Highest-Paid Offensive Players by Position - Brandon Scherff

 

Jun 17, 2022

Eight NFL players we would love to see in UFC’s Octagon

 

NFL players usually have a ton of fight in their game. But how many could actually fight? Like UFC, MMA style? We list the top candidates.

By Adam H. Beasley

June 15, 2022

 

The Miami Dolphins recently visited American Top Team, the South Florida-based MMA academy that has produced some of UFC’s brightest stars.

The visit video, posted to UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal’s Twitter account, was great. It also got us thinking: Which current NFL players would make for great (or at least entertaining) MMA fighters? Here’s our list of eight that come to mind.

Which NFL players do we want to see in UFC?

There are plenty of athletic traits that are valuable in both football and MMA. The National Library of Medicine in 2019 published a study entitled “Anthropometric and Physiological Profile of Mixed Martial Art Athletes: A Brief Review.”

“The main findings of this review,” researchers wrote, “suggested an overall profile of low body fat, high flexibility, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and anaerobic power, and average cardiovascular endurance.”

What’s more, the best fighters have quick reaction time, excellent leverage, and smooth movements. Sounds like we’re describing top-tier cornerbacks, no?

But the best fighters can’t just be created in a lab. Those with an elite toughness and spirit and a tolerance for punishment are the best of the best.

So who are some NFL players that fit some, if not all, of these characteristics?

Tyler Linderbaum, C, Baltimore Ravens

Linderbaum’s floor game would be elite. The heavyweight finished third in the Iowa high school state tournament as a senior and surely could have completed collegiately.

Linderbaum, who was the 25th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, is an all-around athlete. He also was an all-state thrower on the track team and also starred on his high school’s baseball team.

Hawkeye great Dallas Clark among 7 new inductees into Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame

Dustin Schutte | June 1, 2022

Former Iowa tight end Dallas Clark is one of seven former Hawkeye student athletes who will be inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 2022 class. The school released a statement on Wednesday.

 

Clark was a tight end for the Hawkeyes from 2000-02 and went on to have a tremendous career in the NFL. In his final season with at Iowa, Clark was a first-team All-B1G and All-American selection. He was also named the winner of the John Mackey Award, presented to the nation’s top tight end.

 

During that 2002 season, Clark was responsible for 43 catches, 742 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. He was a key component for an Iowa team that finished with an 11-2 record and went 8-0 in B1G play.

 

Clark’s career at Iowa finished with 1,281 yards and 8 touchdowns on 81 receptions, averaging 15.8 yards per catch.

After his career at Iowa concluded, Clark was a first-round selection by Indianapolis in the 2003 NFL Draft, going No. 24 overall. He spent 9 of his 11 seasons with the Colts and was a Pro Bowl Selection and the NFL’s Tight End of the Year in 2009. Clark also won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis.

 

Clark finished his career by spending one season with Tampa Bay and concluded with a year at Baltimore. He posted 505 receptions for 5,665 yards and 53 receiving touchdowns.

 

The other Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame inductees for 2022 include:

·         Amy Fowler, Field Hockey (1989-92)

·         Dan Holm, Wrestling (1972-75)

·         Kari Knopf, Softball (1994-97)

·         Keith Noreen, Baseball (1987-90)

·         George Roddy, Men’s Golf (1930-31)

·         Nancilea Underwood, Women’s Swimming and Diving (2001-03, 2004-06)