Football: SMU star goes from O-line to octagon

How's this for a coincidence? On Sept. 26, when Saint Mary's has its season opener, former left tackle Bryan Jordan is fighting on a local MMA card.

"Former Saint Mary’s Huskies all-star offensive lineman Bryan Jordan, nicknamed the Big Show, will meet Jason Harper of Barrie, Ont., in a clash of 300-pound competitors.

"The six-foot-eight Jordan, who played football at close to 350 pounds, was anxious for a new challenge after football. He’s dropped close to 50 pounds since beginning MMA training.

" 'I needed something to do physically,' said Jordan, who boxed and wrestled in high school in Ontario. 'I found myself not wanting to go to the gym and I decided to do this. I just fell in love with it. The footwork from football helps tremendously.' "
— Monty Mosher

Good for Jordan.

(Of course, if Bryan Jordan had moved back to Ontario, he would be less able to pursue MMA, since the province still has not sanctioned the sport. At this point, it's really less about distaste for the sport and protecting the boxing promoters who holds fights at Casino Rama, but it's going to change soon.)