Brock Lesnar. Ronda Rousey. Israel Adesanya? The reigning UFC middleweight champion might join those other well-known former champs in WWE sometime down the road.
Following the fifth successful defense of his 185-pound title via unanimous decision over Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas, Adesanya was asked by BT Sport about his Undertaker-inspired walkout and the fact that WWE’s Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Paul LeVesque (a.k.a. Triple H) were in the crowd at T-Mobile Arena — not long after WWE’s Money in the Bank event finished up at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Adesanya revealed that not only was he a big WWE fan as a youth, he’d like to give sports entertainment a shot in the future.
“Definitely, that’s something I’ll try my hand at later on,” Adesanya said. “Just for fun. I’m not saying it’s going to be a full-time job, but I’m definitely going to jump in the WWE, or something along that line, just for the entertainment factor.”
He added that he grew up jumping off couches and even broke his arm attempting a shooting star press.
The Undertaker approved of Israel Adesanya’s epic walkout. #UFC276 | Full story: https://t.co/YzUL3HqroN pic.twitter.com/M68KaRdrtK
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 4, 2022
Adesanya’s UFC 276 walkout not only featured The Undertaker’s instantly recognizable entrance theme, but also had the champ sporting a wide-brimmed hat and carrying an urn with Cannonier’s name on it. When he stopped near the octagon, he raised his arms and the arena lights came up, a trademark of the WWE icon. The Undertaker shared his appreciation for the tribute after this show.
If the 32-year-old Adesanya does pursue a WWE stint after his MMA days are through, he’d be just the latest in a long line to make that jump. Lesnar and Rousey have achieved some of the greatest success among ex-UFC stars, but even less accomplished fighters are seeing the appeal of sports entertainment, including ex-UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem, who is headlining the debut WES show on July 9, and Bellator’s Valerie Loureda, who recently signed with WWE.
Like pro wrestling? Be sure to visit Wrestling Junkie for all your coverage of WWE, AEW and more, and follow @WrestleJunkie on Twitter.
UFC champ Israel Adesanya: ‘I’m definitely going to jump in the WWE’ down the road
