Eryk Anders names 3 former Alabama teammates he thinks could succeed in MMA
Former Alabama LB Eryk Anders is one of the hottest young fighters in the UFC right now, having just improved his career MMA record to 10-0 on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 123.
He appeared on a recent episode of Flocombat.com’s Top Turtle MMA podcast, where he discussed what other former Alabama players he thinks could make a transition to MMA.
Anders named three of his former teammates — Mark Barron, Dont’a Hightower and Julio Jones, discussing why he believes they could be successful:
“That’s tough question, especially considering the caliber of athletes that I played with,” Anders said. “I think all those guys could make a transition seamlessly into many other sports.
“I think Mark Barron would be an extremely good MMA fighter. Dont’a Hightower, especially in the heavyweight division, I feel like that division as thin as it is, he’ll probably have the most success just because of the division itself. Julio Jones would make a fantastic fighter. All those guys, they’re built for explosiveness, short-area movements. They have work ethic.”
Those are three very interesting choices, as all three are freakish athletes who could indeed probably pick up a new sport like MMA easier than most.
For now, though, Anders is the top ex-Crimson Tide fighter, and will look to keep his impressive run going whenever he steps in the octagon again.