The professional wrestling and mixed martial arts industries often interconnected with one another.
Following her departure from Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ronda Rousey famously made her professional wrestling debut in 2018, racking up multiple title wins in the years after. Conversely, Brock Lesnar started his wrestling career in WWE, touted “the next big thing” in 2002. “The Beast” would go on to claim the WWE Championship and various ventures in NJPW, before taking a five-year hiatus from professional wrestling to pursue his MMA aspirations.
Another former WWE Superstar recently made his professional MMA debut on Saturday, December 17. After previous experience in amateur mixed martials and bare-knuckle boxing, Jack Claffey — better known as “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher — squared up for Full Contact Contender. Airing on UFC Fight Pass, the event entitled “FCC 32” featured Claffey taking on Marlon Jones in a bantamweight bout.
Marlon quickly gained the victory via TKO, defeating Claffey in 1 minute, 7 seconds in round one.
Claffey Reacts To His Loss
Following his loss, Claffey expressed disappointment with his performance via Instagram.
“Here’s my favorite photo from last night,” he shared. “Very disappointed in myself and my performance. Happy the night ended with a win for @blackiechan_soda, who’s worked exceptionally hard for it. (Pictured here doing his best Steve Austin impression.) Thank you to everyone that’s reached out. Messages of support are always welcomed and appreciated. One win and one loss in 2022; life is all about balance. Bring on 2023! But first, coffee, cake, and @clara_sinclare.”
Claffey served in WWE from 2016 until his eventual release in 2020 after a sexual assault allegation. Most notably, he competed in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, before moving over to WWE’s 205 Live show.