It seems like a majority of the 8 participants (so far) in TUF 10 are ex-NFL players with some MMA fights under their belt.
Marcus Jones, the 1996 first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, enters TUF with a 4-1 professional MMA record, which includes four first-round victories via stoppage (with an average time of just 91 seconds per win). Three of the wins came via TKO and one via submission.
The 35-year-old played football at the University of North Carolina, where he was a four-time letterman, an All-American and the 1995 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle played six NFL seasons with the Bucs. In his best season, 2000, he ranked eighth in the league with 13 sacks. He spent two additional seasons with the Buffalo Bills (but didn’t play in the regular season) before giving up the sport. Soon after, he joined instructor Rob Kahn at Gracie Tampa and eventually made his professional MMA debut in 2007.
Matt Mitrione, who had a nine-game stint with the New York Giants in 2002, will be one of the season’s least-experienced fighters (on paper, anyway). He has no professional fights, according to the major fighter databases, though he reportedly has fought as an amateur.
The 30-year-old Illinois native was an All-Big Ten defensive tackle for Purdue University. He went un-drafted after his senior year in 2000 but still earned his way into the NFL as a free agent. In addition to the Giants, the 6-foot-4 Mitrione spent some time with the Minnesota Vikings (though he didn’t appear in any regular-season games for the team) before leaving the NFL in 2006.
Brendan Schaub, a 6-foot-4 fullback for the University of Colorado who spent some time with (but didn’t play for) the Buffalo Bills, is 4-0 as a professional MMA fighter. He’s often compared to his longtime training partner, undefeated UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin. Like Carwin, Schaub has made quick work of his opponents since turning pro in 2008. In four professional fights, he has four first-round TKOs, and the average length of each fight is just 59 seconds.
The 26-year-old Colorado native played for the Arena Football League’s Utah Blaze before focusing solely on MMA. Schaub, the son of a second-degree Tae Kwon Do black belt, is a Golden Gloves boxing champion and the 2008 Colorado Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Absolute Advanced Grand Champion. He currently trains with Greg Jackson’s renowned Team Jackson camp in New Mexico and T’s KO Fight Club in Colorado.
Wes Shivers, who had a short NFL stint with the Atlanta Falcons in 2000, is 0-1 as a professional and 4-0 as an amateur, according to MMA.tv’s fighter database. (However, his record is listed as 6-0 in some places). The muscular 6-foot-7 fighter is well versed in grappling and Muay Thai and previously competed as a super heavyweight before a lack of available opponents prompted a move down to heavyweight.
The 32-year-old Team Hammer Hill fighter was a standout offensive lineman at Mississippi State University. The Tennessee Titans drafted him in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft. After playing three games with the Falcons in 2000, he left the NFL and focused on his MMA career.
So…How do you see Kimbo Slice doing against these guys especially now that there won’t be a crowd of fans looking on to see if he could live up the hype that he installed on youtube? Will Dana White offer him a contract to fight with the UFC regardless of whether or not he wins the Ultimate Fighter 10 competition?
NOTE: So if Bobby Lashley get in as a competitor of TUF 10, will he do better than Ferguson (Kimbo Slice)?
