Nov 11, 2022
Eddie Maisonet III
Few athletes are arsenic benignant and polite arsenic Georges St-Pierre.
St-Pierre, a UFC Hall of Famer and two-division champion astatine welterweight and middleweight, is regarded arsenic an icon successful MMA. Few were amazed with the quality that the bona fide bilingual superstar from Montreal was crossing implicit into the cinematic satellite to play Batroc the Leaper successful the 2014 movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," which led to the streaming miniseries "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."
For St-Pierre, it allowed him to beryllium thing extracurricular of himself.
"He's a villain," St-Pierre said to Men's Health successful 2020. "I effort to beryllium a relation exemplary successful mundane life, truthful erstwhile I play a villain, I tin unleash. It's a batch much fun."
GSP isn't the lone combatant who has taken their talents from the Octagon to the metallic screen, arsenic galore stars from MMA person recovered their mode into blockbuster films and iconic streaming franchises. While immoderate fundamentally played a mentation of themselves, others displayed a spot of scope and versatility, similar a pound-for-pound elite combatant would.
Let's look astatine the fighters who took the leap, starting with the erstwhile UFC middleweight champion that inspired this list.
Kamaru Usman
Usman visualized himself being a portion of the "Black Panther" franchise arsenic soon arsenic it deed the large surface successful 2018. But for Usman, the thought was a spot much literal.
"It's thing I benignant of spoke into existence," said Usman. "After the archetypal one, I'm like, I request to beryllium successful this! This got to happen. I don't attraction who I got to bushed up, they gotta marque this happen. Years aboriginal I get the telephone and I was ecstatic.
The archetypal Nigerian-born champion successful the past of the UFC got his privation with a relation successful the recently released "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Although the fighter-slash-actor lone has "just a mates of lines" to springiness successful his relation arsenic Naval Officer No. 1, the value of being connected the signifier with high-profile actors similar Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett and Daniel Kaluuya got to him connected set.
"As a combatant you don't recognize however hard this is. It's precise hard," helium continued. "I person newfound respect for these actors and actresses. This is simply a tough, pugnacious business."
Ronda Rousey
Few person consistently recovered the spotlight much than Rousey.
Rousey, the archetypal American pistillate to medal arsenic an Olympian successful judo, has been connected the large signifier for astir 15 years. Rousey yet recovered her mode to the UFC, warring for the inaugural women's bantamweight title, which she won. After a distinguished MMA career, she recovered her mode to WWE, wherever she's been the SmackDown women's champion doubly and the Raw women's titleholder once.
Athletically, she's ever made her mode to the mountaintop. And arsenic an actress, and successful galore ways, arsenic an enactment prima ... she tin bargain a scene.
The 2 moments that basal retired are her appearances successful "Entourage" and "Furious 7," arsenic some films premiered successful 2015 astatine the tallness of Rousey's reign arsenic UFC champion. "Rowdy" defended her rubric doubly that twelvemonth earlier being dethroned by Holly Holm successful November 2015 astatine UFC 193.
In "Entourage," Rousey's quality connected the large surface was a precursor of what she could yet beryllium arsenic a nonrecreational wrestler. She had presence, she could speech trash with the champion of them, and she acceptable close successful with the different actors successful the film.
Meanwhile, successful "Furious 7," she was simply a kick-ass machine. For 2 minutes, her quality engaged successful a brawl portion wearing a ceremonial gown and heels, and it's incredible. It's intolerable to look distant until she crashes into a DJ booth table, which is wholly mean for the "Fast and the Furious" franchise.
Bob Sapp
Sapp, 1 of the astir recognizable figures successful MMA past owed to his physique and personality, fought implicit 60 times professionally successful large kickboxing and MMA promotions successful the 2000s.
Because of his carnal stature and charisma, Sapp landed opportunities successful nonrecreational wrestling and arsenic an actor. After concisely processing with World Championship Wrestling successful the United States, Sapp made a people successful Asia with New Japan Pro Wrestling, carving retired a coagulated vocation successful the squared circle.
His quality to radiance arsenic a wrestler created opportunities for him to act. Sapp was yet formed successful large films similar "Elektra" and the 2011 "Conan the Barbarian." However, his comedic alleviation successful the remake of "The Longest Yard" stands retired the most. With comedians similar Adam Sandler and Chris Rock connected the surface passim the film, Sapp's show arsenic Switowski consistently generated large laughs, including picking up Rock and spinning him astir similar a kid with a teddy bear.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Jackson, 1 of the astir salient personalities successful the past of the UFC, ever seemed destined for bigger things beyond the Octagon.
The combatant known arsenic "Rampage" would yet instrumentality connected the iconic quality B.A. Baracus successful the remake of "The A-Team," a 2010 enactment movie based connected the 1980s tv bid of the aforesaid name. Jackson would prima adjacent to Hollywood stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Jessica Biel, and mostly held his ain successful the movie.
The Baracus quality was initially played by Mr. T successful the '80s, and Jackson astir had an accidental to enactment alongside him during the movie arsenic the producers offered the histrion who played Clubber Lang successful "Rocky III" a cameo successful the movie, but helium turned it down. This was a letdown for combat fans, arsenic we would've had the accidental to statement which prima could stone the mohawk best.
Randy Couture
Couture believes successful the powerfulness of three. "The Natural" had an iconic vocation successful MMA, arsenic he's the lone three-time champion successful 2 divisions successful the past of the UFC. However, his trilogy tally successful "The Expendables" arsenic Toll Road mightiness beryllium astir arsenic impressive.
Couture's show arsenic a demolitions adept successful the movie franchise has been similar his nickname, natural, partially owed to his clip spent successful the U.S. Army, wherever helium yet achieved the fertile of sergeant.
Many retrieve the iconic combat country from the archetypal movie betwixt Couture and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, arsenic it pitted the champion of the UFC against the champion of WWE. Unfortunately for Stone Cold, Austin's quality would suffer and dice disconnected from the franchise.
Now there's connection that "The Expendables 4" volition beryllium released successful 2023 and volition erstwhile again prima Couture alongside martial creator and actor, Tony Jaa, and rapper and actor, 50 Cent. Could we spot a combat country with "The Natural" facing disconnected against Tien oregon Fiddy adjacent year?
Chuck Liddell
Liddell is 1 of the trailblazers successful the athletics of MMA and was inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame successful the "Pioneers Wing." Liddell is 1 of the UFC's much iconic airy heavyweight champions and is viewed by galore arsenic helping MMA spell mainstream to a broader audience.
So it's nary astonishment that "The Iceman" would yet besides go 1 of the archetypal fighters to crook into a prima connected the large screen. Liddell landed roles successful TV bid similar "Blade" and "Entourage" and movies similar "How High," "Drillbit Taylor" and "Kick-Ass 2."
However, his country with Turtle and Johnny Drama successful "Entourage," wherever they reason implicit a parking spot, takes the cake. Liddell -- acting arsenic himself successful the country -- is tardy to claiming the spot successful the batch and begins confronting the show's main characters. Drama, oblivious to who Liddell is, rings retired with "what's a Chuck Liddell?" and "Chuckie" during the scene. Liddell's girl intervenes close earlier a butt-whipping is astir to commence, with Liddell looking acceptable to drawback Drama successful half, and it is high-quality entertainment.
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