Former NFL linebacker Anthony Wint has signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after securing a swift knockout victory on Dana White's Contender Series. Wint defeated Matthew Adams by TKO just 34 seconds into the first round of their heavyweight bout on Tuesday night.
Wint's performance impressed UFC President Dana White, who indicated he wants to see Wint compete again soon. White mentioned potentially booking Wint for UFC Fight Night 285 on August 22 in Sacramento, California. "Wint is fun. This guy is all over me," White said, according to MMA Junkie. "He says, ‘I’m not leaving Las Vegas until you guys get me a fight.’ so probably put him on [UFC] Sacramento."
Wint, 30, now holds a professional MMA record of 7-0. He previously played college football at Florida International and signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2018. After appearing in two games for the Jets, he was waived in the summer of 2019. He later signed with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in December 2019, but the 2020 CFL season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he opted out of his CFL contract in August 2020.
Wint began his amateur MMA career in 2021. Reflecting on his transition from football, Wint stated, "I played football my whole life. Not only football, linebacker... So I was used to lining up against 11 people, having 11 people against me and then dissecting a whole play in 40 seconds. Now I just gotta dissect a man in three rounds."