The Miami Dolphins recently visited American Top Team, the South Florida-based MMA academy that has produced some of UFC’s brightest stars.
The visit video, posted to UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal’s Twitter account, was great. It also got us thinking: Which current NFL players would make for great (or at least entertaining) MMA fighters? Here’s our list of eight that come to mind.
Which NFL players do we want to see in UFC?
There are plenty of athletic traits that are valuable in both football and MMA. The National Library of Medicine in 2019 published a study entitled “Anthropometric and Physiological Profile of Mixed Martial Art Athletes: A Brief Review.”
“The main findings of this review,” researchers wrote, “suggested an overall profile of low body fat, high flexibility, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and anaerobic power, and average cardiovascular endurance.”
What’s more, the best fighters have quick reaction time, excellent leverage, and smooth movements. Sounds like we’re describing top-tier cornerbacks, no?
But the best fighters can’t just be created in a lab. Those with an elite toughness and spirit and a tolerance for punishment are the best of the best.
So who are some NFL players that fit some, if not all, of these characteristics?
Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams
Arguably the best all-around player in the NFL was the first person Malki Kawa, a Miami-based agent who represents football players and MMA fighters, named when asked to list potential UFC fighters.
And it makes so much sense. Beyond his crazy body control, speed, and power, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has special hand work. At 280 pounds, Donald of course would be a heavyweight, but at just 11% body fat, he’s absolutely shredded for a man his size.
Sign us up.
Darius Leonard, LB, Indianapolis Colts
Kawa represents Leonard, so he is admittedly partial to the Maniac (who was given that nickname after a 19-tackle game against Clemson). But Kawa also is right in pointing out his client’s rare traits.
The three-time first-team All-Pro is long, strong, and twitchy. And his quickness, already a strength, would only improve by shedding the 25 pounds he would need to drop to fight at light heavyweight — which Kawa believes is the right classification for Leonard.
“It fits my personality,” Leonard told NFL Network during his rookie year. “I’m the type of guy that brings a lot of energy onto the field. I like the name Maniac.”
Maxx Crosby, DE, Las Vegas Raiders
Sensing a theme here? Front seven playmakers have a lot of skills that translate to MMA.
That’s a fact not lost on Crosby, who told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2020 that he is open to the idea of entering the Octagon — and probably would be a fighter if not an NFL defender.
“NFL guys are larger than the average person,” said Crosby, a lifelong UFC fan. “We’re athletic and big and know how to win. So when you throw a freak athlete in a ring, it definitely gets a little tricky. I think that’s something down the road, if everything doesn’t go exactly the way I want it to, it’d definitely be cool to get at least one fight under my belt just so I can say I did it.
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Metcalf is built like a Greek god. His abs look like they’re CGI’d. And his athleticism is beyond debate.
His size, speed, and explosion measurables during the pre-draft process were all elite, per his Relative Athletic Score.
There should be no question about his desire, either. Not after his absurd, touchdown-saving chase-down of Budda Baker after a Russell Wilson interception in 2020.
Tyler Linderbaum, C, Baltimore Ravens
Linderbaum’s floor game would be elite. The heavyweight finished third in the Iowa high school state tournament as a senior and surely could have completed collegiately.
Linderbaum, who was the 25th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, is an all-around athlete. He also was an all-state thrower on the track team and also starred on his high school’s baseball team.
Richie Incognito, G, Unsigned
OK, so Richie doesn’t have the build of an elite cage fighter. But if you’re looking for a street brawler willing to push boundaries to win, he’s your guy.
Far be it from us to say that Incognito — who’s so intense that he bullied his own teammate — is a little nuts. But there’s a reason the soon-to-be 39-year-old regularly showed up on lists of the NFL’s dirtiest players. His fights wouldn’t be art. But they would be bloodbaths.
K’Von Wallace, S, Philadelphia Eagles
He’s not the league’s biggest safety, but Wallace is certainly among the most athletic. He ran in the low-4.5s coming out of Clemson and his agility measurables were off the charts.
Plus with a 38-inch vertical jump, he’s got serious spring in his step.
But can he fight? He’s certainly been trained. Wallace boxes in the offseason — a hobby inspired by Blazers guard Damian Lillard.
Nick Boyle, TE, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens trench warrior has always had the temperament to be a fighter. Now Boyle has the physique for it, too. Boyle reported to Ravens spring camp down 10 to 12 pounds of unnecessary weight.
“You take some horsepower out of the car, the horsepower is still the same but you get to move a little faster,” Boyle said.