12 professional wrestlers who made the jump to mixed martial arts
Before mixed martial arts ( MMA) grew into what it is today, former professional wrestler Antonio Inoki paved the way for the sport when he fought world champion boxer Muhammad Ali in 1976.
MMA as an organized sport began in 1980 with the “Battle of the Tough Guys” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Dan Severn was the first world-class wrestler to enter the UFC in 1994 and foreshadowed the success a number of former professional wrestlers have had in MMA.
Along with Severn, household wrestling names like Ken Shamrock, Brock Lesnar, and Alberto Del Rio also grew in the MMA.
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