Tag: Royce White

MMA Fighter Royce White To Run For Congress Against Ilhan Omar

LFA fighter and former NCAA Basketball standout Royce White will run against Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the upcoming election. White, a former first-round NBA draft pick of the Houston Rockets, left Basketball in 2014 and transitioned into an MMA fighter. He made his professional debut at LFA 120, losing via unanimous decision to Daiqwon…

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LFA fighter and former NCAA Basketball standout Royce White will run against Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the upcoming election.

White, a former first-round NBA draft pick of the Houston Rockets, left Basketball in 2014 and transitioned into an MMA fighter. He made his professional debut at LFA 120, losing via unanimous decision to Daiqwon Buckley.

White didn’t make clear if he’s running under a specific political party or as an independent candidate. He’s reportedly spoken out in favor of former presidential advisor Steve Bannon and former U.S. President Donald J. Trump in a series of posts on his Substack page.

White has also been seen at various protests in Minnesota after the shooting deaths of Daunte Wright and George Floyd, a few police incidents that have captivated the nation in recent years.

This is White’s first attempt at achieving political office. He announced his candidacy on his social media.

“I’m a fifth-generation Minnesotan and a product of the Twin Cities,” White said. “But, first and foremost, I’m an American,” White says in a video he posted to Twitter Tuesday morning. “I’m running for Congress because our leaders have sold us out.” (h/t CBS Minnesota)

It is unclear if White’s MMA career was a one-off or if he intends on returning to fighting should he fall short in his candidacy.

Do you think Royce White can defeat Ilhan Omar in the upcoming election?

Continue Reading MMA Fighter Royce White To Run For Congress Against Ilhan Omar at MMA News.

Royce White Suffers Decision Defeat In His MMA Debut At LFA 120

Royce WhiteIt’s fair to say that Royce White’s professional MMA debut did not go as planned at LFA 120.  On the main card of LFA 120 on Friday evening, White made his professional debut against fellow debutant Daiqwon Buckley in a heavyweight bout. The event took place at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, […]

Royce White

It’s fair to say that Royce White’s professional MMA debut did not go as planned at LFA 120. 

On the main card of LFA 120 on Friday evening, White made his professional debut against fellow debutant Daiqwon Buckley in a heavyweight bout. The event took place at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota, and aired on UFC Fight Pass.

White was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2012. He was waived by the Sacramento Kings for the 2013-13 season, and subsequently announced his transition in 2015. 

How did the fight go for Royce White?

Buckley (1-0), a former college football player, is quite an impressive athlete himself, which made for a very intriguing matchup on Friday evening. The most glaring statistic was the height discrepancy, with the 6ft 8in White towering over the 5ft 11in Buckley in the LFA octagon. However, the most important factor would become the wrestling of the Sanford MMA trained Buckley, who used it to great effect. Buckley was able to target White’s legs several times successfully over the three rounds, ultimately earning scorecards of 30-27, and 29-28 x2. 

However, White showed some genuine promise for the future, displaying a crisp, sharp jab, as well as some decent kicks to Buckley as well. Regardless of how this fight went, there could well be a promising future in MMA in store for Royce White if he can put it all together. 

Former NBA Player Royce White To Make His MMA Debut At LFA 120

Royce WhiteFormer NBA player, Royce White is set to make his MMA debut at LFA 120, two years after announcing his intention to transition to the sport. According to information sourced by MMAJunkie, White will take on former Temple University football player and current MMA heavyweight Daiqwon Buckley. Buckley will be entering the bout with a […]

Royce White

Former NBA player, Royce White is set to make his MMA debut at LFA 120, two years after announcing his intention to transition to the sport.

According to information sourced by MMAJunkie, White will take on former Temple University football player and current MMA heavyweight Daiqwon Buckley. Buckley will be entering the bout with a 1-1 record and has not competed since April, 2017.

The bout will take place on the main card of LFA 120, which goes down this Friday at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minn., and streams on UFC Fight Pass. The main event of the evening will see Mayra Cantuaria and Jamey-Lyn Hurth Wessels compete for the LFA women’s flyweightt title. The event will be viewable on UFC Fight pass and hosted at the Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake Minnesota.

How Will Royce White Fair In MMA

The former No.16 pick in the 2012 NBA draft, said in a 2020 interview with Sports Illustrated that he had been training MMA since 2018 and became infatuated.

“Mixed martial arts, it’s not just business.” White said  “It’s entertaining but not entertainment. It’s the highest level of competition. And the purest.”

White’s professional basketball did not pan out as expected having only playing in one NBA season and appearing only three games. The Minnesotan only had six seasons of professional basketball, playing in the G-League and Europe. It would be safe to say he didn’t reach his potential in basketball for whatever reasons but now has the chance at a fresh start in MMA.

The 6’8 White is being coached by Brock Lesnar‘s former trainer Greg Nelson and has all the physical attributes to develop into an MMA prospect. Pairing natural freak athleticism with a seven foot-wing span would be handful for anyone. White is also a large 260lb frame and with the hard work and lessons instilled by playing high level basketball, White’s journey could be an interesting one.

What do you think? How will Royce White do in MMA?

Royce White And His Future In MMA: Will He Be As Successful In This New Sport?

Royce WhiteSince being blackballed from the NBA, Royce White had gone under the radar, until now. With the opportunity to reinvent himself, he is taking his beginning steps to begin his MMA career. In this article, we will be looking into Royce White and look at whether or not he will be successful in his next […]

Royce White

Since being blackballed from the NBA, Royce White had gone under the radar, until now. With the opportunity to reinvent himself, he is taking his beginning steps to begin his MMA career. In this article, we will be looking into Royce White and look at whether or not he will be successful in his next venture and how sports bettors can take advantage of that possibility.

Royce White And His Time In The NBA

Since being 16th pick in the 2012 NBA draft superstar Royce White has had a turbulent time in the sport. Since being diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder as a teen Royce White has had a rough time with a highly publicised fear of flying. This was a problem for the NBA that features a number of away games.

However, despite this highly publicised fear, many look up to White for his work within the NBA on the expansion of their mental health program. Though there are only little changes being made at this time, this is a positive impact that many praise him for. However, with obstacles for NBA officials on these new policies and no exemptions for his fear of flying the NBA has been tough on the player who has mostly taken part ion Canadian ball and D league games. Although, at the age of 28 and a huge skill set, this could be the sign of a promising career for the athlete.

The Move From The NBA To MMA

As a pro baller, he has been outspoken for his love of MMA but in a recent move, he has decided to try his hand at the sport. Though there are no matchups lined up at this time, the NBA star is currently training at a gym in Minnesota. Though this may seem like a huge change, the superstar is not the first to make the switch and certainly won’t be the last. Training under the guidance of Greg Nelson, there are many wondering just how well he will do in the world of MMA compared to his basketball career. However with many bookies seeing promise in the former NBA star, many are heading to MMA betting sites to cash in on a strong start to Whites MMA career.

This 6ft 8″ man-mountain may not look like your typical MMA fighter, however, he is surprisingly agile and with the right training regime could become one of the best newcomers to the sport. However, since being blackballed from the NBA many fans are wondering just how successful his MMA career will be.

Other Stars That Have Made The Switch

In addition to White making his MMA Debut there are a number of other sporting superstars that have either made their debut or have begun training. With wrestling pros Brock Lesner and CM Punk both entering the octagon as well as the rumours of Mayweather making his way into the octagon, this is a sport that is proving highly popular.

However, when it comes to boxing or basketball, it is all about quick movements, however, MMA is a highly defensive sport, this therefore means that training will be needed to correct posture and train these superstars to keep their legs and core protected from oncoming attack. However, the transition from pro wrestling to MMA is significantly easier as the skill set is broader. With this in mind, there are many wondering just how successful White will be in his quest to come out on top in the octagon.

Royce White’s Future In The MMA

As the superstar begins his training, it is looking promising. With many hours in the gym as well as one of the best trainers in the sport it looks as though he could be taking a step in the right direction. When asked by Sports Illustrated what his motivation was for joining the sport, the superstar had this to say:

“As a basketball player, I watched the deterioration of the competitive ethos, the erosion of the value of competition. The entertainment and the dollars subsumed competition on so many levels.”

This comes after many believe the need to sell tickets to home and away games overtakes the raw competitiveness that was once felt in the league.

With this in mind, fans of the superstar are ready and waiting to hear more about his major breakthrough into MMA, but will he have a controversial start the same as he did in the NBA? Only time will tell. Place your bets!

Ex-NBA Player Royce White Reveals He’s in Talks to Fight with UFC, Bellator

Royce White is continuing his efforts to transition to mixed martial arts. Speaking on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show Monday, the former NBA player said he is in contract talks with both UFC and Bellator, via Nolan King of FloCombat…

Royce White is continuing his efforts to transition to mixed martial arts. Speaking on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show Monday, the former NBA player said he is in contract talks with both UFC and Bellator, via Nolan King of FloCombat…

Ex-NBA Player Royce White Says He’s a ‘Supreme Athlete’; Contacted UFC for Fight

Former NBA player Royce White is looking to make an unprecedented move to mixed martial arts, and he’s confident he can pull it off. White, who played for the Sacramento Kings for three games in 2013-14, told Greg Rosenstein of ESPN…

Former NBA player Royce White is looking to make an unprecedented move to mixed martial arts, and he’s confident he can pull it off. White, who played for the Sacramento Kings for three games in 2013-14, told Greg Rosenstein of ESPN…