Former NBA Player Royce White Training to Fight in UFC, Wants Heavyweight Title
Former NBA player Royce White is ready to take his talents from the court to the Octagon.
White recently told ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz (h/t ESPN's Greg Rosenstein) that he has his sights set on the UFC's heavyweight belt.
"I'm one of the best athletes in the world," White told Arnovitz. "Among the NBA community, part of my appeal as a draft prospect was my unique size, athleticism, vision and that I probably have one of the 10 biggest set of hands in the NBA. I think all of those things will translate beautifully to the UFC."
After putting up strong numbers at Iowa State (13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists), White was taken with the 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Houston Rockets. However, he never played a single minute for Houston.
An anxiety disorder played a major role in his NBA career, and his fear of flying led to him needing to travel by bus for road games. He was suspended as a rookie as he engaged in a standoff with the Rockets over the lack of a mental health protocol.
After spending the 2012-13 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the then-D League, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in July 2013 before he ever had the opportunity to put on a Rockets uniform in a regular-season game.
White would not make his NBA debut until the 2013-14 season when he appeared in three games for the Sacramento Kings. He logged just nine minutes for the Kings, going 0-of-1 from the floor.
The 6'8" forward has been out of the league since then, although he played for Canada's London Lightning from 2016 to 2018. He earned a pair of All-NBL Canada First Team first team honors, won the 2016-17 NBL Canada MVP award and led the league in scoring (25.4 ppg) last season.
White's professional basketball career may not have gone as he had hoped, but he believes he can make the transition to MMA. Not only has he been training for the past "six or seven months," but he has been a fighting fan for years, per Arnovitz:
"I've always been a fan of the fight game since I was young. I played point guard as a 265-pounder in the NCAA. In order to do so, not only do you have to have great court vision, you have to have great tempo and great footwork.
"Those things naturally translate to the fight game. I'm excited about it, but more so than anything, I'm excited about learning this thing that I've loved from the sidelines for so long, and applying it."
Arnovitz notes that White currently weighs in at 250 pounds, putting him well below the UFC's 265-pound limit for heavyweight fighters.
