Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson Surrendered Himself to MMA in a Desperate Bid to Save “Failing” Career

Published 04/30/2022, 8:36 AM EDT

Crossovers in combat sports are always interesting. Watching a UFC fighter like Conor McGregor box or witnessing CM Punk in the octagon awakened many fans. Similarly, many have always wanted to see Dwayne Johnson, aka ‘The Rock’ compete in MMA.

However, it looks like this wish had once almost come true. As per one of Johnson’s tweets, he had considered switching to MMA to save his career.

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He wrote, “Fun for journalist to dream up the scenarios if I had competed in @ufc (there was a point in 1997 where I considered going to Japan to train to begin an MMA career when my wrestling career was failing miserably). Realized quick I actually hate being punched in the kisser”.

Fun for journalist to dream up the scenarios if I had competed in @ufc (there was a point in 1997 where I considered going to Japan to train to begin an MMA career when my wrestling career was failing miserably). Realized quick I actually hate being punched in the kisser
🤜🏾🥴🤣 https://t.co/q952a2Ns8W
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 23, 2022

Thus, the famous wrestler stuck to wrestling and never switched over to MMA. While he remains an action figure in the movies, it would have been interesting to see how he would do in the UFC.

While Johnson did not give mixed martial arts a try, CM Punk dared to do so. Unfortunately, the wrestler tasted loss in his first-ever UFC fight in 2016. His second fight in 2018 ended in no contest.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Net Worth Compared with Hollywood Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt

In addition to this, another wrestler who gave UFC a try was Brock Lesnar. He tasted success initially and even won the heavyweight title. Unfortunately, his last three fights with the promotion did not go as expected.

Apart from wrestlers, boxers like Holly Holm and Claressa Shields found success in MMA.

Dwayne Johnson: The Rock signs up with the UFC

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While he does not plan to join the promotion as a fighter, his interest in the UFC is visible. This can be seen from his presence in their fights.

As per an article published by ‘Give Me Sport‘ earlier this year, Johnson signed a multi-year business agreement with the UFC. This deal is centered around the wrestler’s motivational performance brand, Project Rock. It is also the promotion’s official footwear partner.

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Thus, while there seems no chance of seeing him in the octagon, his partnership with the promotion has surely caught viewers’ eyes. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Rohini Kottu is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. She is also a Psychologist and has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. Rohini, in her role as a UFC writer, combines her admiration for the mental resilience that MMA fighters have and her love for analysis.

Edited by:

Vibhanshu Kumar

Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson Surrendered Himself to MMA in a Desperate Bid to Save “Failing” Career

Dwayne Johnson: The Rock signs up with the UFC

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