Football players training in MMA is nothing new. NFLers including Aldon Smith, Jared Allen and Arthur Jones train with some of the sport's best fighters in the off-season.

Former players have gotten into MMA, as well. Herschel Walker had a storied career on the football field before he started with Strikeforce. Matt Mitrione played for several NFL teams before becoming a heavyweight in the UFC.

But a current pro football player in a fight? That's different. Chad Owens, who won the Canadian Football League's Most Outstanding Player last season and whose team won the Grey Cup, is debuting in a fight in Hawaii on Apr. 6. He will fight Junyva Tevaga at Destiny: Na Koa III, in the bout that is both men's MMA debut.

According to Owens, he's looking for a new challenge.

"I wanted to get into something new. A new challenge. Something to keep me hungry. I always wanted to get into it sometime and this off season I thought would be the perfect time," Owens said to Hawaii News Now.

According to the Toronto Star, Owens is not in danger of breaching his contract with the fight. Still, do you think it's a risk worth taking? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Thanks to the 55-Yard Line.

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