After just announcing his retirement from MMA back in August, former ranked UFC middleweight Uriah Hall is now making his professional boxing debut against former NFL star Le’Veon Bell. This match is slated for the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva card on October 29th of this year. The 17-11 (MMA) Hall went 10-9 under the UFC banner, bagging big name victories over guys like Thiago Santos, Gegard Mousasi, and Anderson Silva. Uriah gained popularity in 2012 when he finished an opponent with a wicked spinning hook kick on an episode of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 17. Hall will now be shelving his kicks, knees, and elbows to continue with the trend of retired MMA fighters dabbling in the sweet science.
Ex-NFL star Le’Veon Bell was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013 as the 48th overall pick. After playing for eight seasons for five teams, Bell has been focused on pursuing a career in prize fighting. In his first step down that path, Le’Veon produced a big fifth-round KO of fellow former NFL pro-bowler, Adrian Peterson, at Social Gloves 2 last month. Now it’s time for an actual sanctioned boxing match against someone who is also new to pure boxing, but has polished striking overall.