5 UFC fighters who were equally good at other sports

#4 - Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic: Baseball

Stipe Miocic in a Cleveland Indians' jersey

Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in the history of the promotion. He holds several records in the UFC, including the most consecutive heavyweight title defenses (3) and the most post-fight bonuses in the division (9).

However, before choosing MMA as a career and joining the UFC in 2011, Stipe Miocic was a promising baseball player. In his college years at Cleveland State University and the Trevecca Nazarene University, Miocic was on the baseball team.

Stipe Miocic ended the 2005 baseball season with a .344 batting average, which is considered excellent in the sport. Miocic also totaled seven home runs and 43 RBIs, leading his college team to a Conference title.

If not for a career in MMA, Stipe Miocic could surely have opted for his home team in Major League Baseball, Cleveland Indians.

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#3 - UFC heavyweight Walt Harris: Basketball

Walt Harris

Before Walt Harris started his MMA career in 2010, he was a basketball player at Jacksonville State University. The 6'5" heavyweight is ranked number eleven in the UFC, where he debuted in 2013. 'The Big Ticket' said his time on the basketball court has helped him become a better fighter inside the octagon.

He credited the footwork he learned playing basketball as a key attribute that has helped him in MMA. Walt Harris said:

"I think that (footwork) has been my key attribute as a heavyweight. Heavyweights don’t move like I do.. When I picked up striking, it was tough at first, and then one of my coaches told me to think about a drop step in basketball when you pivot. And I was like ‘ding ding ding’ and then everything started syncing up and flowing."

Walt Harris has a 13-10-1 record in MMA, and all of his wins have come via knockout. In the UFC, Walt Harris has faced many MMA veterans like Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, and Fabricio Werdum.

Hear Walt Harris (@TheBigTicket205) talk about how his early days playing basketball translated into success in the Octagon 🔊🆙 #UFCSanAntonio pic.twitter.com/SH5QEI9NhV

— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 18, 2019