Pretty much as long as there has been mixed martial arts, there have been pro wrestlers involved in mixed martial arts. CM Punk’s entree into the sport has made some people forget about the long history of success pro wrestlers have had in fighting, of course. I mean, Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley both have winning career MMA records, you know. I mean, even Dave Bautista has a winning MMA record.
But the latest pro wrestler who might make the jump to MMA is former WWE Superstar Jack Swagger. Luckily, Swagger has the legitimate amateur wrestling background that Punk lacked. Swagger spoke to WrestleZone recently, and talked about the possibility of following in Punk’s footsteps. Or Lashley’s. Or Lesnar’s. Whoever had the most success in MMA. I forget.
In fact, Swagger’s already been training in the art of mixed martials.
“I have to consider fighting, because it’s such a game changer. If I can do both then why not? It’s only going to help my pro wrestling career, and I’ve been training now for about four months and working towards something. It’s very exciting, I wish I would’ve started sooner. It’s who I am and it’s something I got away from.”
I may be a pro wrestling apologist, but I think Swagger might not have too terrible a time transitioning to MMA. No idea how his striking game is, but if you’re already assured “U-S-A” chants, that’s like 60 percent of fighting right there.
You can check out the full interview below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfkAuqbo8c4