Jaylen Brown is currently making his living as a shooting guard in the NBA. A 10-year veteran of the Association, Brown was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
He’s spent his entire professional career knocking down jump shots on the parquet floor inside Boston’s TD Garden. In 2024, Jaylen Brown reached an important career milestone when his Celtics bested the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the franchise’s 18th championship. Boston’s 18 titles are the most by a club in NBA history.
Averaging 20.8 points per game in the five-game NBA Finals series, along with a 21-point output in the clinching game for Boston, Jaylen Brown won NBA Finals MVP. Thus far in the 2025-26 NBA season, Brown is averaging 29.3 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting, being selected for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles as a member of Team Stripes as part of this year’s USA vs. The World format.
Brown Makes Intentions Known to Shift to Combat Sports After Retiring
Over the weekend, the center of activity in the NBA has been Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA for NBA All-Star Weekend. Saturday, NBA All-Star Media Day was held ahead of All-Star Saturday Night activities on the home court of the Los Angeles Clippers.
During his media junket, Jaylen Brown let the assembled press know what he’d like to do after he makes the last 3-pointer of his career.
“I’ve toyed with this,” Jaylen Brown began. “I’ve talked with some people. Maybe [in the] post part of my career, I’d love to partake in something like UFC or even boxing.”
Jaylen Brown Met with UFC CEO Dana White in Past
As Brown met with the media, he mentioned that he’s touched base with one of the most important figures in all of combat sports.
“I’ve talked to [UFC CEO] Dana White about some stuff, but we’ll see as things go on.”
It should be noted that the UFC CEO has ties to Massachusetts and is an ardent supporter of Jaylen Brown’s ballclub. Whether Brown actually does transition to the world of competitive violence after his roundball days conclude remains to be seen, but if he does move onto MMA, here’s some pertinent information:
Jaylen Brown stands 6-foot-6 and maintains a weight of 223 lbs. Should he join the MMA world upon his NBA retirement, he’d be well within heavyweight limits.
Crossover Athletes Nothing New in MMA
If Jaylen Brown does, indeed, make the jump to MMA once his basketball career finishes, he’d be the next athlete from another sport to cross over to the cage. Late in the 2010s, after his NFL career was derailed due to an arrest for domestic violence, former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy tried his luck in MMA.
Despite some very public protests, Dana White gave Hardy a chance to prove his worth on Dana White’s Contender Series. Hardy had to come back a second time, but he secured a UFC contract.
In recent times, former US Olympian Gable Steveson turned from college wrestling to MMA. Steveson is due to fight this coming Thursday in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico in MFL 3 versus Hugo Lezama for the main event of the evening at heavyweight.
Final Thoughts
Jaylen Brown has shown himself to be a brilliant player on the basketball court. A championship ring in 2024 and NBA Finals MVP honor is indicative of that.
If Brown does elect to move to the sport of MMA once he retires from the NBA, he’ll have a new challenge to take on. Will anything come from this?
Only time will tell.