WWE Rumours: Ryback considering career in MMA

Ryback was released by the WWE earlier

Former WWE Superstar Ryback is reportedly on his way to a career change. It appears as though ‘The Big Guy’ is considering a jump into the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). During a recent interview on X1075 in Las Vegas earlier this week, the former Intercontinental champ announced that he has been in discussions with the Bellator MMA promotion, which has been steadily been making a rise in the world of MMA with its recent signings of major former UFC stars such as Rory MacDonald and professional wrestling personality Chael Sonnen.

The news broke on Twitter first.

BREAKING: @Ryback22 in talks with @BellatorMMA, "open to the idea". Full interview heard on @X1075 Las Vegas.

— RBR Into The Octagon (@IntoTheOctagon) September 26, 2016

Ryback has also recently been taking an interest in MMA training lately with his newfound time since departing from WWE, as he posted a picture on Instagram showing that he has been doing some jiu-jitsu training in his hometown of Vegas. The MMA transition has shown mixed results for some of Ryback’s fellow professional wrestling colleagues, as CM Punk most notably had an unsuccessful debut in the UFC recently, when he was mauled by welterweight prospect Mickey Gall in the first round of their meeting in Cleveland, Ohio at UFC 203.

Although Punk dedicated two years of his life to training at one of the most highly respected gyms in the industry, his tenure in the Octagon was short lived as Gall immediately took ‘The Cult Of Personality’ down with ease and subsequently choked him out via rear naked choke.

Former WWE Champ Brock Lesnar’s story in MMA has been rather different, as the NCAA Division I wrestler can say that he once was recognised as the baddest man on the planet when he captured the UFC heavyweight title. Lesnar also made a successful return at the UFC’s biggest show of the year when he defeated knockout artist Mark Hunt via unanimous decision in their co-main event bout of the evening. 

Although Lesnar is now back working with the WWE, his departure from the world of MMA did not come without controversy as he was flagged by the UFC’s drug testing partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), for a potential anti-doping violation following tests results that returned after his bout with Hunt.

Can a man with the size and athleticism of Ryback be successful in MMA the way Lesnar was?

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