MLB Star Wants UFC 'Crossover' Fight, Mentions Jon Jones

An MLB star said he would love to fight for the UFC and possibly face Jon Jones.

NFL player-turned-UFC heavyweight contender Greg Hardy managed to have an impressive MMA career. He’s one of the latest athletes who made a switch to MMA. And just recently, MLB star Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros revealed that he also plans to “cross over to UFC” soon.

In a recent Q&A interview with MMA Junkie, Correa openly discussed his passion for combat sports. But because of fear of getting hit too much, he said he decided to just stick with baseball. However, Correa admitted he would still love to give it a try.

“I would love to cross over into the UFC. I grew up boxing, and I loved it, but I realized, ‘Man, in baseball, you don’t get hit as much.’ In boxing I’m going to have to be constantly getting hit in the face and stomach in the ribs and that hurts. So I stuck to baseball, and it worked out well for me. But definitely I would love to try,” Correa said.

Despite being a professional baseball player, the Astros shortstop was able to keep himself well-versed in MMA. In fact, Correa likes talking about the sport so much that he has made predictions of previous UFC events. He also discusses the MMA every now and then on his own podcast. However, the Puerto Rican athlete also knows that he will have to overcome a series of adversities in his attempt to become a professional MMA fighter.

“Getting KO’d, I would love to know what that feels like in the octagon. But also getting a KO. It’s hard to speak about it and talk about the adjustments fighters need to make when you’re on the sidelines," he explained.

“But when you’re actually in there feeling the power from your opponent, it’s tough to make those adjustments. It will be a different perspective if you’re able to get in that octagon,” Correa continued.

The 25-year-old was then asked about the weight class best suited for his frame. According to Correa, he’s naturally comfortable at 215 to 220 pounds. However, he claims that he could easily make the 205-pound division in the UFC. As for possible match-ups, Correa didn’t hold back and name-dropped UFC star Jones.

“I weigh about 215, 220. I could make 205 easily. So, Jon Jones would kick my a--,” Correa said.