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Professional wrestling andmixed martial arts (also known as MMA) both combinegrappling andstrikes. In MMA, fights are competitions, in contrast to professional wrestling where the outcomes and moves performed are often scripted or predetermined. Despite this difference, several people have competed in both professional wrestling and MMA.
Professional wrestling could be considered aperformance art which combinesathletics withtheatrical performance.[1] Matches are contested on a pre-determined basis, where the fight on display is merely for entertainment purposes. Viewers are integral to a professional wrestling match, as the audience is who the action is for. Professional wrestling mixes many styles ofamateur wrestling, striking and showmanship to display a fight, whilst the two performers work together to achieve a "worked" fight. Professional wrestling was first popularized in 19th centuryEurope as a carnival attraction.
Mixed Martial Arts, is a hybrid of many types of physical full-contact sports; includingwrestling,boxing andMartial Arts, such asBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The early 1990s saw theUltimate Fighting Championship popularize the term "Mixed Martial Arts", for such a bout. Competitors in MMA are generally skilled in many different styles, however, it is possible to be only proficient in one type of combat. As some professional wrestling moves are simply worked versions of legitimate holds, there can be a crossover between the two.[2]
Possibly the most successful crossover pro wrestler and MMA competitor isBrock Lesnar, who has won the world championships in both theWWE[3] andUFC.[4][5] Other wrestlers to have won world championships in both MMA and Pro Wrestling includeBobby Lashley (Shark Fights Heavyweight Championship as well as theImpact World Championship, theECW World Championship and theWWE Championship),[6][7] and UFC Hall of FamersDan Severn andKen Shamrock, who won the UFC Superfight Championship and theNWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Since MMA's rise to prominence in the 1990s, some pro wrestlers or MMA fighters have been cynical against the other's profession. This can be an attack on the sport as a whole, or acting as a fan dismissing certain actions within that sport.[8]
Below is a list of professional wrestlers to have appeared in an official Mixed Martial Arts match, and their career win–loss record.[citation needed]
| Name | Nationality | W | L | D | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Amano |  JPN | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Reggie Bennett |  USA | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Daria Berenato | USA | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Shayna Baszler | USA | 15 | 11 | 0 | |
| Melissa Cervantes |  MEX | 0 | 1 | 0 | [21] |
| Jessamyn Duke | USA | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| Esui |  Mongolia | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Emi Fujino | JPN | 25 | 13 | 1 | |
| Jazzy Gabert |  GER | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Svetlana Goundarenko |  RUS | 6 | 2 | 0 | |
| Yoshiko Hirano | JPN | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Yumiko Hotta | JPN | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Mai Ichii | JPN | 4 | 5 | 0 | |
| Chie Ishii | JPN | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kaoru Ito | JPN | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Fuka Kakimoto | JPN | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Shinobu Kandori | JPN | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| Syuri Kondo | JPN | 6 | 3 | 0 | |
| Aya Koyama | JPN | 4 | 10 | 1 | |
| Valerie Loureda | USA | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| Mika Nagano | JPN | 18 | 13 | 1 | |
| Kaori Nakayama | JPN | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Michiko Omukai | JPN | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jeslen Mishelle Saenz (aka Desi Derata) | USA | 2 | 0 | 0 | [22][23] |
| Ronda Rousey | USA | 12 | 2 | 0 | |
| Sexy Star | MEX | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Sumie Sakai | JPN | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| Marina Shafir |  Moldova | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Natsuki Taiyo | JPN | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Yoko Takahashi | JPN | 15 | 12 | 2 | |
| Lei'D Tapa | USA | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Paige VanZant | USA | 8 | 5 | 0 | |
| Megumi Yabushita | JPN | 19 | 23 | 0 | |
| Yoko Yamada | JPN | 6 | 1 | 0 |
