5 WWE Wrestlers Who Dabbled In MMA

4. Giant Silva

Giant Silva Mma Silva's the biggest name on this list... literally. Silva was basically the Great Khali of his day back in 1998/99 in the WWE (then still WWF). Only, he lacked something as suave as the Punjabi Playboy gimmick. At 7 foot 2, he had played on the Brazilian national basketball team, playing in the prelims of the 88 Summer Olympics. In 97, he turned pro as a wrestler, because, well, at his size, why not? Always looking for giants, Vince McMahon's promotion signed him and paired him up with the Oddities stable - basically a freakshow. Silva's career in the WWF/E didn't last long - he was big, but not very over, and so he made his exit, heading over to New Japan Pro Wrestling. This opened the doors to him joining Pride, one of the biggest MMA promotions in the world in the early-mid 2000s. Silva trained with the Gracies in jiu-jitsu, so he had some legit fighting ability, and you'd better believe he had size - he walked around at over 350lbs. That made Pride, which really only had loose weight classes for the purposes of championships when it had them at all, one of the only real options for the giant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAl9dpJuPEs Silva would go 2-6 over an eight fight career from 2003-2006, with his two wins coming over Sumo fighters Henry Sentoryu and Akebono. His losses could be awkward to watch, but give the man credit for trying.
Contributor
Contributor

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.