There was a time during 2023 when we imagined how LeBron James would do as a boxer, people online were torn between their responses. In sports, there are generational athletes who are so great at their sports that one can easily imagine them performing at an elite level in other sports.
As a perfect example of this, we already have versatile players like Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson, who excelled both in the NFL and MLB. But fighting in the UFC is an entirely different business. If you think about it, there are only a few stars from different sports who could probably do a good job inside the octagon. Names like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Pele come to mind, they both have a martial arts background and it would be a no-brainer.
Dana White picks Michael Jordan above all
For UFC President Dana White, picking Michael Jordan as the athlete he believes would do great in the UFC comes down to the winning mentality. It’s true, the Chicago Bulls legend definitely had the most competitive spirit in all of sports. Perhaps only people like Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo come close to him.
But fighting chops, Dana doesn’t hesitate to pick MJ. He said this to Shannon Sharpe recently: “You gotta go with Jordan. Jordan is a killer. I’ve spoken about Michael Jordan many times. Never met him, don’t know him, don’t want to meet him. I like him too much. I respect him too much. I love his killer instinct. Don’t want to meet him. Respect him to death. I love Michael Jordan, I love the killer that he was, you know, everything about him,” he added. “I watched ‘The Last Dance’ three times.”
We will never get to see Michael Jordan inside an octagon, all we can do is imagine what it would be like. On second thought, there are already videogames and AI generated videos that could definitely give us that scenario and pin Michael Jordan against the likes of Jon Jones or Francis Ngannou. Naturally, MJ would have to get a little more muscular and flexible if he wants to have a chance to defeat these two heavyweights. But let us know, who else would you pick from other sports to become a UFC star if you had the chance to choose?