49ers Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich Trains in MMA, Knows He Can't Hang With the Big Guys

When former NFL player Johnnie Morton tried his hand at mixed martial arts, he found out the hard way that MMA isn't a sport that a novice should jump into:

Morton's former 49ers teammate Jeff Ulbrich is also interested in MMA, but while Morton apparently misjudged how difficult it would be to fight professionally, Ulbrich is under no illusions that the sport is easy.

Ulbrich, a linebacker who has played all 10 games for the 49ers this season, says he's been training in MMA for several years and plans to start training even more seriously in the sport. But he doesn't have any interest in stepping into the cage with experienced professional fighters.

From MMA Weekly:

"This offseason I'm going to get more involved in the sport, but unless I could be very successful at it, I wouldn't step in there," Ulbrich said. "I'm not one of those guys that thinks that just because I played in the NFL that I can go in and dominate any sport. I understand that MMA takes years to be successful at. I would definitely considering doing a small show or something like that after a couple years of training, but I won't make any predictions that I could hang with the big guys."

A handful of other pro football players, including Michael Westbrook, Jerrod Bunch, Rex Richards, and most recently Jermaine Wiggins, have tried MMA. Says Ulbrich, "As far as the mental preparation for it, there is a ton of similarities. I think it's a great way to develop mental toughness."

49ers Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich Trains in MMA, Knows He Can't Hang With the Big Guys originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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