After being a trailblazer for women in the UFC, Ronda Rousey pivoted into the professional wrestling arena to continued acclaim. In the same year that she was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame (2018), ‘Rowdy’ embarked on her wrestling career, immediately getting a spot in the WWE to debut at the company’s biggest event of the year: WrestleMania 34.
Her legacy in mixed martial arts will never fade, even with the fighters who she opened the door to surpassing her initial benchmarks. Still, what’s impressive is that the 36-year-old has become a star attraction in the WWE, even becoming the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion in a relatively short span.
While certainly not the first to do so, it seems that Rousey’s run is inspiring other big-name UFC stars to seek a WWE deal in the years to come.
Amanda Nunes Is Open To WWE
Easily the most appealing UFC fighter to enter the WWE right now would be Amanda Nunes. Boasting a 22-5 record after avenging her loss to Julianna Peña, the Brazilian’s seen as one of the most terrifying fighters in the octagon, but also markets herself so well with fans away from the spotlight. It was even reported in an interview with TS that she’s open to joining the pro wrestling ranks.
Better still, ‘Lioness’ is the fighter who essentially ended Rousey’s MMA career. After losing to Holly Holm in spectacular fashion, Rousey’s armour was broken, and Nunes pounced, defeating the indomitable former champ in a mere 47 seconds. A rematch in the WWE and a continued feud would be incredibly easy for Triple H to promote.
Israel Adesanya’s Already Paid Homage To WWE
One of the most exciting fighters of the moment is Israel Adesanya in the WWE. ‘The Last Stylebender’ may have lost his last match to Alex Pereira, but he’s still boasting celebrity status among fight fans. Standing at 6’4’’ but competing at middleweight, the Nigerian-New Zealander is certainly athletic, eccentric, and far more creative than you’d expect.
Still, it was at UFC 276 that Adesanya’s intentions were alluded to. For his walkout at UFC 276 – before he won over Jared Cannonier by decision – he channelled The Undertaker, playing his theme song, wearing the classic hat, and carrying an urn for his opponent. The McMahons and Triple H were spotted in attendance by BI.
Conor McGregor’s Already Winding Up WWE Superstars
At one time, Conor McGregor was the embodiment of a real-life superhero and was seemingly unbeatable in the octagon. His persona is larger than life, and being tied to Las Vegas and winning many bouts as the favourite certainly earned him favour with fight fans. In fact, many of his fans will enjoy the excitement of UFC betting when he returns with odds of 10/11 to fight Michael Chandler – especially as his foe is also at 10/11 to win. It should be a close fight, but McGregor tends to get the backing of the public.
He can bounce back well, like when he beat Nate Diaz. However, it probably hurt when he lost to the great Khabib Nurmagomedov as the underdog and then to Dustin Poirier while being the bookies’ favourite. Should he win the fight with Chandler, which oddsmakers are undecided on, he could bow out on a high at 34 years old and enter the WWE. After all, his Tweet of “Why wasn’t I at WrestleMania? They all fear me, that’s why” in April 2022 ruffled a fair few feathers in the pro wrestling world.
McGregor, Nunes, and Adesanya have all made statements to potentially pave their way into the WWE, and all would be hugely marketable assets. So, the company could be welcoming more UFC talent into its ranks in the near future.