Ex-NFLer-turned-MMA athlete thinks Packers QB Aaron Rodgers could make it as a UFC fighter

• A former NFL player Austen Lane transitioned into MMA and now has a UFC contract.
• Lane, formerly of the Jaguars, beat an opponent in the first round and impressed Dana White.

LAS VEGAS — A former NFL player transitioned into MMA and, after a successful UFC audition on Tuesday, said he thought Aaron Rodgers could probably do the same, too.

Austen Lane, a former defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, played four seasons in the NFL before making his MMA debut in 2017.

After picking up his 11th win from 14 fights while competing on the regional scene, the Contender Series recruited him and matched him against fellow heavyweight Richard Jacobi for a five-fight card Tuesday at the Apex in Las Vegas.

After a fast start that saw Lane strike Jacobi low, the referee called for a pause to the action. When it resumed, Lane was there once again as he sought to put on a show.

The American fighter finished Jacobi in the first round, waited around to hear if he got a UFC contract from Dana White, and then celebrated raucously when he got the good news.

He then addressed reporters in a huddle, where one asked him if one of three notable NFL players in the game today could make the same transition he has done and compete in the UFC.

Asked to pick from quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Patrick Mahomes, Lane selected Rodgers because he's "on that ayahuasca kick right now."

Rodgers is famed for referencing the psychoactive drink as a reason for his game's improvement, to the extent that he's won back-to-back MVP awards.

For Lane, that appears to be reason enough to see success in the fight game, too.

Ayahuasca could be the key to success, according to new UFC fighter Austen Lane

"When you do that ayahuasca stuff, it can kind of free your mind a little bit, open your mind to different things. You talk about jiu-jitsu and flowing," the 34-year-old said.

"I'm a Wisconsin dude through and through," Lane said. "Go ahead and give me Aaron Rodgers.

"Go ahead and give me ayahuasca trips. Go ahead and give me the opening his mind and everything like that, and let's see what he can do in the cage."

Lane was one of five MMA fighters at Tuesday's fight card at the Contender Series who received full-time UFC deals after impressing Dana White.

It is currently unclear when his debut in the UFC will be.