5 UFC fighters who could have played in the NBA

4. Travis Browne

Former UFC heavyweight contender, Travis “Hapa” Browne stands at six feet seven inches tall and was a star basketball player before ever strapping on a pair of MMA gloves. 

Browne didn’t start his professional MMA career until well after a successful collegiate basketball run playing shooting guard, small forward, and power forward. 

After leaving school, Browne found himself competitively unfulfilled and turned to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This lit a spark within Browne that put him on a path toward the UFC. He ended up main-eventing three UFC fight night events and defeating the likes of Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem and Josh Barnett. 

Browne ultimately left his college program after growing disinterested in school. However, his athleticism and imposing physique have allowed him to be competitive in multiple athletic disciplines afterward. 

He’s since retired from MMA, finishing with a record of 18-7-1. It’s impressive he stacked that many wins given the fact he started his career at twenty-six. It takes a special athlete to compete in MMA, even with the advantage of starting at an earlier age. For Browne to do what he did only confirms his ability to have possibly played in the NBA had he the desire to do so.