Which UFC Fighters Have Crossed Over into Other Sports

Later this year, fight fans will be treated to a true clash of the titans as WBC heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury faces off against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The bout will take place on October 24th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And it will do so in a boxing ring under boxing rules.

Despite the massive names involved, this bout isn’t one that many boxing fans have been clamoring for. That of course is a clash between the Gypsy King and Oleksandr Usyk, the man who holds the rest of the gold in the heavyweight division. A battle between the pair was being negotiated earlier in the year in the hopes of thrashing out a deal to crown a first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis over two decades ago.

Unfortunately, though, a deal was unable to be reached. The Ukrainian champion went on to successfully defend his titles against British fighter Daniel Dubois, while Fury is left to battle the fighter that the UFC used to call the monster. But with the contest not taking place under MMA Rules, it will come as no surprise to hear that boxing and UFC betting providers online have made the Cameroonian a +550 underdog.

Stars of the Octagon crossing over into other sports to do battle isn’t uncommon. YouTube sensation turned boxer Jake Paul has fought and beat the likes of Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley (twice), and Ben Askren. Middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva has also fought in the boxing ring, sensationally beating former super middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. back in 2021.

Those aren’t the only instances of crossover success either. Here are two other UFC superstars that have managed to succeed outside of the Octagon.

Conor McGregor

Despite his star dimming somewhat in recent years, Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest star the UFC has ever produced. Between 2015 and 2016, the brash Irishman was catapulted to superstardom after picking up victories over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, and finally Eddie Alvarez. The sensational run of results led him to become the first fighter in history to simultaneously hold world championships in two weight classes.

But that wasn’t enough. The Notorious One was on the hunt for even bigger things. Namely, Floyd Mayweather.

In the weeks after becoming the UFC lightweight king, McGregor would famously state that nothing in the promotion excited him anymore and that he would have to “drag Floyd Mayweather out of bed” for a money-spinning showdown. And that is exactly what happened.

The bout between the two was confirmed for August 26, 2017, and the world tour that preceded it was almost as blockbuster as the fight itself. The pair would trade barbs at each other back and forth, with both men crossing the line on a regular basis. On fight night though, it was the boxing champion that asserted his dominance, picking up a deserved 10th-round TKO victory.

The venture from the Octagon and into the squared circle was the beginning of the end for McGregor as an elite fighter. He would take two years off before being submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the fall of 2018 and he hasn’t beaten a ranked fighter since.

Ronda Rousey

While Conor McGregor was on the rise, another star had also risen to the fore in the UFC, and for the first time in the promotion’s history, that star was a female. Ronda Rousey shot to prominence in no defunct promotion Strikeforce, and her rivalry with Miesha Tate was the reason why Dana White brought women into the UFC. He immediately made Rousey the Bantamweight Champion upon her joining the roster, and she wouldn’t let her boss down.

The Rowdy One would successfully defend her title twice, firstly against Liz Carmouche and then against the aforementioned Tate in a fight for the ages. Following that, she would embark on a run that would see her become a global megastar.

Between February 2014 and August 2015, Rousey successfully defended her title four times, and she did so after spending a combined two minutes and ten seconds. But with her star at its highest and with movie deals being signed left right and center, it all came crashing down with one swift head kick from former women’s boxing champion Holly Holm.

Rousey would be knocked out once again 18 months later by Amanda Nunes, and that signaled the end of her in the UFC. However, the WWE was only too happy to bring the Californian on board, and the decision proved to be a masterstroke.

She would go on to become a three-time women’s champion in the world of professional wrestling as well as winning the Royal Rumble last year. However, her crowning achievement was becoming the first woman – alongside Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair – to main-event WrestleMania. A pioneer in every sense of the word.