Former NBA All-Star Kristaps Porzingis plans to turn in his basketball sneakers for MMA gloves.
Several former standouts in Football have transitioned well into combat sports, including former UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy and boxer Le’Veon Bell. Despite getting into fighting later in life, several major sports standouts have found success in a new arena.
As Mixed Martial Arts continues to grow worldwide, and ahead of the UFC’s new broadcast home on Paramount, many versatile athletes could eventually find their way into the Octagon at a later date. In the meantime, the UFC continues to attract fans from all around the sports world, including former NFL quarterback Tom Brady and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
A current NBA standout is potentially just a few years away from turning in his sneakers for MMA gloves to fulfill his lifelong dream of competing in the cage.
Kristaps Porzingis defended by Mitchell Robinson during Game 3 of Knicks vs. Celtics
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis plans to become the latest major sports star to switch to MMA
In a recent interview with Latvian publication SportaCentrs, NBA veteran Kristaps Porzingis, standing 7’2″, teased a future move to the cage.
“MMA is a sport that is very close to my heart,” Porzingis said. “Number one in terms of viewing. That’s the thing I’m going to light up on, so I decided to participate in a new MMA project. Everything is still in process, when we approach the final result, I’ll be able to tell you more.
“I’ve tried my hand at MMA, but I promised one of the [Basketball] clubS I represented that I would not do so during my career.”
Porzingis was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, where he played for four seasons before signing a lucrative contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He’s since played for the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, and Atlanta Hawks during his career.
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Kristaps Porzingis looks to avoid the same fate as Greg Hardy, others who made MMA move
Porzingis isn’t the only NBA standout who has transitioned to training in MMA in recent years. Royce White, Deron Williams, and James Johnson are a few basketball players who have transitioned to MMA since ending their basketball careers.
If Johnson’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he called out Jon Jones for a fight, stating that he ‘truly believes’ he would get the better of the UFC legend. Jones issued a hilarious response to Johnson’s bizarre claims.
The tallest fighter in the UFC, as of this writing, is heavyweight Tallison Teixeira (6’7″). If Porzingis follows up on his proposed MMA future, he’d likely fight at heavyweight, unless he plans to suffer through brutal weight cuts from his 245-pound frame.