Report: UFC Star Rashad Evans Interested in WWE Deal

Per a recent report, one UFC fighter is interested in making the transition from MMA to WWE very soon. 

In this week's (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer notes that injured UFC star Rashad Evans has been broaching the subject of a pro wrestling career over the last few months.

Meltzer writes: "Add Rashad Evans to the list of UFC fighters who have recently inquired regarding going to WWE. Evans, who is almost 35, is recovering from major knee surgery and had talked about considering retirement even before that."

Of course, WWE may seem like a lucrative, appealing option for many UFC champions whose fighting careers are on the wane—they may feel the amount of promo and interview work in MMA prepares them well for a run in the personality-dominated pro wrestling business—until you factor in the grueling schedule, prevalent backstage politics and bruising in-ring bumps.

OK, there was Brock Lesnar, who returned in 2012 after retiring from fighting and has had considerable success, but he had already been involved in wrestling before starting in MMA—he was trained in the ring and knew just what to expect.

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Is Evans really going to be willing to take a couple of years out to go down to Florida Championship Wrestling to train to the point he is competent in the ring? 

It seems unlikely, doesn't it?

Lesnar also has a very relaxed schedule—he only works a handful of matches per year and makes sporadic appearances on Raw. While Evans is a significant star in UFC, it remains to be seen whether he could garner the huge deal Lesnar did.

Besides, it's not like the McMahons are desperate to snap up former UFC stars, as Meltzer goes on to note: “WWE and Vince McMahon in particular, are leery about using former MMA fighters, particularly big stars, since they are used to huge payoffs and he doesn’t think they’d survive the schedule.”