25 Current NFL Players Who Could Make A Splash In MMA

Pure brute strength. Speed to burn. Competitive glory. Championship belt-wearing, real and otherwise. And the hitting!  Ahhh, the hitting.

There is no shortage of overlap between pro football and mixed martial arts. That’s not to say that success in either sport is 1:1 proposition. Just ask Michael Westbrook about that, or Brock Lesnar.

But to be certain, plenty of players in today’s NFL seem to have the physical and mental toolkits to make a go of it in the UFC, Bellator or another promotion. This is especially true now that MMA’s increasing visibility is making it an increasingly popular workout option for footballers. In fact, Fox announcer Jay Glazer and former UFC champion Randy Couture have teamed up to form MMAthletics, a full-time training center for professional athletes in sports other than MMA.

You’ll see plenty of MMAthletics clients on this list, as well as those with some kind of background in combat sports. But you’ll also see guys with great combinations of size, speed, strength and athleticism who would seem to be particularly good candidates for the cage.

And the really good news is, in MMA, you're allowed—nay, encouragedto hold.

Honorable Mention: Lorenzo Neal, Fullback

I know, I know. He’s been out of the league for three years now. But whenever you’re a bowling-ball fullback who trains with Chuck Liddell (they became acquainted during their college wrestling days, Liddell at Cal Poly and Neal at Fresno State), you get a mention this list.

(Photo credit: John W. McDonough/SI, AP)

25. Brian Dawkins, Safety, Denver Broncos

The longtime Eagles Pro Bowler and current Bronco has done some MMA during his career.  And though he's now 37, in his heyday, he was one of the nastiest defensive backs in the league, and can still lay the wood from time to time.

(Photo credit: Jeffrey Beall)

24. Barrett Ruud, Linebacker, Tennessee Titans

Sometimes an overlooked player in the league, the former Buccaneer is a ferocious competitor, a natural leader and a proficient tackler (he's currently tied for 21st in the NFL this season).

(Photo credit: SI.com)

23. Jahvid Best, Running Back, Detroit Lions

He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who exactly enjoys getting hit.

But when you’ve got speed and footwork like that, maybe getting hit isn't really an issue.

(Photo credit: MLive.com) 

22. Adrian Wilson, Safety, Arizona Cardinals

One of the NFL's heaviest hitters and hardest workers could make his presence felt in a cage.

A  66" vertical doesn't hurt, either.



(Photo credit: Ikei Sports Performance)

21. Ryan Grant, Running Back, Green Bay Packers

Running backs like Grant would seem to be especially good candidates for an MMA conversion because of their combination of strength and quickness. Despite his injury woes, Grant gets the nod over other backs because of his MMA training.

20. Julius Peppers, Defensive End, Chicago Bears

A football and basketball standout at the University of North Carolina, Peppers can do just about anything he wants to on the field.  No reason to think that wouldn’t also prove true in the MMA world.

19. Chris Long, Defensive End, St. Louis Rams

The former second-overall draft pick loses points for underacheiving somewhat for an absolutely terrible team. But he gains points for his MMAthletics involvement and for, well, being Howie Long's kid.

18. James Harrison, Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers

He's not just a standout linebacker and a two-time Super Bowl champ.

This dude is mean. And I'm talking like Charles Oakley mean.

He's also crazy. Like Joe Son crazy. Well, maybe not that bad, but same ballpark.

It's hard to get NFL players to fear you. But Harrison does it. Expressing defiance over new anti-concussion rules will do that. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. He is so nasty, in fact, that his teammates wonder if he likes himself.

At 33, he's no spring chicken. But I still wouldn't fight this guy for all the gold in Goldistan.

17. Brandon Jacobs, Running Back, New York Giants

As one of the game's better goal-line backs, Jacobs could parlay that skill into grinding inside the cage.

16. Joey Porter, Linebacker, Arizona Cardinals

Porter hasn’t been quite the one-man headline-generating machine he once was, but I still have to think his propensity for wildness and self-promotion (not to mention that famous hair-trigger temper) would serve him well in a professional scrap.

15. Michael Vick, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles

Feel free to insert your own dream team and/or pet care joke here, but the truth is, Vick can do a lot of special things in a professional sports competition. In fact, he might be the best pure athlete in one of the most athletics-centric sports leagues in the world.

When you stand 6'0" and 215, run a 4.25 40-yard-dash, cut at full speed like a rabbit dodging a bulldozer and have the strength to flip a football 50 yards the way a normal person flips a paper cup into the wastebasket, you can come fight for me any day.


(Photo credit: Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

14. Jason Witten, Tight End, Dallas Cowboys

Tight ends are good fits here not only because their size tends to sync up well with MMA specs, but the good ones have a combination of grit and glory-seeking that seems to be particularly compatible with this particular transition.

Witten, a standout playmaker as both a blocker and a receiver, is a perfect example.

13. Lamar Woodley, Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers

Dude...look at that arm.

(Photo credit:  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

12. Ed Reed, Safety, Baltimore Ravens

Reed is always a threat to score when he's on the field. And that’s saying something, given that he’s a defender.

It’s a testament to his combination of size, speed and good old-fashioned nasty.

11. Sean Weatherspoon, Linebacker, Atlanta Falcons

If you didn't already know, Sean Weatherspoon is a beast.

Currently second in the NFL in total tackles, the second-year man out of Missouri seems to be in 10 places at once these days for the Falcons' defense. At 6'2" and 244 pounds and with crazy closing speed, he's a gifted athlete. As an intense playmaker and vocal leader, he has the makeup to succeed as a fighter as well as a football player.

Call 'Spoon the big sleeper on my board.

10. LeGarrette Blount, Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If this one needs explaining, you gotta watch more SportsCenter.

9. Marcedes Lewis, Tight End, Jacksonville Jaguars

Marcedes is not just a multimedia personality and celebrated graffitti artist. He's also an MMAthletics client.

8. Shawne Merriman, Linebacker, Buffalo Bills

Another MMAthletics devotee and a player and person who, let's say, doesn't seem to have any difficulties displaying aggression.

7. Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens

Even at age 36, he was still sixth in the NFL last season in tackles. And now, the Ravens' ultra-intense and uber-focused leader is trying to get them back to yet another postseason in 2011.

What can you say? The guy’s a straight-up killer. Of quarterbacks. On the field…ON the field.

6. Troy Polamalu, Safety, Pittsburgh Steelers

With a little training, Polamalu might be the most natural fit for MMA in the entire league.

At 5'10" and 207 pounds, the NFL's reigning defensive player of the year is a turnkey light heavyweight. He has a razor-sharp killer instinct and the speed and quickness to follow through. 

And though he plays football with lots of passion and little regard for human life or limbs (including his own), he is soft-spoken and (at least ostensibly) humble once the whistle blows—all highly valued characteristic in the world of mixed martial arts. 

5. Clay Matthews, Linebacker, Green Bay Packers

Last year's runner-up for the league's defensive POY honor beats out Polamalu in this particular contest, just as his team did against Troy's in a certain big game this past winter.

Matthews wins this round by virtue of not only his on-field ferocity at the still-very-young age of 24, but also because of his training with Jay Glazer, Randy Couture and MMAthletics.

4. Chris Cooley, Tight End, Washington Redskins

The 6'3", 255-pound bruiser went undefeated as a wrestler his senior year of high school, posting a 54-0 record on his way to state title and All-America honors.

Think Rulon Gardner with hands.

3. Roddy White, Wide Receiver, Atlanta Falcons

During his NFL career, White has slowly blossomed into a premier wide receiver. But back in high school, he was a gifted wrestler right out of the box, winning two state championships and even inventing his own move in the process.

2. Jared Allen, Defensive End, Minnesota Vikings

Allen might be the one player who most deserves the credit (or blame) for making MMA one of the new big trends in training for the NFL.

After a disappointing 7.5-sack campaign in 2006, Glazer invited Allen to come train with him at Arizona Combat Sports. In an interview with ESPN, Allen had to this to say about the experience:

"

The cardio that fighters go through is just intense. This offseason I didn't do any running. I did all my intense cardio at Arizona Combat Sports. When I went off to minicamp in the spring, we were running wind sprints one day and I had more gas than I knew what to do with. The cardio level of these fighters is so intense because their life depends on them not being tired.

"

Allen lost 25 pounds that offseason, and the combat training sharpened his on-field edge. He finished 2007 as the NFL sack leader with 15.5. And a craze was born.

1. Patrick Willis, Linebacker, San Francisco 49ers

Patrick Willis puts it all together.

He's a monster on the gridiron, having finished tied for sixth in the NFL last season in total tackles. So far in 2011, he's tied for 12th.

He is young at 26, and is a rock-solid heavyweight at 6'1" and 240 pounds. He often seems to play at a different speed than many of his NFL contemporaries.

But it's more than the stats, the aggression and the comic-book-hero physique. He also has the Glazer/Couture connection and trains in MMA regularly.

If anyone's going to have a real MMA career after football, my money would be on Patrick Willis.