The former New York Jets player turned UFC fighter, Anthony Wint, improved his undefeated record to 9-0 by scoring a massive victory at UFC 332, beating Lucas Armand in just 23 seconds in Round 1. Following that impressive outing, Wint set his sights on the man who defeated Jon Jones’ Olympic gold medalist protégé last month.

At the UFC 332 post-fight presser, a reporter asked Wint about the feasibility of his matchup against Sharaf. In response, the former NFL player said he is eyeing a short-notice bout against Sean Sharaf at UFC 334 on November 14.

“It’s all of the above,” Wint said. “I want to fight in New York, and obviously, this short notice it’s hard to get that call, especially for the biggest card of all year. I love Sean. There’s no beef between me and Sean, so I hope people don’t build it up as that. He actually gave me a ride from the P.I. to my hotel when I was over there, so we had a good conversation just about his journey. 

“Much as I’m calling him out, I’m giving him an opportunity as well because I think he has the skills and we’ve seen that he has the power to put me out, so I think that I’m going to bring the best version of myself out fighting him and he’s going to be able to prove again that he can prove the doubters wrong because I think I’m better than him and I think a lot of people would agree with me.”  

Anthony Wint is not too far off in thinking that the stars have aligned for him to face Sean Sharaf, especially when the 33-year-old is at the height of his career.

At UFC 331, Gable Steveson entered as a massive -2500 favorite to beat Sean Sharaf in their heavyweight bout. The Minnesota native being favored by the oddsmakers made complete sense, because he is an Olympian who won gold in freestyle wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Plus, Steveson’s MMA journey began under the tutelage of Jon Jones and Greg Jackson of Jackson Wink.

On the other hand, Sharaf was still winless in the promotion when he met Steveson. However, what unfolded in California was nothing short of a miracle. Sharaf defied all the odds to flatline Gable Steveson in just 12 seconds in front of a packed crowd at the Crypto.com Arena. 

While Sharaf soaks up the spotlight, Wint is also steadily building his momentum.

Anthony Wint signed with the New York Jets as a free agent back in 2018. But after a year, the Jets parted ways with Wint in 2019. Though he briefly signed with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, his 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic.

After a prolonged stretch of uncertainty, Wint found MMA to be the perfect fit and has since become a recognizable name after beating two heavyweights in a row in the UFC.

Because of this, Wint likely believes that a matchup between him and Sharaf would be a natural fit and the best thing for business. In fact, the 31-year-old straight up admitted that Sharaf’s newfound fan base is what entices him most about this fight. 

Former Jets player believes Sean Sharaf’s rising stardom would make their UFC fight a big draw

Anthony Wint has made it fairly clear that the prospect of facing a power puncher like Sean Sharaf entices him to push for a short-notice showdown. But ultimately, it’s the former Navy SEAL’s newfound stardom that Wint wants to leverage to build up their fight and draw the most eyes.

“There’s a lot of people… he has a big fan base now,” Wint added in the presser. “They’re going to be like, ‘No, Sean, go out there and knock this dude out again,’ and I think that makes for a great fight. At the end of the day, we’re in the business of sport, but we’re in the business of show. It’s a market at the end of the day, and I think that’s a huge fight to make.”

As the former Jets star mentioned earlier, the fight against Sharaf has all the ingredients to become a blockbuster. He’s asking for the fight to take place at UFC 334 in Madison Square Garden, which would be a perfect venue for this heavyweight showdown.

The card has 13 fights booked so far, and the UFC won’t shy away from adding another if it turns out to be Wint vs. Sharaf. However, the Palestinian-American recently hinted at his imminent retirement from the sport, and that genuinely raises questions about Sharaf’s future and his motivation to fight in the promotion.

That said, it will be interesting to see whether Sean Sharaf answers Anthony Wint’s call or lets it fade into silence.