15 Pro Athletes Who Could Compete in MMA

Across the combat sports landscape, we've seen numerous cases of professional athletes cross into different sports. There's been a handful of football players who have crossed into boxing (some successful and some who were horrendous), but we haven't seen too many athletes transition into MMA.

What makes transitioning into MMA such a hard task is that physical gifts or being able to squat 500 pounds doesn't help you anymore than it does in their own sport.

There are some professional athletes who do possess physical gifts that could at least make you see them being competitive in an MMA match. Sure, none of them are UFC material, but tell me you wouldn't pay money to see any of the athletes on this list inside a cage.

Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski had one of the best years for a TE in 2011. It was a shame that his great season was forced to come to an ugly end after injuring his ankle and his ineffectiveness during the Super Bowl.

Gronkowski stands at 6'6" and tips the scales at 265 pounds. He also runs a pretty good 40 time at 4.65 seconds.

He's a nightmare for opposing teams to cover due to his size and speed for a TE, advantages that could be used to compete against lower-level heavyweights.

Plus, take a look at that footwork.

Zdeno Chara

A dominant physical force in the NHL for years, Zdeno Chara is literally the biggest (height-wise) star in the league.

At 6'9" and 260 pounds, Chara would have a size advantage over just about anyone in the heavyweight division.

Playing defenseman, Chara is used to being in his opponents' faces and isn't afraid to toss the gloves off if necessary. He's a little old for MMA, but there's no denying Chara stepping foot in a cage would be an entertaining fight.

James Harrison

James Harrison is one of the most intimidating figures in all of football. He's been fined numerous times for his devastating illegal hits, most of which have led to concussions.

Harrison entered the league as an undrafted free agent and has turned an unsure future into being a perennial All-Star-caliber player. Going from undrafted free agent to Pro Bowl-level definitely shows he has the heart of a fighter.

At 6'0" 240 pounds, Harrison is an undersized heavyweight, but I don't believe he'd be intimidated by anyone who steps into the cage against him.

Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols is one of the best players in baseball. Just as good with a glove as a bat, Pujols has some of the best hand-eye coordination in the game.

Notoriously difficult to strike out, Pujols could use his hand-eye coordination to evade his opponents' strikes while landing some of his own powerful shots.

At 230 pounds, he'd likely have to make a decision to either cut to 205 pounds or bulk up for a heavyweight bout. He's 32 years old so he would most likely be a "one and done" in the MMA scene.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard is quite the NBA player. He makes a 20-20 night look so basic with his talents on the court.

Howard stands at 6'11" and reportedly weighs around 265 pounds. He has an insane wingspan that would give him even more of a reach advantage than his height to go along with his strength.

His freakish explosive power is evident by his leaping ability and could allow Howard to have some devastating power punches. Howard's long frame would also allow him to attempt submissions easier if the fight moved to the ground.

Josh Beckett

Josh Beckett has been one of the premier pitchers in MLB since his debut in 2001. While playing for the Florida Marlins in 2003, Beckett won the World Series MVP award after pitching on only three days' rest to close out the World Series.

Known for his intense demeanor, the 6'5", 225-pound Boston Red Sox pitcher has run into some injury concerns and controversy the past few years.

Injury concerns and weight limits aside, give Beckett a fight against Dan Hardy, considering "The Outlaw" is so concerned with people's recreation habits and Beckett is an avid hunter. It's a win-win situation for fans.

We either see Hardy get embarrassed or he gets his career back on track a little.

LeBron James

Listed at 6'8", 250 pounds, LeBron James is a physical specimen. Besides being a physical freak, James is also one of the quickest athletes in the league.

He moves like a PG but has the size of a PF.

James' physical gifts alone would make him an intriguing prospect in the MMA world. Combine that with his ability to make everyone hate him and James could sell out an arena in an instant.

George Parros

Creating a cult-like following without scoring a ton of goals is quite an accomplishment. It's an accolade George Parros is proud to put on his NHL resume.

Parros is always at the top of or near the top of the list for top fighting minutes in the NHL each season. Instead of being one of the NHL's top enforcers, Parros could take his stache to MMA.

He makes his living by protecting his teammates on the ice—Parros would at least go down in a blaze of glory inside a cage.

Ben Roethlisberger

At 6'5" and 240 pounds, Ben Roethlisberger is huge for an NFL QB. He has fairly good speed and agility for a man his size and he's one of the toughest players in the league.

Roethlisberger is notoriously hard to bring down, able to fend off multiple 300-pound defensive linemen seemingly at will at times. He wouldn't back down from a fight and would no doubt be a durable fighter in MMA.

Hopefully, this was just an acting job and Roethlisberger can take a punch a little better than that.

Kevin Harvick

On any given Sunday, Kevin Harvick could step out of his car and into another driver's face.

Replacing guys like Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart as NASCAR's top hothead is no small feat. Harvick has made it look easy throughout his career, as he's had a "feud" with nearly every single race car driver on the track.

If Harvick ever gets bored racing with the "idiots," he could take out some aggression in the cage as well. He just seems to have a knack for making people mad, which would help sell a potential fight.

Ndamukong Suh

Like his NFL colleague James Harrison, Ndamukong Suh has made quite a name for himself throughout the NFL community.

Whether you consider him to be dirty or simply an intense player, Suh plays the game at another level. He's become a dominant force since entering the league in 2010.

Suh is a little hefty for the heavyweight 265-pound limit, but he could still destroy just about any super-heavyweight put in front of him. Can we make a matchup between Suh and Tim Sylvia as a reward for all the boring MMA matches we are forced to watch?

Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin would make for an interesting MMA opponent based on just his physical attributes alone. Griffin stands at 6'10" and weighs in around 260 pounds.

Combine his athletic frame with Griffin's leaping ability, and you have yourself one explosive MMA fighter.

Averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds over the course of an NBA season not only takes an incredible amount of strength, but stamina as well. If hundreds of thousands of people will tune in to watch him jump over a car, imagine how many would watch to see him smash someone's face in.

Ray Edwards

During the slow news days of the NFL lockout, Ray Edwards made some headlines by stating he was going to try his hand at professional boxing to make some extra money.

Edwards made a successful pro boxing debut by winning a unanimous decision on May 20, 2011. Other than having a ripped physique (6'5", 258 pounds) Edwards has another quality that seems to make him a perfect fit for MMA.

He's already been suspended once in his career for testing positive for steroids.

Nyjer Morgan

Nyjer Morgan is one of the most interesting characters in MLB. Tony Plush, as he likes to call himself, is no secret to controversy.

His playing ability often gets overlooked by the incidents on the field like his glove tossing incident or his fighting in Washington.

Morgan is small, but he defines the word "scrappin" and his personality would definitely be a nice shakeup from the normal good-guy routine we often see in MMA.

Steve Smith

If you were constantly told you were too small all your life, you'd likely have the heart of a fighter too.

Steve Smith has heard the words "too small" associated with him throughout his football career. That hasn't stopped him from putting up monster seasons and being one of the best WRs in the NFL.

If Smith broke his own teammate's nose (Ken Lucas) and punched another during a film session (Anthony Bright), just imagine what he'd do to somebody he doesn't even know.

Daily Bonus—Ray Lewis

"The Land Shark," Ray Lewis could be one of the most intimidating figures in all of sports. His fearsome gaze matches his high-intensity playing style.

Opposing RBs know they're in for a long day of running the ball when playing against No. 52. Lewis has become one of the most recognizable figures in the NFL and would no doubt bring over a lot of fans from the NFL if he were to compete in MMA.

If opponents weren't scared of Lewis prior to stepping in the cage, his imposing figure and intense demeanor surely would defeat his opponents before the bell even rings.