Bengals, Steelers legends to face off in MMA match prior to Super Bowl

When it comes to things we expected to see, this wasn't exactly on the bingo card, as the kids are saying these days.

Chad Johnson vs. James Harrison in the octagon?!?

According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Chad Johnson, it appears as though the Bengals legend will be fighting legendary Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison in an exhibition MMA match in New Orleans before the Super Bowl in 2025.

Johnson and Harrison were rivals on the football field, and now it looks like they'll be taking that rivalry to the octagon. However, there seems to be a bit of a dispute regarding how long the exhibition bout will last. Johnson said that the fight would consist of three rounds, but Harrison said that it would be a five-round fight.

Maybe the two sides will eventually meet in the middle and have a four-round fight.

Johnson actually has some previous fighting experience, as he fought in an exhibition boxing match against Brian Maxwell on the undercard for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul fight card in 2021. No winner was declared in the contest.

The trend of older athletes taking their skills to the boxing ring -- or octagon -- has become a popular trend in recent years, as guys like Johnson, Nate Robinson, Deron Williams and Frank Gore have all participated in fights in recent years.

Fights involving older athletes usually aren't super competitive, but they can still be extremely fun to watch, and that could very well be true for a bout between Johnson and Harrison. Sure, they're both getting close to 50 years old, but the competitive juices are obviously still flowing.

Plus, a fight between a Bengals legend and a Steelers legend will be another opportunity for fans of those franchises to talk some trash to each other. They'll always take those.