"They were in there doing jiu-jitsu" - Rob Font was working as a pizza delivery driver when a customer got him into MMA

Rob Font got involved in MMA by sheer coincidence and niceness of his customers. The UFC bantamweight worked as a pizza delivery person in Tampa, Florida before he started training in MMA. A chance encounter with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners on a regular workday set Rob Font on the path to becoming an elite UFC fighter.

In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Rob Font shared the story of his transition into MMA. Font stated that back in the day, boxing defined the combat sports realm for him. Apart from being aware of names like Chuck Liddell, Font had little or no knowledge about the UFC and MMA.

Rob Font added that one of his customers introduced him to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA during a pizza delivery trip, which made him curious about the sport.

"I delivered (pizza) in a house they were in there doing Jiu-Jitsu and they kind of like broke it down for me what they were doing and what UFC was. At that time, I believe, it was Georges St-Pierre fighting B.J. Penn. I think that's what they were watching. They broke it down for me. They told me about the (BJJ) school they went to. I looked it up," Rob Font said.

The curiosity got Rob Font hooked to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and other aspects of the sport. Within a week of his introduction to MMA, Font started training in different disciplines and eventually became a professional fighter.

Rob Font. Great fighter. In hindsight, probably not the best pizza delivery man. https://t.co/UV9MtKKJc1

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 19, 2021

Rob Font is just a few fights away from a UFC title shot

Rob Font (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) saw little success during the initial run in the UFC as losses to top contenders John Lineker, Pedro Munoz and Raphael Assuncao repeatedly derailed his momentum.

However, the 33-year-old fighter has seen a career resurgence in recent times. A spectacular first-round knockout win over former title challenger Marlon Moraes has catapulted Rob Font to the No.3 spot in the UFC rankings. Font is slated to fight the former champion and No.4 ranked bantamweight Cody Garbrandt (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the main event of UFC Vegas 27 on May 22.

Aljamain Sterling's controversial title win in March 2021 and ongoing health issues have kept the bantamweight title picture hostage as the champ is likely to be out of action for the rest of the year. However, winners of Cory Sandhagen vs TJ Dillashaw and Rob Font vs Cody Garbrandt are likely to be one fight away from the title shot. That is if the UFC decides to put together an immediate rematch between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling.