Football Players are beginning to find out this MMA stuff kicks #$%

The latest trend for American football players is to train MMA in the off-season. 

ProFootballTalk tells us about the latest convert.

Glazer tells us that 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis is the latest NFL player to work with Glazer and Randy Couture in an effort to improve his football skills via the 21st century's answer to boxing and pro wrestling.

Willis started the program in early July.  And Glazer says that, though Willis entered and exited the program at the same 238 pounds, Willis has lost two belt notches in his midsection.

It makes sense that Randy Couture would be ahead of the curve on this one. Couture was on Spike's Joe's vs. Pros and became fast buds with Michael Irvin. It only stands to reason that Glazer and Irvin would send players his way. Also it helps his camp is in Vegas and we know how those professional athletes like to gamble. 

Patrick Willis is the latest in a long list of football players training MMA. Pretty boy Matt Leinart, actual barbarian Jared Allen, Aaron Smith and LaMarr Woodley just to name a few. 

Whether this is a fad or not, who knows, but I do know one thing for sure. Training MMA has to be a better approach than jumping around on treadmills like Reggie Bush does.