5 UFC fighters who could have played in the NBA

Basketball and MMA are sports that at first glance, don’t have much in common. However, many of the skills that could make someone an NBA player translate toward building a formidable MMA fighter. 

So, which fighters would be the best fits for an NBA career?

Crossover between basketball and MMA may not seem as obvious a path as say, American football to MMA, but there is a long history of professional basketball players finding value in learning the martial arts. 

NBA legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar studied Jeet Kune Do under Bruce Lee and even used his martial arts skills to play the final antagonist in Lee’s uncompleted film, Game of Death.

Though some ex-NBA players have toyed with the idea of fighting in MMA, none have had much success.

There are several fighters though with basketball backgrounds who have made it to MMA’s highest levels. This list will cover the five MMA fighters who most likely could have made an NBA team.