If fighting is the ultimate way to settle a rivalry, then the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the best place for it. In fact, a Seattle Seahawks wide receiver is ready to embrace that idea, even if it means stepping into the UFC Octagon.

Last weekend, the UFC returned to Seattle for its fifth visit and hosted UFC Fight Night 271. The promotion delivered more than 10 MMA bouts and kept the crowd at Climate Pledge Arena engaged until the final fight.  The event drew more than just fight fans. Several notable athletes from other sports attended, including Seahawks standout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who expressed interest in competing inside the Octagon.

NFL talent fancies testing himself in the UFC Octagon

Before the event began, the wide receiver joined Paul Felder for a brief backstage interview. During the conversation, Felder asked the NFL star who he would want to get “locked” in the Octagon with to settle a score. Smith-Njigba then offered a clever response.

“Definitely not Devon Witherspoon, he’s a wild guy,” Smith-Njigba jokingly said of his Seahawks teammate. “You know, there’s a couple guys out there. Anyone from the LA Rams or San Francisco 49ers I’d happily get in the [ring] with.”

Naturally, Jaxon Smith-Njigba avoids a matchup with his own cornerback Devon Witherspoon. After all, the two share a friendly rivalry inside the Seattle Seahawks locker room, so neither side wants to take things that far.

However, his competitive edge becomes more obvious when division rivals enter the picture. Smith-Njigba has already shared heated moments with Deommodore Lenoir of the San Francisco 49ers. Their on-field clashes have turned intense and personal, with constant back-and-forth exchanges during games.

In fact, they even went head-to-head briefly during a divisional playoff matchup, which showed how quickly tensions can rise in high-stakes situations. Of course, fans would enjoy watching that rivalry unfold inside the Octagon. For now, though, Jaxon Smith-Njigba focused on his time at the UFC Seattle event. He did more than just watch the fights, as he also participated in promotional activities, met fighters like Israel Adesanya and Michael Chiesa, signed jerseys, and posed for photos with fans and fellow athletes.

Interestingly, this is not the first time an NFL player has shown interest in stepping into a ring or cage. Earlier, Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins openly expressed his desire to face Jake Paul in a charity bout.

At the same time, Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to ride strong momentum in his career. Last month, the Seahawks capped off an impressive season by winning Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots at the 49ers’ home ground, Levi’s Stadium. The team finished with a 14–3 record and secured the top spot in the conference, pushing past tough rivals like the Los Angeles Rams and the 49ers along the way.

Smith-Njigba stood out as one of the team’s top performers in this title-winning season. He then strengthened his position further this week by signing a five-year, $168.6 million contract extension, drawing praise from several big names across the league.

However, JSN’s interaction with Paul Felder went viral and quickly caught attention. In response, Lenoir fired back with a subtle dig through a now-deleted Instagram story, questioning how he planned to fight for “free, no money.” The remark pointed toward ongoing criticism surrounding fighter pay in the UFC, an issue that athletes across multiple sports have raised before.

Super Bowl champion sheds light on why UFC fighters remain non-unionized

For years, Dana White and Co. have faced criticism for allegedly underpaying fighters. At the same time, many have discussed forming a union to secure better deals with the promotion. However, that idea has yet to become a reality.

In the past, UFC veterans like Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez, and Donald Cerrone tried to build a union, but the effort eventually lost momentum and fell apart. Even now, stars like Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones continue to bring attention to fighter pay, and some believe the time has come to revisit the idea. Still, Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark remains unconvinced.

 “You know, you need to form a union, but in forming a union, who are you negotiating with?” he said. “So many of these organizations are run by small groups of people who make every single decision. Mixed martial arts is truly you eat what you kill. And so, until they can find a way to bridge the gap between ownership and labor, I don’t think there will be a change.

I don’t believe there will be transparency because it’s such a small group of individuals, with no real oversight, making the decisions,” Ryan Clark added.

For those who do not know, leagues like the NFL and NBA operate with strong unions that protect player interests. In the UFC, however, the organization follows a different structure. Recently, UFC veteran Colby Covington pointed out that top stars earn significant pay, which reduces their incentive to support any union effort.

So, with UFC’s fighter pay back in the spotlight, the question remains. Do you see fighter salaries improving under Dana White and Co.?