Anthony Wint has gone from NFL trenches to the UFC cage, and now he’s spilling the wildest part of his football past. While comparing life in football to fighting, the heavyweight recalled his time under former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and referenced the 2012 ‘Bountygate’ controversy.
In Wednesday’s episode of the Ariel Helwani Show on YouTube, Wint was asked about how MMA takes care of its fighters compared to what the NFL does with its players.
“Everyone gotta be careful of my words, man. Cause you’re trying to get me in trouble,” Wint initially told Helwani.
However, “Bow Down,” as he is referred to, still went on to speak about his experiences, eventually recalling Gregg Williams’ infamous tenure with the Saints and the mentality he expected from his defenders, telling them to make offensive players feel their presence even if it meant committing a penalty.
“With my last year in the league (2019), I was under Greg Williams (at the Jets), who was the head defense coordinator for, where was it, Bountygate with the Saints (in 2012),” he said. “And he said one profound thing to our defense, I think every single practice. And he said, I want you to go out there and impose your will.
“I want you to go out there, and even if it takes a penalty, I want you to let the offensive player know that you’re out here to dominate, and whatever you want to do, you’re gonna do at your will; he can’t stop you. Tackle him, but make sure his spine is facing the other way.”
Gregg Williams was the Saints’ defensive coordinator from 2009 through 2011 and built one of the NFL’s most aggressive defenses. His system lived on pressure, disguised coverages, man-to-man defense, and blitzes coming from everywhere.
That very style helped New Orleans win Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season. But there was a much uglier side to his philosophy, one that eventually blew up into one of the NFL’s biggest controversies.
The NFL eventually dug into what was going on in New Orleans and uncovered ‘Bountygate’, a bonus system that allegedly paid Saints defenders for significant hits, including those that knocked opponents out of games.
The reported payouts? Around $1,500 for a “knockout” and $1,000 for a “cart-off,” with more money supposedly on the table once the playoffs began.
A recording from the Saints’ 2012 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers brought the coordinator even more attention. On the tape, he can be heard firing up his defenders and ordering brutal hits on specific players.
The NFL’s rules clearly prohibit teams from offering bonuses or rewards connected directly or indirectly to personal fouls or injuries inflicted on opposing players. That’s exactly why Bountygate became such a massive deal; it wasn’t simply about playing physically. It was about allegedly putting a financial incentive behind hurting the guy across from you.
So, it was no surprise that the fallout was massive. The NFL suspended Williams indefinitely in 2012 before reinstating him a year later. The Saints got penalized too: Sean Payton was suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season, Mickey Loomis got an eight-game suspension without pay, the team was fined $500,000, and New Orleans lost draft picks.
That history gives additional weight to Anthony Wint’s recollection of Gregg Williams frequently encouraging defenders to impose their will, even though the former NFL player was describing the broader mentality he experienced rather than describing a specific bounty payment.
The 30-year-old’s NFL background has also influenced how he perceives his current profession in MMA. Wint feels fighters have significantly more freedom to choose their own path, despite the fact that the sport lacks some of the protections available to professional football players.
Anthony Wint signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2018 before getting waived the next year. He tried to earn his way back into the NFL but eventually turned his full attention to MMA.
After winning a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series, the 30-year-old made his official debut against Terrance Chatman at UFC Sacramento a few days earlier, walking into the battle with a 7-0 record, including six finishes. And he needed less than a round to add another finish to his record.
After a poor start, he secured a takedown and then moved to an arm triangle, putting Terrance Chatman to sleep before the end of the first round. The quick victory marked Anthony Wint’s dominant UFC debut and the latest step in his journey from undrafted NFL player to UFC heavyweight.