Poker is one of the most played card games in the world that has been around since the early 19th century. It started out as a family game, but it quickly worked its way into land-based gambling houses. These establishments began organizing poker tournaments where players could show off their skills.
The featured competitions grow bigger and bigger, attracting thousands of players with different backgrounds. Nowadays, we can witness many famous individuals competing in poker tournaments. These tournaments even captivated some of the best fighters in the world. In this article, we’ll reveal just a couple of them.
Colby Covington: From Fighting in the Octagon to Playing Poker at Casinos
We begin with Colby Covington, a top MMA fighter who’s currently ranked 6th on the UFC welterweight list. He's also a former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion, a title that he kept from June 2018 until December 2019.
However, apart from MMA fighting, Covington also enjoys competing in big poker tournaments. He started actively playing in such competitions in August 2012. Covington entered over 50 tournaments, where he won on three occasions.
He usually enjoys these exhibitions at land-based gambling establishments that feature numerous tables. But, he might also play poker online at $1 deposit casinos in his free time. These are gaming sites where many players practice from the comfort of their homes before entering a big tournament.
Georges St-Pierre: MMA Fighter, Actor, and Passionate Poker Player
Here's another high-profile MMA fighter who had a lot of successful nights in the ring. During his fighting days, St-Pierre managed to maintain a record of 26 wins and just 2 losses. Many fans and experts regard him as one of the best UFC fighters of all time.
He's a two-division champion having won belts in middleweight and welterweight divisions. It's also worth mentioning that St-Pierre has defeated every opponent he ever faced in his career.
Besides fighting, he’s also widely known as a passionate poker player. Fans have been seeing him at various tournaments since 2012. He even tried out his skills on numerous WSOP events but without any luck thus far. One of his biggest dreams is to play poker with the best players in the world.
Dan Henderson: Entering the World of Poker as a Successful MMA Fighter and Wrestler
Next, we have Dan Henderson, a retired MMA fighter and Olympic wrestler. He was the last middleweight and welterweight champion of the Pride Fighting Championship and the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Henderson even challenged for the UFC Middleweight Championship on two occasions.
Before his MMA career, he was a pro wrestler winning gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Pan American Championships. At the World Cup and the Pan American Games, Henderson won two silver and one bronze medals, respectively.
Apart from his passion for fighting, he's also highly engaged in playing poker. In the past, he participated in several celebrity tournaments alongside other famous sportspersons. Among the most recognisable competitions are PokerGO's After Dark Series, where he played against Bruce Buffer and Randy Couture.
Randy Couture: Playing Poker Amateurly and for Charity
Randy Couture is a former US MMA fighter and wrestler as well as a former US Army sergeant, actor, and commentator. During his career in the UFC, he became a heavyweight champion on three occasions. He even acquired two light heavyweight champion belts and one interim in the same division.
In Greco-Roman wrestling, Couture won two gold, three silver, and three bronze medals. He’s done that at the Pan American Games, World Cup, and Pan American Championships.
Outside the fighting world, Couture enjoys occasional poker games, but rarely as a professional player. In the past, he competed with other celebrities, mostly at charity tournaments. His only major appearance at a serious tournament was the 2023 WSOP Main Event.
Fedor Emelianenko: A Tough Russian Fighter Who Loves Playing Poker
Emelianenko is a Russian former MMA fighter, judoka, sambist, and politician. He made his biggest accomplishments competing in combat sambo where he won three gold and one World Championship bronze medals. Between 1998 and 2012 he also acquired 8 gold and two bronze medals in three other competitions.
This fighter was also the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion from 2003 until the closure of this organization in 2007. He even appeared in Bellator MMA, Rizin, RINGS, M-1 Global, and Strikeforce. But, sadly he never competed in the UFC. Yet, he consistently ranked as the top heavyweight fighter between 2003 and 2010.
Aside from the octagon, Emelianenko is also a pretty good poker player. He appeared in numerous tournaments over the years, where he showed off his focus, strategy, and ability to read his opponents.
Urijah Faber: A Former Professional MMA Fighter and Occasional Poker Player
Next, we have Urijah Faber, an American former MMA fighter, actor, and founder of Team Alpha Male. Before entering the UFC, he competed as an NCAA wrestler and a brown-belt jiu-jitsu fighter. In March 2006, he managed to win the WEC Featherweight Championship and held the title until November 2008.
Faber started out in the UFC in March 2011 and stayed in the competition until 2016. During this period, he challenged for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on four occasions. After that, he went to retirement but came out in 2019 to beat Ricky Simon.
Punching and kicking opponents isn't the only thing that keeps Faber excited. He also loves playing poker, having participated in multiple tournaments including the WSOP Main Event and the Venetian Poker Tournament.
Terrence Chan: Better Know as a Poker Player than a Fighter
Finally, we have Terrence Chan, a somewhat lesser-known Chinese-Canadian fighter. He hasn't competed in the UFC but did appear in competitions such as Legend FC, Rise FC, Diablo Fight Series, etc. During his career, which lasted from 2012 until 2018, he won 4 and lost 2 fights.
As for his poker activity, Chan started competing in professional tournaments in 1998. Since then, he appeared in over 60 competitions where he accumulated around NZ$2.3 million.
He ended 8 tournaments in the top 3, winning on three occasions. It seems like Chan’s the most successful poker player of all fighters who enjoy this card game professionally.
