar eventually becoming a UFC heavyweight champion three months later. Despite being under contract with the WWE, Lesnar agreed to return to the UFC for a final fight against Mark Hunt, which he won. Unfortunately, this decision was eventually overturned after a failed drug test.
7. Valerie Loureda
Known in the rink as Lola Vice, Loureda is considered one of the best fighters in the NXT women’s division. Carving out a niche and making a name for herself in the world of MMA, Valerie is best remembered for fighting five times and winning four times, most of which ended up with a big KO finish.
From there, her MMA career went through some massive highs and lows which eventually led her to getting signed up by the WWE in 2002. Debuting in 2023 as a professional wrestler, Lola Vice has been a central character on NXT TV, cementing herself as one of the top threats in the women’s division while displaying countless potential to be the next WWE star.
8. Ken Shamrock
If you follow this sport, then you already know that Ken Shamrock is nothing other than iconic when it comes to MMA, with both of his brothers Frank and Ken also enjoying illustrious MMA careers and eventually becoming UFC champions. However, it was Ken who put the Shamrocks on the map for two sports after also becoming a huge WWF star.
Putting the brakes on his MMA career in 1996 to pursue a career in professional wrestling, Shamrock enjoyed a two-and-a-half-year run with the WWF that saw him winning several titles including the Tag Team Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the King of the Ring Tournament during this time. Following several controversies and feuds, Shamrock went back to MMA in 1999 only to sign another pro wrestling contract three years later.
9. Josh Barnett
For those involved in the sport, Barnett is another of the most successful fighters to have ever leaped into the worlds of MMA and pro wrestling. This former UFC heavyweight champion kicked off his career in MMA with nonetheless than 43 fights to his name.
Kickstarting his professional wrestling career in 2003 after competing in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling championship while still actively fighting in the world of MMA, Barnett went on to compete in several American and Japanese promotions including the AEW, GCW, and TNA. Since then, he’s enjoyed a massively successful wrestling career with his style becoming so popular he now has his event that goes under the brand Josh Barnet’s Bloodsports.
10. Shayna Baszler
Known as an MMA veteran with 26 fights under her belt, Shayna Baszler has competed in several promotions including Invicta, Strikeforce, and of course, the UFC. She’s also well-known for having shared a cage with Amanda Nunes, who went down in history as one of the greatest female fighters of all time, as well as the extremely intimidating Cris Cyborg amongst others.
Making her pro wrestling debut in 2015 following an extremely successful MMA stint, Baszler signed with WWE two years later, which saw her hitting the rink in the extremely popular Japanese promotion called Stardom.
