Ex-NFL linebacker Wint unbothered by UFC spotlight ahead of UFC 332 clash

Anthony Wint insists his years in the NFL have made him one of the most mentally grounded fighters on the UFC roster. The undefeated middleweight (8-0), a former New York Jets linebacker, faces fellow unbeaten prospect Lucas Armand (6-0) at UFC 332 on October 3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Wint earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series with a 34-second finish in August, then refused to leave Las Vegas without a debut booked. He made his Octagon entrance just 11 days later at UFC Sacramento, submitting his opponent in the first round.

Now preparing for his sophomore UFC appearance, Wint says the star-studded training environment that might overwhelm other newcomers feels entirely familiar. He has been sparring alongside ranked and rising middleweights including Esteban Ribovics, Gregory Rodrigues, Anthony Hernandez, Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze.

“I played in the NFL and I’m used to being around the stars… I’m used to people seeing me as a celebrity,” Wint said. “And I train with Esteban. My last fight, I literally sparred three or four of the top-ranked guys in the 185-pound division: ‘Robocop,’ I was around Anthony, RDR… I’ve done countless rounds with him, even Roman. So, you miss this star effect of, ‘Dang, I’m in the UFC.’ Because I already had that in the NFL and I saw how it worked and it didn’t work.”

Wint, who fights out of the nickname “Bow Down”, acknowledges that his NFL career did not unfold as he had hoped — but frames that disappointment as a lesson in perspective that now serves him inside the Octagon. Having already experienced the highs and lows of life as a professional athlete in one of the world’s most watched sports leagues, he arrived in MMA with his expectations calibrated.

Armand enters UFC 332 equally unblemished at 6-0, setting up a compelling all-undefeated matchup in the middleweight division. For Wint, the challenge is straightforward: extend his perfect record and prove that his rapid rise from Contender Series finish to ranked contender territory is no accident.