4 UFC Fighters Formerly of the NFL

The NFL Draft is where the brightest stars of tomorrow are selected by one of 32 teams. It offers teams a chance to see who’ll be a superstar and a bust. Whether a team’s getting the next Patrick Mahomes or Ryan Leaf, the NFL Draft is the start of the league’s new calendar year.

So what does this have to do with the UFC? For one, numerous noteworthy stars have played in the American football league. Numerous stars have also fought in the UFC, with success varying from each superstar.

But some former football players have made a name for themselves in the Las Vegas-based promotion. Others couldn’t leverage their past football successes in the ring, becoming afterthoughts. With that, here are four former football stars who also dabbled in mixed martial arts’s highest competition.

Former NFL Player Turned UFC Star Austen Lane

Austen Lane (12-4, 1 NC, entering Saturday) temporarily played in the NFL, being drafted in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010. The heavyweight fighter had a short-lived career, bouncing around to teams like the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears before retiring in 2015.

Lane has been successful in the MMA circle, using his powerful strikes to make a presence. While the Wisconsin native is still learning to tailor his fighting style in the UFC, he’s found success in fighting that he never found in football. It’s safe to say he’s found his calling in the octagon.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar (5-3, 1 NC)might be known for his time in the WWE. The “Beast” has won the WWE Championship seven times and has also won King of the Ring (2002), Money in the Bank (2019), and the Royal Rumble twice (2003, 2022).

But did you know he also tried out for the Minnesota Vikings? In fact, he left the WWE and tried his hand in the NFL. While he wasn’t successful in football, Lesnar did compete in the UFC. Here, he became the UFC Heavyweight Champion, beating fighters like Randy Couture and Frank Mir along the way.

Greg Hardy

Greg Hardy (7-5, 1 NC) has gotten in some hot water in his career. The controversial former Carolina Panther was arrested in 2014 for domestic violence against his girlfriend. In turn, Hardy was suspended by Roger Goodell for 10 games in 2015 for the incident.

After his football tenure, Hardy turned to the UFC, where he didn’t have much success. The former linebacker did defeat Austen Lane in his first match, though. There, he defeated Lane at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018.

Matt Mitrione

Matt Mitrione (13-9, 1 NC) didn’t do much during his football career. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants in 2002. “Meathead” also had brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings before being released by Minnesota before the 2005 season.

Mitrione was the opposite of Greg Hardy, having some success in the UFC. From appearing on the Ultimate Fighter to defeating fighters like Kimbo Slice and Fedor Emeliantenko in Bellator, “Meathead” was much better in MMA than in the NFL.