Many WWE stars have crossed over to MMA and then returned too
The world of MMA has progressed a lot over the past decade or so and has seen many WWE stars try their skills in different promotions.
There are a few WWE stars currently in the ranks such as Matt Riddle, Shayna Baszler and Sonya Deville who first tried their hand in MMA before coming to the wrestling business.
However, some top stars from the men’s division have also tried their hand in MMA. Most of them actually went to the UFC or other promotions after their time in WWE, and there were a few title wins to celebrate too.
Some of the biggest names from the past and present have fought in MMA, and here are five male stars that tried their luck in various promotions.
Dave Batista might be remembered for his time as The Animal on WWE, but he has been successful after leaving the wrestling world too.
The former champion is now a bona fide movie star thanks to some Marvel hits, but before all that, he seemed set to join Strikeforce but the deal fell through.
Batista made his MMA debut for CES MMA: Real Pain and picked up a win over Vince Lucero in 2012. Batista’s MMA record stands at 1-0 and that was it for his MMA career too.
The American left WWE a while back and is currently with AEW, but Jack Swagger also tried his luck out in the world of MMA.
The 38-year-old has a wrestling background from his NCAA days and even was the World Heavyweight Champion during his days in WWE.
Swagger also holds a great MMA record with three wins and one no-contest from his three bouts. He fought for Bellator during 2019 and in 2020 too. Swagger has been handling his AEW and MMA career well and made his debut in 2019.
CM Punk might be one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. The 41-year-old left WWE in a controversial manner and it is incredible that he hasn’t wrestled for more than six years.
Punk has also tried his luck in movies and other creative avenues and is back on Fox to co-host WWE shows.
However, he has no desire of entering the ring as of yet. In 2015, Punk joined the UFC and was set to fight in the Welterweight division.
The 41-year-old didn’t have a great time in the promotion and lost both fights he was part off. Punk’s MMA record stands at 0-2 with losses to Mickey Gall and Mike Jackson. CM Punk made his MMA debut in 2016 but lost that fight.
His last MMA fight took place in 2018, and he hasn’t been inside an Octagon ever since.
Bobby Lashley might be in the news due to his relationship with Lana. However, the All Mighty, has also been an MMA champion.
Lashley left WWE in the late 2000s and tried his hand at several MMA promotions. Strikeforce, Shark Fights, Titan Fighting Championship and Bellator were some of the bigger brands he participated in.
Lashley holds a great MMA record of 15 wins and two losses, but he hasn’t been in an MMA fight since Bellator 162.
Bobby Lashley made his MMA debut in 2008 for MFA and won his first five fights. However, he hasn’t fought since 2016 where he was at Bellator.
He won a couple of Heavyweight titles at Shark Fights and XFN, but is currently one of the top stars in WWE after his return.
Brock Lesnar, The Beast, has had two stints with the UFC and multiple stints with WWE. The Beast has often teased about leaving WWE again for a return to the world of MMA, and it is no surprise that he has been great inside the Octagon too.
Lesnar recently held the WWE title but lost that to Drew McIntyre. However, he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and beat Randy Couture to win the crown in 2008.
The Beast made his MMA debut at Dynamite in 2007 but his next fight was in the UFC where he lost to Frank Mir.
However, he won his last four fights and became a champion in the UFC. Lesnar defended his title against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin but lost it to Cain Velasquez. The Beast holds an MMA record of five wins, three losses and one no contest.
However, there is no doubting that he probably made the biggest impact from WWE when he went to the UFC.
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