5 highly educated fighters in the UFC
UFC and MMA fighters at large are usually not expected to have formal education beyond high school. While some combat sports athletes do go through college, it is primarily for competing in some form of martial art or another. There are famous UFC fighters who used to work odd jobs to get by until they found their calling.
MMA legends have often gone on record to say how much they hated doing menial jobs before getting into MMA. Champions like Georges St-Pierre, Conor McGregor, and Israel Adesanya were either picking up garbage for a living, plumbing, or working as a billing coordinator at a gas line company.
However, some UFC fighters are highly educated and probably would not need low-paying jobs if forced outside the octagon.
Five UFC fighters who have a longer history with education than their contemporaries:
#5 - Tony Ferguson
Tony Ferguson worked as a bartender before he started competing professionally in MMA. He made his UFC debut in 2011 after winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 13. Ferguson is a former interim UFC lightweight champion and is tied with Khabib Nurmagomedov for most wins in the lightweight division at twelve.
When Khabib Nurmagomedov called Tony Ferguson "stupid" during their pre-fight conference for UFC 249, Ferguson replied, saying:
"I'm very educated, motherf***er"
While Tony Ferguson did not, according to information available in the public domain, complete his graduation, he did spend a lot of time pursuing education. He has switched majors from Physical Therapy to Criminal Justice to Nursing.
According to 'El Cucuy', he attended Central Michigan University and Muskegon Community College and then found his way to Grand Valley State University. Ferguson told UFC:
"At the time, I didn't know what I wanted to be (I switched majors from Physical Therapy to Criminal Justice to Nursing), so I decided I would wait to finish my degree."
#4 - Jan Blachowicz
Jan Blachowicz competed in a Polish MMA Promotion, KSW, for six years before making his debut for UFC in 2014. He struggled in the first couple of years in the UFC with a 2-4 record but turned it all around after UFC 210, achieving a 9-1 record. At UFC 253, he defeated Dominick Reyes to win the vacant light heavyweight title.
While Jan Blachowicz was working as a bouncer at a nightclub before starting his MMA career, it was not because of a lack of education. Blachowicz graduated in civil engineering and can become a civil engineering technician after retiring from MMA.
3 - Roxanne Modafferi
Roxanne Modafferi has been competing since she was 20 years old and has fought for various MMA promotions like Smack Girl, K Grace-1, Strikeforce, Cage Warriors, Invicta FC, and the UFC.
She has also fought in multiple weight classes in her career but is currently fighting in the women's flyweight division in UFC and is ranked number 9.
Roxanne Modafferi has majored in Japanese Language and Literature. Before starting her MMA career, the flyweight fighter was teaching English as a second language in Japan. She also teaches judo to kids in Japan. Be it inside or outside the octagon, Modaferri is never going out of business.
#2 - Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic is a two-time former UFC heavyweight champion who is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in MMA. He holds the record for most wins in heavyweight title fights and has the longest title defense streak in the heavyweight division at three.
Stipe Miocic made his UFC debut in 2011 and has defeated MMA legends like Fabio Maldonado, Mark Hunty, Daniel Cormier, and Francis Ngannou. He also holds the record for the most fight-night bonus awards in UFC heavyweight history (9).
He is a national champion in amateur boxing and has also done wrestling at the amateur level. He also played baseball at the College level and is a huge fan of the MBL team Cleveland Indians.
While Miocic worked as a bartender before starting his MMA career, he is now a part-time firefighting paramedic in Oakwood and Valley View, Ohio. Stipe Miocic majored in Marketing and Communications from Cleveland State University.
#1 - Sara McMann
Sara McMann is a former Olympic wrestler who currently fights in the women's bantamweight division in the UFC. She is the first American woman to receive a silver medal at the Olympics, which she won at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Currently ranked eighth in her division in UFC, Sara McMann is the most educated fighter on this list. She completed her graduation in Theater from Lock Haven University and then went on for a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from Gardner-Webb University.
Before starting her MMA career, Sara McMann was an Olympic Wrestler. She now does volunteer work for an organization named Habitat for Humanity. She has also helped tsunami victims rebuild their homes in Sri Lanka.
Sara McMann has fought against MMA legends like Amanda Nunes, Ronda Rousey, and Miesha Tate. Her most recent fight was at UFC 257 against Julianna Pena, which she lost via submission (rear-naked choke).
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