You never know who has been working out in the gym, training, taking classes, and learning to fight. Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports on the planet, and athletes from other disciplines have certainly taken notice. Many turn up at UFC and Bellator events, eagerly taking in each fight from the crowd. Some have even decided to get in on the action, training sometimes simply for their health and own personal development, and other times to take professional fights. While the cross-overs of professional wrestling stars like Brock Lesnar and Phil "CM Punk" Brooks have been well documented, there are many other athletes from multiple sports to have made the jump. Some, like the NFL's Brendan Schaub, are now better known as a fighter than as members of their original sport. Others, however, just dabbled in mixed martial arts - so you may not have known they even gave it a shot! MMA is not an easy transition, however, so few have really had any level of success, outside the aforementioned Brock Lesnar and a handful of others. Regardless, lets take a look at five pro athletes who you never even know were mixed martial arts fighters!
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
