5 UFC fighters who could have played in the NFL

5. Dominick Reyes

Dominick "The Devastator" Reyes holds a 12-4 MMA record, has main-evented twice in the UFC, and has also challenged for the light heavyweight title. However, before ever setting his eyes on MMA, he dreamed of NFL stardom.

Born in Hesperia, California, Reyes excelled in football and baseball growing up. Eventually, this led him to Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York where he played college football for the Seawolves. His leadership and athletic skill as a starting safety led him to be named team captain. Despite recording 259 tackles in his football career, Reyes went undrafted by the NFL.

Luckily, Reyes started training in MMA before graduating. Though originally thought of as a way to bolster his football skills, Reyes fell in love with the sport and dedicated his life to it while holding down a day job in IT.

Though Reyes had offers to play in professional leagues outside the NFL, he declined. However, had he been drafted and given the opportunity to pursue his original passion, there is a great chance Reyes would have fit in with a team requiring a strong leader who could not only guide them to victory, but make the plays necessary to seal the deal.