Shinsuke Nakamura reveals he once had a UFC contract offer on the table

Shinsuke Nakamura has had a lot of success throwing knees in WWE, but it’s interesting to hear he once had a contract offer from the UFC.

Shinsuke Nakamura has become an international sensation in the last few years in the world of professional wrestling, and his offense in WWE tends to remind people of a UFC fighter at times in the ring.

Now, although we already knew he had experience in the MMA world early in his career, Nakamura revealed in an interview that he actually almost took that same offense to the UFC back in 2005.

“Around 2005, UFC offered me a chance to fight for them,” Nakamura said to the Hindustan Times. “But, at that moment, I was under contract with [New Japan Pro Wrestling] and I decided to stay in pro wrestling. It was a good opportunity, but I don’t regret my choice.”

The former NJPW star and former NXT champion has obviously become a big name during his WWE career, so the decision has panned out well for Nakamura in the long run. Add in the health benefits to competing in professional wrestling compared to the UFC, and it all worked out for the WWE superstar.

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It would be interesting to see, however, how Nakamura would have done in a UFC fight back in 2005 during his MMA heyday, or even if he tried to commit to a fight nowadays. He’s obviously 12 years older now, but it would’ve been cool to see the King of Strong Style pull a Brock Lesnar-esque move and transition from professional wrestling to the MMA world.

And, who knows, if Nakamura has any interest in a UFC run, maybe Conor McGregor could pull off another huge crossover soon and battle Nakamura in the Octagon once he’s done celebrating after his big bout with Floyd Mayweather.