Baron Corbin recently picked back up his jiu-jitsu career and in doing so placed second in the Florida Jiu Jitsu World League Tournament, earning himself a silver medal. While he’s still very much wrestling full-time, Corbin is now admitting that there is an “itch” when it comes to wanting try out MMA. He previously told Chris Van Vliet that with football not working out for him, his next steps were either the UFC or WWE. After a conversation about the longevity of a WWE career vs. the UFC, Corbin ultimately made his decision.
Several WWE Superstars past and present come from or have some sort of a martial arts background, including Bobby Lashley, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar and Shayna Baszler. When asked how tempting it is to try, Corbin cut off the interviewer to respond. “Very. I know where you’re going. Very. That’s why I’m back doing jiu-jitsu competitions and choking people out. When I was out in Philly for WrestleMania, I went and trained with a UFC fighter for the day, and I was like, ‘Man.’ You get the itch.”
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The conversation then shifted to taking punches and liking the pain, to which Corin explained that he likes the frame of mind it takes to get there. “There is something about it. It gets those endorphins going. The training, the grind to get there,” Corbin told the Johnny Dare Show. “I like the mind frame you have to get into when you’re in there. When I was training in Philly, it was all these black belts and I was getting my ass whooped. That toughness. ‘You got me this time, I’m going to get you.’ There is something about it. It’s something you chase. I get irritated and little sensitive when guys are like, ‘I’m a fighter.’ ‘How many fights did you have?’ ‘I don’t have any fights, I just train at the gym.’ That’s different, you’re a brown belt, but you’ve never been in competition. There is a big separation from people who train and people who compete. It’s that mindframe, that weird glitch we all have that we like to get in there and smack each other in the face.”
Last summer, WWE officially merged with the UFC creating TKO, the largest sports giant in the world. Though there is yet to be any legitimate crossover between the two brands outside of some of the top fighters and stars appearing in the crowd, several top talent have expressed an interest in stepping into the squared circle and the octagon. WWE has made a bid to bring in Connor McGregor for years but it never came to fruition. Recently, however, he gave a very optimistic answer that was neither a yes or no as to whether or not he’d compete in WWE. “You never know, let’s see,” the multi-time champion recently told Adam’s Apple.
H/T: Fightful
