‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin has two UFC fighters he would love to see crossover into the WWE
WWE Hall of Famer ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin would love to see two of the UFC’s biggest stars cross over into the world of sports entertainment.
With WWE and the UFC merged under the TKO Group banner, the barrier between professional wrestling and mixed martial arts is thinning. That much was apparent on Monday night when former Bellator MMA champion ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler showed up on RAW and cut a promo on Conor McGregor. Following the appearance, rumors began circulating that the two fighters could end up involved in some type of feud culminating at the 40th anniversary of WrestleMania, which just so happens to go down one week before UFC 300.
Asked for his opinion on which UFC stars could potentially cross over into the WWE, Attitude Era icon Steve Austin immediately had two names in mind.
“If I’m going right now, I’m going Sean Strickland,” Austin said in an interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “I like Sean Strickland. Boy, he stays economical in the Octagon. But what a promo!
“Then I go Colby Covington. All the trash talk talk, all the athletic ability. Guy never runs out of gas, he’s always in shape. Talks a mean streak and can back it up. He’s very exciting, he has that X factor that you always look for. He’s double tough.”
Colby Covington would likely make a perfect addition to the WWE roster. After all, he’s been perfecting his ‘Chaos’ persona for years in front of UFC fans. Strickland however, would likely present a PR nightmare for Triple H and Co. Something the WWE certainly wants to avoid these days.
Of course, fans have already seen plenty of stars crossover through the years. After successful runs in the UFC, both Ronda Rousey and Matt Riddle moved to professional wrestling and found further fame. On the flip side, WWE Superstars Brock Lesnar and CM Punk decided to test their mettle inside the Octagon after becoming two of pro wrestling’s biggest names. Brock Lesnar went on to become the UFC heavyweight champion, defeating Randy Couture at UFC 91. He would defend successfully the title against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.
Punk, on the other hand, went 0-2 inside the Octagon, though his sophomore appearance against Mike Jackson was ultimately overturned to a no-contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana.
