5 of the best Olympians to transition to the UFC

This summer, the competitive sports world will converge in Paris, France to participate in the 33rd Olympiad. The 32 sport-event will include combat sports such as men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling, judo, boxing, and men’s Greco-Roman wrestling.

Since the formation of the UFC in 1993, many Olympians have crossed over into MMA. Recent names like Ben Askren, who was on the 2008 men’s freestyle team, have transitioned their Olympic careers into very successful MMA careers. Old-school guys of the past like Matt Lindland and Kevin Jackson, who both held early UFC gold, also earned medals during their respected Olympic runs. While the frequency of Olympic to MMA transition is occurring more often today, below are five of the most notable fighters who have found the most success in both areas of competition.

5. Daniel Cormier

One of the current voices of the UFC, Daniel Cormier was known during his championship fighting career for his powerful and effective wrestling. After a two-year colligate stint at Oklahoma State University, Cormier made his run at World and Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling. Cormier made the U.S. Mens World Freestyle Team each year from 2003-2008. This included two trips to the Olympics in 2004 and 2008.

Cormiers best finish at the Olympic games was 2004 in Athens where he earned a 4th-place finish. His 2008 Olympic bid fell short due to weight-cutting issues when he was pulled last minute from the games in Beijing due to kidney failure. Following his retirement from senior-level wrestling, he transitioned to MMA where he went on to become a two-weight champion and UFC Hall of Famer.

4. Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo burst onto the U.S. Mens Freestyle National scene at the young age of 18 after forgoing college in hopes of making the 2008 Mens Freestyle Olympic Team. Cejudos's dreams became reality when he made the Beijing team in 2008, and ultimately took home America’s only wrestling gold medal that year. Cejudos's 2008 run, which was coached by former Olympic and UFC champion Kevin Jackson, was even more impressive as he became the youngest American wrestling gold medalist at just 21.

Cejudo attempted a run at the 2012 Olympics but ultimately lost at the US team trials. Following his unofficial retirement from the sport, Cejudo signed with the UFC in 2014. Cejudo climbed the UFC ranks and in 2018 beat Demetrious Johnson to be the first fighter to hold a modern-day divisional championship (125 pounds) and win an Olympic gold medal. Cejudo added to his already impressive legacy when in 2019, while still 125 pounds champion, he moved up a weight and captured the UFC 135 pounds championship.

Cejudo's career began to wind down after he accomplished double champ status and he announced retirement in 2020, but what would only be shortlived. Cejudo decided to end his retirement in 2023 when he came back to fight for the 135-pound title but was unsuccessful at recapturing the championship. Currently 0-2 since his return, Cejudo is ranked number five in the world at 135 pounds and has hopes at once again claiming gold.

3. Ronda Rousey

A two-time Olympian, who won bronze in 2008, Ronda Rousey is in the upper echelon of UFC pioneers. After the conclusion of her international and Olympic judo career, Rousey transitioned into MMA, where she became the first female UFC champion accumulating six bantamweight title defenses during her reign. After the UFC acquired Strikeforce, Rousey forced UFC president Dana White’s hand into having no choice but to create a women’s division in the UFC, something he once stood firm on never allowing.

Rousey revolutionized women's MMA, and MMA in general when she took the world by storm in 2013. Her aggressive and outgoing personality, along with her devastating judo-based MMA fighting style made her a must-watch force in MMA. Retiring in 2016 from MMA, Rousey had a stint in WWE where she became one of the first women to main event a Wrestlemania, and in 2018 became the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

2. Mark Coleman

The American representative at 100kg in men's freestyle wrestling in the 1992 Olympics, Mark Coleman was the first major collegiate wrestler turned MMA star in the 1990s. After the 1992 Olympics, Coleman transitioned into the newly popular sport of MMA. Colemans' debut at UFC 10 saw him cruise through that evening's tournament where he went 3-0 and won the UFC 10 title. After claiming the same tournament title at UFC 11, UFC 12 is where Coleman was matched up with Dan Severn. This fight was to determine who would be the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, signaling the start of classified weight divisions, and evolving from the previous tournament-style format.

After his inaugural UFC heavyweight championship win, Coleman's MMA career went through many ups and downs. Following the win at UFC 12, Coleman went on a three-fight losing skid in the UFC to end his first tenure with the promotion. Coleman took his talents overseas to Japan and began fighting in Pride, where he was the winner of the first Pride Grand Prix tournament.

Coleman's career wrapped up back in the UFC, where he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2008. Although he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, his career inside the octagon wasn’t finished just yet, as he went 1-2 in the company to conclude his professional career. Coleman is a true legend of the sport, and one of the first individuals to show the splash that high level wrestlers could make in MMA. 

1. Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison belongs on this list due to her historic accomplishment of being a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Not only is she a two-timer, but she is the only American to win gold in judo at the Olympic games. Harrison's first Olympic gold, and overall judo career until that point, got her elected into the United States Judo Hall of Fame in 2015.

After the conclusion of her judo career at the 2016 games in Rio, Harrison transitioned into MMA later that year. Harrison made her MMA debut in 2018 and became a force, and then ultimately one of the most talked about MMA prospects in recent memory. After 16 dominant wins and one shocking loss in the PFL, Harrison surprised the MMA community and signed with the UFC. Her first fight in the promotion was scheduled for UFC 300 in April 2024, where she made quick work of former UFC champ, Holly Holm.

Harrison is sure to make bigger waves in the future and should be fighting for UFC gold within the next year. With her athleticism and her elite martial arts abilities, it is only a matter of time before she has a UFC belt to hang next to her Olympic gold medals.