8 medal winners who went from the Olympics to the Octagon

For some fighters, winning a UFC title will simply be the cherry on an already extraordinary combat sports career.

With the emergence of MMA into the mainstream over the past two decades, elite Olympic grapplers suddenly found themselves with a new realm to conquer, a sport where their inherent gifts made them natural fits for the rigors of cage fighting.

In celebration of the 2016 Rio Olympics, here are eight athletes who made the jump from the podium to the Octagon.

Ronda Rousey

You may have heard of her.

Ronda Rousey famously became the first American woman to win a medal in judo when she captured the bronze at the 2008 games in Beijing.

As impressive as that achievement was, few could have predicted that she would go on to be a women's bantamweight champion in both the Strikeforce and UFC promotions, becoming the sport's biggest crossover star.

Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo is unquestionably the most successful mixed martial artist who also happens to have a gold medal in his trophy case.

In 2008, the then 21-year-old American went on a miraculous run through the 57-kg freestyle wrestling division as he thrice came back from early deficits to make it to the finals against Japan's Tomohiro Matsunaga. Cejudo asserted himself early in that one to become an Olympic champion.

Five years later, Cejudo would embark on an MMA career that started with 10 straight wins before he lost in a flyweight title fight against Demetrious Johnson.

Sara McMann

Watch Sara McMann muscle fighters down to the mat, and it will come as no surprise that she comes from a world-class wrestling background.

McMann topped Rousey's achievement, winning the first silver medal in the history of USA women's wrestling at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. She made the move to MMA in 2011, going 7-0 before being stopped by Rousey in a women's bantamweight title fight.

Even though her career has recently seen mixed results, McMann can hang her hat on one more precedent setting fact: she is the first mother to compete for a UFC championship.

Yoel Romero

The first non-American on our list, Yoel Romero is a wrestling legend and not just for his Olympic accomplishments.

The hulking Cuban has defeated the best-of-the-best on the mats including Cael Sanderson, a man widely considered to be one of the greatest American wrestlers of all time. Romero competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics at 85-kg, winning the silver medal for his freestyle wrestling exploits in Athens.

A late start has not hindered Romero as he's put together a 12-1 MMA career, including a 7-0 record in the UFC. Currently ranked No. 4 in the middleweight division, Romero has a strong chance of joining Rousey as the only fighters to claim Olympic and UFC hardware.

Matt Lindland

American Matt Lindland was a silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Athens Olympics and like Romero he was a middleweight contender during his 12-fight stint with the UFC.

"The Law" earned a title shot at UFC 37 in May 2002, but he was submitted by Murilo Bustamante.

Kevin Jackson, Townsend Saunders, Mark Schultz

Rounding out our list are a trio of American freestyle wrestling standouts who had a cup of coffee in the UFC.

Kevin Jackson took gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics before joining the UFC in 1997. He won a four-man tournament at UFC 14, then fell short in a bid for Frank Shamrock's light heavyweight title at UFC Japan.

Townsend Saunders' UFC career was less impressive. His silver medal from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics did little to help him in a brief UFC career that saw him go 0-2 against Mikey Burnett and future welterweight champion Pat Miletich.

Last but not least is Mark Schultz, a decorated amateur wrestler who also won silver in Atlanta (68-kg division). While he had his hand raised in his lone MMA bout at UFC 9, he's far more well known for the illustrious international wrestling career of himself and his deceased brother Dave, which was recently depicted in the critically acclaimed drama "Foxcatcher."

All photos courtesy Action Images.