The worlds of pro wrestling and mixed martial arts have always been quite close. Even as far back as the early era of the UFC, fighters would often moonlight in pro wrestling. Former champions Josh Barnett and Ken Shamrock are great examples.
Then of course you have wrestlers who crossover in to MMA. Probably the best example of this is former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. He’s not the only one though, Alberto del Rio and CM Punk (yet to debut) have also tried their hands.
Brock Lesnar
There’s no doubt that Brock Lesnar is the most successful pro wrestler to cross in to MMA. He first fought as a mixed martial artist way back in 2007. After just one fight he was scooped up by the UFC.
Lesnar debuted at UFC 81, where he was supposed to tear through Frank Mir. Unfortunately for ‘The Beast,’ Mir had other ideas. He would submit Lesnar by kneebar in the first round of their fight.
Champion, retirement and return
After winning the UFC heavyweight belt from Randy Couture and avenging his loss to Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar would retire in 2011. It was far from over though, and he faced Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in a sensational MMA comeback.
After failing two drug tests Lesnar headed back to the WWE, but maybe he forgot pro wrestling isn’t actually real…