While the athletes have gained fame inside the octagon, many have also managed to create a buzz outside the confines of the cage. Many fighters have been successfully roped in to star in countless Hollywood movies and have found great success in flexing their muscles and showing off their acting chops on the big screen.
Let’s take a look at these fighters and their little-known movie cameos:
#10 Anderson Silva
“The Spider” needs no introductions. Anderson Silva is often considered to be the greatest pound for pound fighter of all time. He has many records in the UFC and his exploits inside the Octagon have landed him countless movie roles.
Anderson’s first role on the big screen was in a movie called Never Surrender in which he plays a fighter called Spider. Sadly for the Middleweight great, the movie turned out to be a big dud at the box office. After the debacle, Anderson acted in several other movies which didn’t fare too well at the box office either.
#9 Kimbo Slice
Kimbo’s story is one of the best rags to riches tales in the history of MMA. He was born in the Bahamas but was raised in Miami and was the crowned king of street fights after his viral videos left the early Youtube fans stunned.
The virality landed him contracts under UFC and Bellator and Kimbo went on to make his onscreen debut in Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh as a character named Bludge.
Kimbo has acted in a total of six movies until his death on June 6, 2016. To this day, Kimbo is remembered for his stories, his charisma and the never say die attitude.
#8. Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz has been one of the most eccentric characters to step foot inside the Octagon. He was a former light heavyweight champion and has been part of many exciting fights throughout his storied career.
His bad boy persona landed him a cameo role in the much-hyped Jet Li, DMX movie Cradle 2 the Grave in which he plays a cage fighter, who gets his rear end whooped by Jet Li. He went on to has actin many movies with none of them having gained any popularity at the box office.
#7 Bas Rutten
Bas Rutten is an MMA legend who has won many major MMA tournaments along with being a former UFC heavyweight champion. Apart from being a very popular Tv personality, he has acted in a host of TV series as well as movies.
His most prominent cameo was in the 2012 Kevin James movie Here Comes the Boom. He acts as Kevin’s coach named Niko in the MMA centric movie. The movie was a hit at the box office raking in over 70 million USD.
#6 Chuck Liddell
It’s an indisputable fact that Chuck Liddell is among the baddest men on the planet. He is an MMA legend and a former UFC light heavyweight champion of the world.
The Iceman is known for his aggressive approach and has provided us with some of the best fights in MMA history. Fight fans were surprised when Lidell made a cameo appearance in 2013 hit movie Kick-Ass 2.
He played himself in the movie and acted as the combat coach for the main villain. Despite it being a short cameo, the scene was extremely funny and showed the fans that he has a lighter side too.
#5 George St. Pierre
George St. Pierre is one of the most recognized fighters in the UFC with a Championship record that makes him one of the greatest title holders in the company’s history.
He is a 3-time welterweight champion and has dominated the sport for a very long time. His popularity and the confidence he exhumed landed him a role in the 2014 Marvel Blockbuster Captain America: The Winter Soldier. From the 6 movies, he has acted in total, this high-profile cameo ranks as his best.
He plays a pirate Georges Batroc and has a stunning action sequence with Captain America himself. The fans also got to relive his famous superman punch in the fight sequence.
#4. Randy Couture
Couture is a UFC legend, Hall of Famer and a former UFC champion and has been in some epic battles inside the Octagon. He made his big screen debut along with Tito Ortiz in Jet Li’s movie Cradle 2 The Grave and was part of a short sequence.
But, his success in Hollywood came from 2010 blockbuster that consisted of an intimidating star cast. He has been on a roll after the first movie in the Expendables franchise, which has minted millions of dollars and is extremely successful. He got to clobber Stone Cold Steve Austin dammit!
#3 Quinton Jackson
Nobody can ever forget the infamous slam KO which knocked Arona out. His charisma, goofiness and brutal honesty made him quite a popular figure, leading to a host of Hollywood gigs.
His first stint was a role in the movie Confessions of a Pit Fighter which tanked badly at the box office. But, his breakout role was in the 2010 Blockbuster A-Team which starred Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper, which made around $177 million at the box office. He is currently working on a movie set to release in 2018.
#2 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is not just a fighter but a bonafide superstar who was the face of the UFC, dominating the entire division before her downfall began.
She once was one the most marketable athletes across all sports which helped in her landing many roles in big budget Hollywood movies. Fans all over the world were elated to see Rowdy on the Big Screen for the first time in Expendables 3.
She was her badass self with the movie managing to get in the moolah and money. Post the successful venture, she featured in another big budget movie franchise, Fast and Furious. She has also been a part of the movie Entourage and the TV series Blindspot.
Having now signed with the WWE, her Hollywood prospects look even brighter than before.
#1 Gina Carano
Gina Carano is one of the most beautiful women to ever step foot inside the octagon. She has a 7-1 MMA record and could have been one of the greats in women’s MMA.
However, she drew curtains on her fighting career to pursue acting as a full-time profession. Her first movie was Haywire which made around $33 million. However, it was her cameo in the Fast & Furious 6 movie that brought her under the spotlight.
But that was just the beginning as she gave her best performance till date in the 2016 Ryan Reynolds movie Deadpool. The movie grossed over $700 million worldwide with her role as Angel Dust being loved equally by both fans and critics.
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