UFC fighters are now operating under the same umbrella as WWE performers, thanks to the recent brand merger initiated by parent company TKO. But don’t expect to see any MMA combatants crossing over to the pro wrestling ring, despite this claim.
That life is too hard for athletes who only compete once or twice per year.
“They don’t have the stamina for it,” WWE champion Seth Rollins told ESPN MMA. “They don’t fight every single weekend. Especially the top stars over there, they’re catered to a certain way. That’s great, that’s their style, that’s what works for them. I understand that. You fight maybe once, twice a year. You’re crazy if you’re fighting three times a year. But to fight over 100 times a year, make all those towns, still be able to train, still be able to do all the media, it’s an exhausting industry.”
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, attempted to cross over to WWE after getting knocked out by Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Unfortunately, “Rowdy” slowly started to fade from view after the initial “wow” factor wore off.
Similarly, CM Punk jumped from WWE to UFC and got humiliated by “Prelims” fighters.
“I don’t wanna knock Ronda Rousey, because I love Ronda,” Rollins continued. “She did a lot for our industry, for women in our industry, and for the fight industry in general. It was tough for Ronda. She tried her damndest and it was hard for her. I’d love for somebody to come over and take a crack if you think you can hang, but it’s hard. I’ll call them all out man, I don’t care, try it out. I can’t do what they do, I’d go in there and get knocked out and choked out in two seconds. I’ll probably do better than [CM] Punk, but I still would lose, most likely.”
WWE vs. UFC? It’s 2014 all over again…
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
