Most Educated UFC / MMA Fighters
MMA fighters are not synonymous with high education. In fact, most non-fight fans see MMA fighters as cavemen, only looking for the chance to crush someone’s skull both inside and outside the cage. But, as we are about to see below, the reality is much, much different.
They may look fearsome with tribal tattoos on their bodies, huge muscles, and bald head. But the quote “never judge the book by its cover” doesn’t get any truer when it comes to MMA fighters. Most of them are the nicest people you can meet, very smart, and yes, have a background in high education.
So, we have decided to dig deep and find out who are/were the most educated MMA fighters in the history of the sport.
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10. Tor Troeng
Tor is a retired Swedish MMA fighter and one of the most educated guys the sport has ever seen. He made his presence known at “The Ultimate Fighter” show where he ended up being seventh overall.
Tor kicked off his UFC career with a great finish. But the losses in the next three UFC fights forced him to retire from MMA.
It’s fair to say that Tor has had a much greater career as an academic. He studied at the University of Umea where he received a master’s degree in Engineering Physics. As a math genius, he works a project assistant in mathematics and statistics at the same University he studied at.
Tor also has a fight promoter role in Sweden. He is running the Swedish MMA organization called “Battle of Botnia.”
9. Takeya Mizugaki
In his prime, Takeya was a big Japanese prospect who went on to have a solid MMA career. A little known fact is that he actually fought in MMA while attending the classes at the University.
After receiving a B.A. degree, he also went on to earn an M.A. in Electrical Engineering at Kanto Gakuin University. Yet, Takeya has never worked as an engineer a day in his life. Instead, he went on to follow his passion and fight in MMA.
Takeya has had a decent MMA career and was one of the best Japanese fighters to ever compete in the UFC. At one point, he was on a five-fight winning streak inside the UFC cage and a title contender.
He shared the cage with some of the UFC greats like Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. And he also competed for the other promotions like WEC, Shooto, and Cage Force.
8. Dominick Reyes
Balancing between the two careers is never easy. But Reyes is a true example of how it can all be done with a great work ethic and a lot of effort. He is the former title challenger (lost to Jon Jones) and one of the biggest stars in the UFC.
Reyes is also a well-educated guy. He studied at Stony Brook University where he earned a B.A. in Information Systems. After graduation, he wanted to follow a football career and get into the NFL. But, after failing to turn into the big league, Reyes started training MMA and he quickly rose to the top.
Despite being a famous UFC fighter, Reyes also has a full-time job. He has been working as an IT support technician at Oak Hills High School in California since 2017.
7. Joe Lauzon
Many fight fans see Joe Lauzon as one of the most exciting MMA fighters of all time. He holds a record for most finishes in UFC 155lbs division history (13) and seven “Fight of the Night” bonuses. He is a true veteran of the UFC octagon and one of the all-time fan favorite fighters.
Joe always had a passion for computers and science. While working his way up in MMA, Joe also studied at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. After receiving a B.A. degree in computer science, Joe got the job as a network administrator in 2007.
Joe didn’t stay long at the job as he decided to fully focus on following a career in MMA. This proved the right move as he became one of the very best fighters in MMA history.
6. Chael Sonnen
“Uncle Chael” is the former UFC star and perhaps the biggest trash talker in the history of the sport. Listening to him insulting his rivals, one can easily make a wrong feeling of who Chael actually is. He is in fact, a well-educated and one of the smartest MMA fighters.
Before shifting to MMA, Chael studied at the University of Oregon. He went on to graduate and earn a B.A. in Sociology in 2001. But, he didn’t want to engage in this kind of career.
Instead, he joined MMA as a decorated wrestler. With the mixture of great fighting and trash-talking skills, Chael quickly reached the pinnacle of MMA. He failed to crown himself with the UFC gold on three occasions. But this didn’t stop him from receiving a legendary status.
5. Terry Martin
Terry Martin was a force to be reckoned with during the 2000s. He fought in three separate UFC weight classes and went on to have a decent MMA career. In spite of being a scary fighter, Martin is in fact one of the most educated ones.
After he nearly had got killed in a shootout at the age of 15, Martin decided to turn his life around and take a different road. He went on to get a bachelor's in Psychology and receive a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Also, he is working his way to getting a Ph.D. as well.
Martin truly has a very moving life story. He uses his MMA fame to influence other kids to stay at school and spread the word about the importance of education.
4. Rich Franklin
Franklin is the former two-time UFC champion and for sure the most famous name on this list. Many can recall that Franklin joined MMA quite late at 25 years of age. But this is because he wanted to finish his academic stuff first.
Franklin studied at the University of Cincinnati where he earned a B.A. in mathematics. He then went on to receive an M.A. in education and teach math at Oak Hills High School.
Franklin decided to make a full devotion to the MMA sport shortly after he won the UFC title in 2005. And he went on to have one of the best MMA careers ever.
Franklin is the former two-time UFC middleweight champ and the Hall of Famer since 2019.
3. Jeff Monson
With an amazing 88 MMA fights on his record, Jeff Monson is a true veteran of the game. In his prime, Jeff was one of the best BJJ fighters of all time. Yet, his life could have been much different if it wasn’t for MMA.
While competing in MMA, he also studied at the University of Illinois. He received a B.A. degree in Psychology and went on to earn an M.A. as well. Few people know he actually worked as a mental health specialist for an amazing five years!
But soon after, he would leave the mental health career to follow his martial arts dreams. He became the multiple IBJJF, ADCC, and FILA grappling champion. And he fought in all the best MMA promotions like UFC and Pride FC.
2. Shane Carwin
Looking at his size, muscles, and tattoos, Shane is not the best example of a man with an academic background. I mean, he looks like a bouncer at the front doors who throws teenagers out of the clubs for a living.
But in reality, Shane is a very smart and educated guy. Believe it or not, he owns two B.A. degrees. He earned the first one in mechanical engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. And he got the second B.A. degree in environmental technology at a Western State College.
All through his entire MMA career, Shane had a job as a construction manager at the “North Weld County Water District.”
Due to his insane work ethic, he was able to find a balance between the two careers. The most memorable moment came when he won the UFC interim title by knocking out Frank Mir at UFC 116.
1. Rosi Sexton
It seems like Rosi was born to do and succeed in everything. I mean, every single thing she touches turns into gold. She started her martial arts journey at the very young age training jujutsu and Taekwondo.
After earning a black belt in Taekwondo, Ju-Jitsu, and BJJ, she turned her focus to MMA. Rosi fought for various promotions including the UFC and she compiled a record of 13–5. In her last MMA fight, she went toe-to-toe with one of the greatest female fighters ever, Joana Jedrzejczyk.
But the most amazing fact about her is how educated she is. Rosi got her first degree in maths in 1998 from Trinity College, Cambridge. She then moved to Manchester where she received a Master of Science degree in math logic in 2000.
Of course, she didn’t stop there as she also went on to complete a Ph.D. in Theoretical computer science.
Rosi is also a musician, writer and is trained in sports therapists and osteopaths. I mean, she is by far the brainiest and most educated MMA fighter of all time.
