Dana White insists Raiders star Maxx Crosby would be a UFC champion if he had trained MMA from childhood

Dana White has declared that Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby possesses the natural attributes to have become a UFC world champion, provided he had trained mixed martial arts from childhood — comments made at the Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 post-fight press conference.

“When you look at a lot of these guys that play in the NFL, if they… Imagine if Maxx Crosby trained in MMA since he was a kid, he would be a world champion right now,” White said. “And I believe that to my core. And I know a lot of sh*t about Maxx Crosby that you guys don’t know.”

White’s remarks came on the back of former New York Jets linebacker Anthony Wint’s performance in the opening week of DWCS 2026. Wint dispatched Matthew Adams with ground-and-pound in just 34 seconds to earn a UFC contract, and White confirmed he is targeting the UFC Sacramento card on 22 August for Wint’s promotional debut after the fighter refused to leave Las Vegas until a fight was booked.

The crossover between American football and MMA has a well-documented history. College players such as Ovince St. Preux, Eryk Anders and Dominick Reyes all transitioned to the UFC without reaching the NFL, while Greg Hardy, Austen Lane, Zac Pauga and Matt Mitrione made the switch after professional football careers.

The most recent success story is Josh Hokit, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and had a brief stint with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 before turning to MMA. Since making his UFC debut last year, Hokit has recorded three finishes in four wins and built a rapidly growing profile inside the sport.

White’s endorsement of Crosby — a personal friend of the UFC CEO — underlines a broader belief within the organisation that elite NFL athletes represent an untapped pool of MMA talent, particularly those with the size, explosiveness and physicality that translate naturally to combat sports.