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10 NFL Players Who Would Excel in the Octagon
NFL Players Who Would Excel in the Octagon
It’s been told that mixed martial artists are considered some of the best athletes in the world since they need to know multiple disciplines. These disciplines include wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and many others. With this being said, there are several professional football players that use mixed martial arts training in their offseason workouts to build up core strength and flexibility.
However, if some of these football players decided to retire from the NFL and do MMA training full-time to become a fighter, they could flourish in the octagon for the Ultimate Fighting Championship which is the big ticket of mixed martial artists, just like great running back Herschel Walker. He’s had a career renaissance in the MMA world at the age of 51, and these guys are at most in their 20s still or their early 30s, so age shouldn’t be an issue. These guys on this slideshow are the top 10 that could do more than just excel, in fact, some of them could even win a title if they stayed focused and learned fast enough.
Some of these guys on the list are ferocious defenders who put fear into every team’s starting quarterback, while some of them are actually quarterbacks. There are some other notable athletes that have showed if their mindset is right, they can do anything in this world. Also this list is for only active people in the NFL and it isn’t to mock the players in the NFL, nor is it to mock the world of mixed martial arts.
#10 Tim Tebow
Standing in at 6' 3" 236 lbs. out of Makati in the Philippines, "Tenacious" Tim Tebow!
New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has done MMA training to get in better shape for the NFL season. While he is extremely polarizing, Tebow has always shown to be coach-able which could be his biggest asset going forward.
#9 Andre Johnson
Standing in at 6' 3" 230 lbs. out of Miami, Florida, Andre "The Natural" Johnson!
Andre Johnson is a big fast wide receiver whom has been a standard of excellence for a decade. Although, Johnson has also shown to have a temper at times and has been in a notable fight with St. Louis Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan.
#8 Cam Newton
Standing in 6' 5" and weighing in at 245 lbs. out of Atlanta, Georgia, Cam "Knockout" Newton!
Cam Newton was the number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and is a mountain of a man whom if switched into mixed martial arts could be an imposing sight across the way in the octagon if trained right.
#7 Jared Veldheer
Standing 6' 8" and weighing a monstrous 321 lbs. out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jared "Vicious" Veldheer!
Granted the heaviest a fighter in the UFC can be is 265, however, if they ever made a super heavyweight class, Veldheer would be the prototype. In the 2013 offseason, Veldheer rededicated himself in the gym and he's drawing comparisons to the incredible hulk due to his sheer mass. If he can show this much dedication in the gym, who knows what he could do if the best MMA trainers got a hold of this guy.
#6 LaRon Landry
Standing in at 6' tall and weighing in at 225 lbs. and he's fighting out of Metairie, Louisiana LaRon "Iron Man" Landry!
LaRon Landry is a freak specimen in the NFL who brings the hurt early and often to offensive players. He is built like a marble sculpture and could make a smooth transition from the NFL to the MMA world due to his sheer athleticism.
#5 Jason Pierre-Paul
Standing in at 6' 5" and weighing in at 278 lbs. and he's fighting out of Deerfield Beach, Florida Jason "The Piston" Pierre-Paul!
Jason Pierre-Paul or JPP for short is an intense defensive end for the New York Giants. He's is extremely athletic, there is a video of him online doing numerous back flips when he was a member of the University of South Florida Bulls.
#4 Rob Gronkowski
Standing in at 6' 6" and weighing in at 265 lbs. and is fighting out of Amherst, New York Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski!
Rob Gronkowski is a towering and a physically built freak to say the least. Also of anyone on the top 10 list is the one that would actually make the transition from football to fighting. He has the look and the attitude to be a great showman and a fighter, plus he would be a workout warrior to get in shape for his fights and could use his sheer force on his opponents and be largely successful.
#3 Jared Allen
Standing at 6' 6" and 270 lbs and is fighting out of Dallas, Texas, Jared "The Animal" Allen.
When you first see Jared Allen, he looks extremely laid back and relaxed, but once the game/fight starts he turns into a man possessed. Allen would bring his ferocious quarterback killing abilities to the octagon from the gridiron and within a year or two despite being almost 32 years old, he could become world heavyweight champion if he made a smooth enough transition.
#2 Patrick Willis
Standing at 6' 1" and weighing in at 240 lbs and he's fighting out of Bruceton, Tennessee, Patrick "Bam-Bam" Willis!
Patrick Willis is a tremendous middle linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers whom is incredibly fast for his size and has his tackling ability second to none in the NFL which could result in excellent takedowns. If he could master striking as well, he could be a bonafide heavyweight fighter for years. His college coach said this about Willis, "Patrick leads by example. He is not a big talker. He just gets in there and does his job every day and makes everybody around him better."
#1 J.J. Watt
Standing at 6' 5" and weighing in at 295 lbs. and is fighting out of Waukesha, Wisconsin J.J. "The Milkman" Watt!
J.J. Watt is the most explosive defensive player in the NFL today. Watt is also one of the most athletic people in sports and likely could play any sport he wanted to as he lettered in four different high school sports, including ice hockey, football, basketball and track. Fighting would likely come natural to him. He is a man with a non-stop motor with gorilla like hands who could do severe damage in the octagon for years.
