SUMMARY
- Several fighters have fought at both the UFC and the WWE.
- Many including Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, and Matt Riddle fought in the UFC and WWE Royal Rumble event.
WWE and UFC are two of the most prevalent promotions in combat sports. Several fighters have taken center stage inside UFC’s Octagon along with taking to the WWE’s ring at some point in their careers.
Within WWE, one of the matches that is the most interesting to watch is the 30-man Royal Rumble. The fight takes place on the WWE PPV called Royal Rumble which usually takes place at the end of January. Starting with two fighters in the ring, 28 other fighters enter the ring at equal intervals. Royal Rumble is famous for surprising winners and legendary comebacks.
The 30-man Royal Rumble used to be a men’s affair. However, in the past few years, the 30-woman Royal Rumble has also taken place. Several former UFC fighters including Brock Lesnar, Matt Riddle, and Ronda Rousey have taken part in the WWE Royal Rumble event. In this article, we take a look at all the fighters who fought in the UFC and also fought in the Royal Rumble event.
Brock Lesnar has entered the Royal Rumble match six times
Brock Lesnar became a WWE athlete in 2002. The same year, he entered his first Royal Rumble match at #29 and won the match in a historic debut.
Lesnar went on to become a force to reckon with in MMA. He made his MMA debut in June 2007 and UFC debut in February 2008. Although Lesnar lost his first UFC bout, he won his next fight and fought for the UFC Heavyweight title against Randy Couture at UFC 91. He won the title and defended it twice before losing it to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121.
#OnThisDay in UFC history – Brock Lesnar captures UFC gold in only his FOURTH professional fight at UFC 91! pic.twitter.com/qbHQcAeu5w
— UFC (@ufc) November 15, 2018
After facing defeat next against Alistair Overeem, Lesnar fought Mark Hunt at UFC 200. He defeated Hunt but the result was turned to a No Contest because of Lesnar returning a positive drug test.
He returned to WWE a few years later and took part in the 2016, 2017, and 2020 Royal Rumble match. None of these appearances were fruitful in terms of victory. However, in 2020, he entered as the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Champion. The Beast Incarnate eliminated 13 superstars in 2020.
#TheBeast punches his ticket to #WrestleMania!#RoyalRumble @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/mYX6h0pPyP
— WWE (@WWE) January 30, 2022
He was again part of the 2022 Royal Rumble match. This time, he had just lost the title to Bobby Lashley. He entered the Royal Rumble at #30 and won the match. He participated again in the 2023 Royal Rumble but was eliminated by Lashley.
Ronda Rousey made her Royal Rumble debut in 2022
Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest names in combat sports. She made her MMA debut in 2011 in KOTC. Rousey later won the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship and got promoted to the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship.
Never forget when @HollyHolm shocked the WORLD against Ronda Rousey 😱
Holm is back in action Saturday in our #UFCSanAntonio co-main event! pic.twitter.com/24hQBRYD9H
— UFC (@ufc) March 21, 2023
Rousey went on the defend the UFC title six more times before finally failing to do so. She was unexpectedly defeated by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in 2015. Rousey got another crack at the title a year later at UFC 207 against Amanda Nunes. The Brazilian defeated Rousey via TKO.
In 2017, it was reported that ‘Rowdy’ signed with the WWE on a full-time basis. In 2018, the first 30-woman Royal Rumble match took place. Although Rousey was at the event, she did not take part in the fight.
THE ROWDY ONE IS BACK.@RondaRousey is in the #RoyalRumble Match!!! pic.twitter.com/qUEHGwMlhn
— WWE (@WWE) January 30, 2022
Rousey’s only 30-woman Royal Rumble appearance came in 2022. She entered at #28 and won by eliminating Charlotte Flair.
Shayna Baszler made three Royal Rumble appearances
Shayna Baszler is an American professional kickboxer, wrestler, and former MMA fighter. She did not have a great career in the UFC as she lost both her UFC bouts.
After amassing a 15-8 record in pro-MMA, Baszler made her UFC debut at UFC 177 against Bethe Correia. She lost the bout and later lost again to Amanda Nunes.
No friends in a #RoyalRumble
Wicked to see Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey share the ring! pic.twitter.com/rKtyM2yoKb
— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) January 30, 2022
In 2017, she joined the WWE. Baszler became a two-time NXT Women’s Champion. She made an appearance in the 30-woman Royal Rumble match in 2020 at #30 and went on to eliminate eight women. She was eliminated by Charlotte Flair. Baszler participated again in the 2022 and 2023 30-woman Royal Rumble match.
Matt Riddle has competed in three Royal Rumble matches
Before joining the WWE, Matt Riddle amassed an impressive pro-MMA record. He is also one of the rare fighters who can say they have defeated Jon Jones. Riddle defeated the UFC Heavyweight Champion during their time in high school in wrestling.
Riddle joined the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter and brought up a 6-3 record. In his 10th MMA fight, he won via submission but it was later overturned to an NC because Riddle tested positive for cannabis. It happened again a few months later.
Riddle was supposed to win the Royal Rumble before WWE made the late decision to have a surprise winner in Brock Lesnar, says @PWInsidercom.
— Alex McCarthy (@AlexMcCarthy88) January 31, 2022
He joined WWE in 2018 and he took part in three 30-man Royal Rumble matches. In 2022, he was part of the last four. Riddle later controversially revealed that he was supposed to win the 2022 Royal Rumble. He was released by the WWE in September 2023.
CM Punk competed in six Royal Rumble matches
WWE fans will never forget the peak CM Punk era. He was one of the most valued wrestlers in the company from 2005 to 2014. In his time at WWE, CM Punk took part in six 30-man Royal Rumble matches. However, he did not win any of them.
8 years ago today, CM Punk competed in his last WWE match, the 2014 Royal Rumble match. He walked away from WWE, the day after the 2014 Royal Rumble.
He wouldn’t be back in a ring again in a full time capacity until AEW Rampage on August 20th, 2021. 7 1/2 years later pic.twitter.com/yVgf7k0cX6
— Punk™ (@TheEnduringIcon) January 27, 2022
Following his WWE exit, he tried out other wrestling promotions and even entered the UFC. He lost via submission on his debut at UFC 203 and his next loss was overturned due to his opponent, Mike Jackson, testing positive for drugs.
CM Punk made a comeback into the WWE in 2023 amidst extraordinary fanfare. He is expected to be part of some intriguing storylines.
Ken Shamrock has participated in multiple Royal Rumble events
One of the UFC’s first fighters Kem Shamrock has also been part of the WWE. Shamrock did not take part in the 30-man Royal Rumble matches but he did feature on the PPV events.
Shamrock fought twice on UFC 1 on November 12, 1993. He won the first bout and lost the next. Shamrock took part in several more UFC events while also fighting at Pride and later at Bellator. He ended his MMA career with a record of 28-17-2.
Shamrock was in the WWE, then WWF, in the late-1990s. He fought in the WWE Royal Rumble PPV in 1998 and 1999.