5 former UFC heavyweight champions who made the move into pro-wrestling

This weekend sees a special edition of the pro-wrestling flagship show AEW Dynamite. Incredibly, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is set to make his pro-wrestling debut at the event.

Junior dos Santos is not the first former UFC heavyweight champion to cross over into the world of pro-wrestling. Other former champs have made the same jump before, with mixed results.

Whether ‘Cigano’ will succeed in his new career is still very much up for question. However, it will definitely be interesting to see the Brazilian star give it a go.

With that considered, here are five former UFC heavyweight champions who made the move into pro-wrestling.

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#5. Junior dos Santos – Won the UFC heavyweight title in 2011

Junior Dos Santos departed the UFC in 2020 after a major slide in form

It doesn’t seem all that long ago since Junior dos Santos knocked out Cain Velasquez to claim the UFC heavyweight title on the UFC’s first ever show on Fox. Incredibly, though, that fight took place a decade ago next month.

The Brazilian dropped the title back to Velasquez a year later, but remained one of the UFC’s top heavyweights for years. He defeated opponents such as Mark Hunt, Derrick Lewis and Ben Rothwell. He ven made an unsuccessful attempt at regaining the UFC heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic in 2017.

However, following his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in 2019, ‘Cigano’ hit a major slide and lost his next three bouts, all by knockout. He was released by the UFC in early 2021. While many fans expected him to emerge in Bellator MMA, he’s instead gone down a different route.

This weekend will see dos Santos, under the charge of American Top Team owner Dan Lambert, make his pro-wrestling debut in the AEW promotion. ‘Cigano’ is set to team with Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky in a six-man tag team match against Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager.

Whether JDS can have the same level of success in AEW that he did in UFC is up for debate. His work in the wrestling ring has already been criticized by legendary former commentator Jim Cornette. However, if nothing else, it’ll be nice to see him competing in a sport where he can avoid more brain trauma.

#4. Cain Velasquez – Won the UFC heavyweight title in 2012

Cain Velasquez struggled for traction in WWE despite his UFC success

Like his greatest UFC rival Junior dos Santos, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez made the move into the world of pro-wrestling after retiring from MMA. Unfortunately, it’s probably fair to say that he wasn’t all that successful.

Velasquez was actually a fan of pro-wrestling growing up, something that may well have played into his successful run as a collegiate wrestler with the University of Arizona. However, Velasquez didn’t follow the pro-wrestling route once he finished college, instead heading into the world of MMA and eventually the UFC in 2008.

He ran through opponents such as Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira en route to defeating Brock Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight title in 2010. He remained the promotion’s top big man for most of the next five years.

When he lost his title to Fabricio Werdum, though, his body began to betray him. Multiple injuries kept him out of action from 2016 to 2019. When he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in his comeback fight, he chose to hang up his gloves.

Just months later, he signed with Mexican pro-wrestling promotion AAA Worldwide. He debuted wearing a traditional luchador mask in matches with the likes of Cody Rhodes and Brian Cage.

Despite gaining positive reviews for his work in AAA, though, his run with WWE was far less memorable.

He was brought into the promotion in late 2019 as a foe for Brock Lesnar, but struggled to really establish a character for himself. He ended up losing his match with ‘The Beast Incarnate’ at Crown Jewel before being removed from television.

A return was planned for 2020. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, WWE released the former UFC champion from his contract. He has since returned to the AAA promotion, but at the age of 39, the opportunity for a successful pro-wrestling career is likely beginning to fade.

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#3. Mark Coleman – Won the UFC heavyweight title in 1997

Mark Coleman's pro-wrestling career largely took place in Japan

The UFC’s first ever heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman, burst into the world of MMA in 1996 following a hugely successful career as an amateur wrestler. ‘The Hammer’ was an NCAA Division I champion in 1988. While he wasn’t able to make it to the Olympic games in 1996, he was able to thoroughly dominate his foes in the UFC.

Coleman won two straight heavyweight tournaments at UFC 10 and UFC 11. He then defeated Dan Severn to claim the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 12.

While ‘The Hammer’ eventually lost the title to Maurice Smith, he remained one of MMA’s top heavyweights well into the following decade, winning PRIDE’s 2000 Grand Prix and making a semi-successful return to the UFC in 2009. Fewer fans will be aware of his pro-wrestling career, though, primarily because it took place in Japan and not the US.

Coleman first competed under the New Japan banner in late 2000, facing the likes of Yuji Nagata and Takashi Iizuka before moving to All Japan in 2002, where he even wrestled future WWE champion The Great Khali.

Later on, he wrestled for the more tongue-in-cheek Japanese promotion HUSTLE. He competed against legends such as Naoya Ogawa, Toshiaki Kawada and Wataru Sakata. He also often teamed up with another former UFC heavyweight champion, his training partner Kevin Randleman.

Coleman’s career as a pro-wrestler was not as notable as his run in MMA, but it definitely helped his standing in Japan, where he remains a well-liked figure today.

#2. Josh Barnett – Won the UFC heavyweight title in 2002

Josh Barnett's pro-wrestling influence was always visible during his UFC tenure

Styling himself as a ‘catch wrestler’ rather than a Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist or amateur wrestler, it should hardly come as a surprise that former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett was a regular dabbler in the world of pro-wrestling.

‘The Warmaster’ won the UFC heavyweight title in 2002 after defeating longtime champion Randy Couture. Although he was stripped of the title soon thereafter following a positive drug test, he remained one of MMA’s top heavyweights for years after.

Barnett fought in PRIDE, K-1 and Strikeforce and eventually returned to the UFC in 2013. He also regularly competed in the pro-wrestling ring at the same time.

Like Mark Coleman, the majority of Barnett’s pro-wrestling career came in Japan. He worked for promotions such as New Japan and Inoki Genome Federation. He wrestled matches with the likes of Yuji Nagata and Bob Sapp. In 2017, he even joined Impact Wrestling for a short stint.

Barnett’s love for pro-wrestling was easy to see during his MMA career. He would regularly cut wrestling-inspired promos before and after his fights. He even lifted his throat-slash gesture from wrestlers such as Chris Benoit and The Undertaker.

‘The Warmaster’ has not fought in MMA since his 2016 win over Andrei Arlovski, but he remains involved in pro-wrestling and even helped to promote a GCW show in 2020.

#1. Brock Lesnar – Won the UFC heavyweight title in 2008

Brock Lesnar dominated in both the UFC and in WWE

Unsurprisingly, the most famous example of a former UFC heavyweight champion who moved into the world of pro-wrestling remains Brock Lesnar. Of course, that’s probably because Lesnar was well-established as a pro-wrestling star before he entered the world of MMA.

Things could’ve been very different, however, had the UFC been the juggernaut it is today in the early 2000’s. Lesnar, who won the NCAA Division I title in 2000, probably could’ve dominated the UFC at that stage using only his wrestling skills. However, with MMA being seen somewhat as an underground sport at the time, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ instead made his way to WWE.

Receiving an unheard-of push at the time, Lesnar quickly rocketed up the card following his debut in 2002 and won the WWE title just four months after his first appearance. However, despite quickly being established as one of WWE’s biggest stars, Lesnar decided the pro-wrestling life wasn’t for him and quit the promotion in 2004.

Four years later, he arrived in the UFC with a bang, and almost as quickly as he’d done in WWE, he shot up the rankings and claimed the UFC heavyweight title by knocking out Randy Couture.

Lesnar then became the UFC’s biggest star, fighting the likes of Frank Mir, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez. However, after losing his title and suffering from bouts of diverticulitis, he chose to retire following a 2011 loss to Alistair Overeem.

In the years that followed, Lesnar returned to WWE and has experienced immense success, winning the WWE title on multiple occasions and becoming arguably the biggest star in pro-wrestling all over again.

Multiple UFC champions have tried their hand at pro-wrestling, but the truth is that only Brock Lesnar has been able to dominate in both worlds.