Dana
White believes many NFL players could find success in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship if they transitioned to mixed
martial arts.
Yet another former NFL player recently earned a UFC contract.
Former New York Jets linebacker Anthony
Wint headlined Week 1 of
Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 against Matthew
Adams. Wint made quick work of Adams, finishing him with
ground-and-pound in just 34 seconds to earn a UFC contract. As Wint
refuses to leave Las Vegas until his first UFC fight is booked,
White is looking to put him on the
UFC Sacramento card on Aug. 22.
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Dana White weighs in on NFL players in the UFC after Anthony
Wint wins contract on DWCS
White believes a lot of NFL players could have achieved the
pinnacle of success in the UFC if they had trained MMA since
childhood. The UFC CEO particularly mentioned Las Vegas Raiders
defensive end Maxx Crosby, who he’s friends with. White is
confident that Crosby could have been a UFC champion if he had
trained MMA from a young age.
“When you look at a lot of these guys that play in the NFL, if
they… Imagine if Maxx Crosby trained in MMA since he was a kid, he
would be a world champion right now,” White said at the DWCS
post-fight press conference. “And I believe that to my core. And I
know a lot of sh*t about Maxx Crosby that you guys don’t know.”
There is a long list of football players who made it to the UFC
after transitioning to MMA. The likes of Ovince St.
Preux, Eryk Anders
and Dominick
Reyes only played college football before transitioning to MMA.
Meanwhile, others like Greg Hardy,
Austen
Lane, Zac Pauga and
Matt
Mitrione made it to the NFL before switching.
Josh
Hokit is the latest high-profile fighter to have transitioned
from football to MMA. Hokit was picked up as an undrafted free
agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and had a brief stint with
the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. “The Incredible Hok” transitioned to
MMA soon after and made his UFC debut last year. He has shot to
stardom lately, with three finishes in four wins so far.