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To the uninitiated public that doesn't understand professional wrestling, the "realness" of mixed martial arts may seem like a complete contrast to the fixed, pre-determined entertainment that goes on in the squared circle.
Under this thinking, the UFC and WWE are polar opposites that blend together about as well as oil and water.
However, in some parts of the world, like Japan and England, the two sports are seen as existing on a continuum rather than as completely distinct things (i.e. Japanese puroresu emphasizes the use of legit kicks and strikes, traditional British wrestling uses Catch-As-Catch-Can and both emphasize a legit sports presentation).
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As of late, there appears to be a growing overlap between the two mediums in the States as well.
Current WWE stars like Daniel Bryan and Becky Lynch are far more likely to have real combat training than their 1980s and 90s counterparts, and several wrestlers from Bobby Lashley to CM Punk have tried their hand at not only training but full-blown professional MMA, albeit with mixed results.
UFC is also increasingly using a WWE style of entertainment presentation, as was clearly the case at the conclusion of UFC 226 during Brock Lesnar's appearance.
That's not all. Jessamin Duke and Marina Shafir, both MMA pals of UFC legends Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, are currently signed with WWE developmental brand NXT.
Cain Velasquez was seen in 2018 at an NXT taping in Florida's Full Sail University and trained at the nearby WWE Performance Center.
Cris Cyborg, who has had a recent war of words with Lynch on social media, has also been seen at the PC in the past few days.
UFC double champion Daniel Cormier has also revealed his interest in pursuing a WWE broadcasting career upon retiring from the octagon later this year.
All of these stars will find themselves in good company as there is now an established record of mixed-martial-artists making a seamless move over to professional wrestling and sports entertainment in order to prolong their careers past the relatively limited shelf life of a combat sports competitor.
These are 10 successful MMA to pro-wrestling transitions.
#10 Josh "The Goods" Woods (2-0)
Ring of Honor's Josh Woods has what ROH has called a robust amateur record, being a four-time All American, SEC and NCWA National Champion out of the University of Central Florida.
He also led the 2012 US MMA team and has run UFC camps for several different fighters on the side.
A former WWE developmental signee who spent time at the company's Performance Center in 2014-15, Woods began his professional wrestling career with a stint in NXT before moving on to win ROH's 2017 Top Prospect tournament.
He has been prominently featured on the Philadelphia-based promotion's weekly syndicated TV show over the last two years, and recently returned to the world of martial arts to compete in a one-off Brazilian Ju-Jitsu competition this past October.
#9 Oliver Claffey (Jack Gallagher) (2-0)
WWE 205 Live superstar Jack Gallagher had a brief stint in fighting before debuting for the company during the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament, according to ESPN.
He trained in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, kickboxing and boxing for eight years (while also honing his pro-wrestling craft in the UK indie scene) and picked up a 2-0 amateur record with two first-round submissions.
"The Extraordinary Gentleman" Gallagher, a native of Manchester, England, is the 63rd Ranked Amateur Lightweight in Great Britain and has credited the traditional World of Sport British wrestling style, which is heavy on the use of catch wrestling submissions, as the glue that binds his MMA and pro-wrestling experiences.
The style was popularized by English stars like NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint and the legendary Billy Robinson. The late Robinson also straddled the fence between shoot and worked fights in his day, and helped trained Gallagher.
#8 Daria Berenato (Sonya Deville) (2-1)
Coming into WWE with a 2-1 amateur MMA record (according to ESPN), Sonya Deville (Daria Berenato) is a former Tough Enough contestant who signed with the company in late 2015 after having trained in martial arts since the age of 16.
She bested her competition with punches and guillotine chokes during events like University of MMA: Fight Night 9 before deciding to take her craft to the world of sports entertainment.
Having a solid run in NXT where she personified the character of a serious fighter, Deville had respectable matches with experienced female wrestlers like Ruby Riott and Ember Moon.
Deville would go on to the main roster where she joined Mandy Rose and Paige for a brief stint as part of the Absolution stable.
Since then, she and Rose have relocated to the Tuesday night Smackdown Live program where they were given the honor of competing in the first-ever women's Royal Rumble and women's Elimination Chamber matches in 2018.
#7 Josh Barnett (35-8)
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, a master of catch wrestling, is a decorated fighter who has more than proven himself across the MMA landscape.
Having competed in the late 90s and early 2000s tournaments and championship fights for PRIDE, Pancrase, Strikeforce, DREAM and other organizations, the Seattle native transitioned into pro-wrestling in 2003 via Inoki-era New Japan Pro Wrestling, which was extremely MMA-focused at the time.
Although unsuccessful in his debut match against Yuji Nagata at the annual January 4th Tokyo Dome show, Barnett would go undefeated in subsequent tours where he was paired with Perry Saturn as a tag team.
Barnett returned to UFC in 2013 where he had a mixed win/loss record, before ultimately going back to wrestling again in 2015 as a commentator (along with WWE legend Jim Ross) for NJPW's weekly program on Axs TV, as well as a brief stint in the ring in TNA/Impact wrestling in 2017.
Barnett is also known for having trained current NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler, who shares his hybrid martial arts/pro-wrestling background.
#6 Gzim Selmani (Rezar of Authors of Pain) (6-2)
Possessing triple the amount of wins than losses on his record, the man known as Rezar from the Authors of Pain once fought out of the infamous Dutch MMA camp Golden Glory.
His biggest win was a guillotine choke victory over current Bellator fighter Oli Thompson in BAMMA, a British MMA promotion, in 2014. He most recently fought and lost to Daniel Gallemore in Bellator before signing with WWE in 2015.
As part of the villainous Authors of Pain tag team with partner Akam and manager Paul Ellering, the Albanian Selmani was co-holder of the NXT Tag Team Championships through the majority of 2017.
The team also performed in several critically acclaimed matches, including a triple threat tag team match with The Revival and #DIY at Takeover: Orlando and a main event tag team ladder match with #DIY at Takeover: Chicago.
Rezar and Akam have since emerged on the WWE's main roster where they've already managed to secure a brief run as RAW Tag Team Champions.
#5 Alberto "Dos Caras Jr." Rodriguez (Alberto Del Rio) (9-5)
Although technically trained in professional wrestling first, Jose Alberto Rodriquez (also known as Dos Caras Jr, Alberto Del Rio and Alberto El Patron) began his MMA career roughly around the same time at the turn of the century, having already spent his younger days as an internationally-successful amateur wrestler.
In his amateur wrestling days, Del Rio competed in the Czech Republic, won a medal at the Pan American Games and was set to compete in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney if not for lack of funding and support for amateur wrestling from Mexican authorities.
As a legitimate grappler and pro wrestler who came from a family of luchadors, Del Rio wore a mask in MMA and managed to amass a respectable 9-5 MMA record at various small promotions in Latin America and Japan, before signing with WWE developmental promotion FCW in 2009.
He is best known as a former WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion and has also done stints in AAA, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground.
#4 Shayna Baszler (15-11)
The Queen of Spades, a South Dakota native and "submission magician", is one of the top-ranked women MMA fighters of the past decade.
Initially certified in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Baszler would begin to incorporate catch wrestling into her arsenal under the guidance of UFC legend Josh Barnett, who created her nickname.
Performing for various promotions from Strikeforce to Invicta FC, Baszler eventually made her way to UFC as part of MMA reality show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate.
The first pick on Rousey's team, the two women would form a bond with fellow fighters Marina Shafir and Jessamin Duke, and come to be known collectively as the Four Horsewomen of MMA.
Baszler, a long time fan of professional wrestling, had been seen with Rousey mimicking wrestling moves on social media. After being released from UFC, this interest in wrestling came in handy as a second career option.
She worked the independent scene for more than two years, wrestling everywhere from SHIMMER to STARDOM before inevitably being picked up by WWE for their Mae Young Classic all-women's tournament, and signing with the company fulltime thereafter.
She is the current NXT Women's Champion and has dominated the developmental brand's women's division for the past year.
#3 Matt Riddle (8-3)
The King of Bros, a trained student of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, won a single amateur fight before getting the chance to enter The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) house.
Making his official debut for the MMA promotion in 2008, he went on to win the overwhelming majority of his fights before being fired by the organization after testing positive for marijuana in two separate exams.
Nonetheless, Riddle is one of the highest ranked stars in UFC history for takedown defenses and strikes landed.
After brief runs in smaller MMA organizations like Bellator, Riddle began his pro-wrestling career in 2014.
He rapidly learned his new craft and became an in-demand name on the indie scene in 2015-17, performing for various promotions in the US and UK until finally signing a developmental deal with WWE in 2018.
He is currently being featured regularly on NXT weekly TV and recently won a high-profile match at Takeover: Phoenix on January 26.
#2 Brock Lesnar (5-3-1)
Though his professional wrestling career began years before his MMA one, Brock Lesnar's current WWE persona (and unmatched ability to draw crowds) is directly influenced by his time in UFC.
Even his pro-wrestling ring gear - trunks and gloves, and use of a personal manager in Paul Heyman give off the aura of an elite prizefighter.
A successful Division I collegiate wrestler and NCAA Champion from the University of Minnesota, Lesnar was signed by WWE developmental in 2000 and debuted the night after WrestleMania X-8 two years later.
After becoming the youngest WWE Champion in history only five months into his start on television, he left the company in a failed attempt at joining the NFL's Minnesota Vikings franchise.
A brief and contentious run-in Antonio Inoki-ran (MMA-centric) New Japan Pro Wrestling and Inoki Genome Federation followed before Lesnar made the switch to full-fledge MMA and eventually landed in the UFC organization.
His return to wrestling in 2012, which followed his battle with an intestinal disease called diverticulitis, was under the guise of bringing "legitimacy" to WWE.
His booking since then has directly played up his successful time as a mixed martial artist, (he won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2008), thus Lesnar was able to leverage his fighting career into a successful second run in pro-wrestling.
#1 Ronda Rousey (12-2)
A trained judoka since her childhood, Ronda Rousey competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games in Athens and Beijing among other competitions, winning a bronze medal in judo at the latter event.
She made her amateur MMA debut in 2010, then found early success in Strikeforce the following year, before becoming the first woman to sign to UFC in November 2012.
Rousey enjoyed a two and a half year undefeated streak, where she rose to fame after a successive string of Mike Tyson-like first-round knockouts and armbar submissions.
She became the first female champion in UFC's history as well as its longest reigning Women's Bantamweight Champion, before leaving the sport after two major consecutive loses in the octagon, to Heidi Holm and Amanda Nunes.
Fortunately, Rousey had already built a rapport with WWE, having sparked a friendship with veteran wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (whom she got her nickname from) and through appearances at Summerslam in 2014 and WrestleMania 31.
Thus she inevitably followed her friend Shayna Baszler and decided to pursue a professional wrestling career in the sports entertainment juggernaut of WWE.
Though many wrestling fans were skeptical of her ability to perform before her official debut at WrestleMania 34, she has since proven herself and earned heaps of praise. She is currently RAW Women's Champion.
