A former WWE star could be making their UFC debut in the near future, as UFC President Dana White has expressed his interest in a former pro wrestler.
Dana White was a guest on The Jim Rome Show recently, and was asked by host Jim Rome about former WWE NXT star and Olympic gold medallist, Gable Steveson. White said that he is interested in Steveson and his abilities, and that UFC are “keeping our eye” on him. White said:
“When somebody that’s a physical freak, an incredible athlete, and a guy who has competed at the highest level, and then they start transitioning, in a combat sport like this, it is very interesting. We are definitely keeping our eye on him, and we’ll see how this plays out.”
Steveson recently made his MMA debut, defeating Braden Peterson by TKO on September 12 at LFA 217, winning a performance of the night award. Steveson also made his Dirty Boxing debut on October 30, knocking out Billy Swanson in just 15 seconds of the first round in Nashville, Tennessee.
Which WWE Stars Have Competed In UFC?
The two most notable names to have competed in the UFC after leaving WWE are Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. Lesnar had a very successful tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, winning their Heavyweight Championship by defeating Randy Couture at UFC 91 on November 15, 2008.
Punk had a less successful time with the fighting promotion, as he was defeated by Mickey Gall by submission in the first round in his debut, and was defeated by Mike Jackson via unanimous decision in his second bout; however, this judgment was overturned after Jackson tested positive for marijuana after the fight, and it was ruled a no-contest.
Other stars have left the UFC to join WWE, such as Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, and Ken Shamrock.
