Jamal Murray seems to be one of us. The 2023 NBA Champion has an affinity for the UFC, so much so that he prioritized it over his press conference. Following his game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday Night, the point guard sat down with the media for a press conference to answer their questions. However, the UFC diverted his attention as he watched the UFC 299 event on his mobile phone while answering questions.
Murray is an avid UFC fan and is good friends with the likes of Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya. ‘Spinnin Backfist’ uploaded his recent antics at the NBA presser on X. Jamal Murray’s dedication to watching the fight night had fans impressed.
Jamal Murray. ONE OF US. ONE OF US. didn’t want to miss a single minute of the fights pic.twitter.com/roCjiwYnWv
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 10, 2024
Here’s what the fans had to say about his press conference.
“Him and volk are big homies he actually fw the sport”
him and volk are big homies he actually fw the sport
— sco! (@69uniforms) March 10, 2024
One user called Jamal Murray a “regular dude”.
“That’s awesome he just a regular dude”
That’s awesome he just a regular dude
— thaven (@thavenNFT) March 11, 2024
Another user said Dana White should get Jamal Murray some UFC gear.
“He’s truly a die hard UFC fan. Dana get this man some Venum gear”
He’s truly a die hard UFC fan. Dana get this man some Venum gear
— tonio (@ANTONIOEESPARZA) March 10, 2024
One user had an interesting observation about Jamal Murray.
“It’s funny to think he was in da middle of a nba game thinking I can’t wait to catch these ufc fights”
It’s funny to think he was in da middle of a nba game thinking I can’t wait to catch these ufc fights
— George Stewart (@Geor_G_Porgie) March 11, 2024
One user urged Dana White to get him to UFC events.
“What a legend. In the off-season Dana gotta get him to some fights”
What a legend. In the off-season Dana gotta get him to some fights
— Macaroni (@MacaroniEvan) March 10, 2024
For the uninitiated, not only is Jamal Murray a big fan of the UFC, he once stated that if not for his NBA career, he would be in the UFC as a fighter.
Jamal Murray believes he would be in the UFC if he was not in the NBA
Jamal Murray had once grappled with the former UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski in 2023. Volkanovski tried his best to submit the NBA star under 60 seconds, but Murray held his own.
After watching his impressive grappling skills, a reporter for SiriusXM NBA Radio asked the Point Guard if he would be transitioning to the UFC. Here’s what he had to say,
“Yeah I mean that’s just a skill that you know, if I wasn’t playing basketball I’d probably be in. So, it’s my other love I guess for martial arts and now it’s back to work in my actual job.”
“If I wasn’t playing basketball I’d probably be in [MMA]”.
Defending champ Jamal Murray talks about one of his skills off the court.
Hear more from Nuggets camp: https://t.co/XWDtRPHnwv@nuggets | @NBA | @SiriusXMSports pic.twitter.com/SRaaV3MRds
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 22, 2023
Jamal Murray believes he would be fighting in the UFC if it was not for his NBA career. However, playing in the NBA, the Canadian has made a name for himself in the league as one of the best point guards. He will now look to lead the Denver Nuggets to another championship alongside his teammate Nikola Jokić.
