Reports surfaced earlier this week that UFC fighter Rashad Evans was inquiring about a possible WWE career, and the MMA star recently opened up about the speculation.
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It's unknown if Evans directly spoke with someone at the WWE about the possibility of entering the squared circle, but he was speaking to some people in the wrestling industry about the possibilities of joining the company down the line and recently spoke to MMA Mania about his interest.
"If I ever did anything like that, it would be after I finished fighting, and I'm not gonna be done fighting for at least four years," Evans said. "I had a million people asking me if I was retiring for wrestling, but honestly speaking, if I didn't get seriously paid to do it I wouldn't do it. I think it would be disrespectful to my legacy in the UFC if I didn't do a deal that would make sense where I got paid. Besides, that sh-- is harder on my body than fighting."
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According to Wrestlingheadlines.com, MMA fighters Chael Sonnen, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir and Shayna Baszler have all shown interest and were in talks about joining WWE at some point and there were vague ideas suggested for Baszier that haven't come to fruition.
WWE CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon has been leery about using MMA stars due to the grinding WWE schedule and the fact that they are used to big paydays.
The WWE has recently made a series of releases and budget cuts to slash some costs after a rough financial period for the company. McMahon had interest in Bob Sapp a few years ago, but negotiations fell through due to the money and schedule.
The company has engaged in MMA stars in the past as guys like Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn came over to the WWE back in the late 1990s.
There was interest in the WWE about having Sonnen come in to do some announcing but it likely won't happen due to his multiple failed drug tests and controversies.
As for Evans, while he's interested in joining the WWE, he is currently recovering from major knee surgery and will likely try to continue his UFC career before joining the WWE. There were rumors that he'd retire from UFC after his knee injury but he seems to be planning on a return.
For a number of years, Evans has been one of the fighters interested in a post-MMA WWE career and it is possible at some point he'll leave the octagon for the squared circle.
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