Former New York Jets linebacker Anthony Wint earned a UFC contract in emphatic fashion on Tuesday night with a brutal 34-second knockout.
Competing in a heavyweight bout on Dana White’s Contender Series, the 30-year-old made quick work of opponent Matthew Adams at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Wint swarmed Adams from the opening bell, unleashing a relentless flurry of punches that forced a rapid stoppage just over half a minute into the opening round.
The dominant finish impressed UFC chief Dana White, who revealed after the event that the former NFL star was already pushing for his promotional debut.
‘Wint is fun. This guy is all over me,’ White told reporters. ‘He says, ‘I’m not leaving Las Vegas until you guys get me a fight,’ so probably put him on UFC Sacramento.’
As suggested there, White claimed he is actively working to book Wint for a quick turnaround for their Fight Night event on August 22 in Sacramento.
Former New York Jets linebacker Anthony Wint earned a UFC contract in emphatic fashion
The 30-year-old made quick work of opponent Matthew Adams at the Meta APEX on Tuesday
Wint appeared in two games for the Jets during the 2018 season before a brief stint in the CFL
‘I love guys who want to turn around quick and fight again. When you come into the Contender [Series] and you do well and you get that pop, staying active is the best thing you could do.’
The victory pushed Wint’s undefeated professional MMA record to 7-0 after beginning his combat sports training in 2021 following the end of his gridiron career.
An undrafted free agent out of Florida International, Wint appeared in two games for the Jets during the 2018 season before a brief stint in the CFL.
‘I played football my whole life. Not only football, linebacker,’ Wint said of adapting to the cage. ‘Now I’ve just got to dissect a man in three rounds’.
Later in the night, White hinted that another NFL star could potentially have a future in the UFC after waxing lyrical about Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby.
With more and more football stars finding success inside the octagon, White couldn’t help but suggest that Crosby could be a star if he took on mixed martial arts.
White said: ‘Imagine if Maxx Crosby trained in MMA since he was a kid, he would be a world champion right now. And I believe that to my core.
‘And I know a lot of s*** about Maxx Crosby that you guys don’t know.’
