Will some fresh faces from the UFC, familiar or otherwise, be making their way to the WWE sooner than you think? Maybe, as rumblings of an MMA to pro wrestling crossover continue. The UFC is far from the only game in town for mixed martial artists. Sure, they're the biggest fight promotion in the business, having swallowed up the likes of Pride, Striceforce, and WEC, but fighters unhappy with the way things are run do have other options: Bellator MMA, owned by Viacom, the World Series of Fighting, which airs on NBC, and ONE FC, the most dominant mixed martial arts outfit in Asia, home to undefeated top ten welterweight Ben Askren. And then there's pro wrestling. The UFC has been pretty clear that they do consider the WWE competition, despite allowing star Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey to appear at WrestleMania 31 this year. And pro wrestling is very much an option for fighters who want to go a different route, and have a more secure form of income. Yes, that's right, a wrestler's pay is more secure - and often higher - than low or even mid-card fighters in the UFC. Then there's simply the allure of living out a childhood dream. Either way, there's a wealth of candidates who could make the switch soon. Here are nine possible contenders.
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.
