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From fighting for peanuts to making millions per fight; mixed martial artists have denounced claims of MMA being an exercise of human cockfighting. It's now viewed as the fastest growing sport in the world.
Becoming a fighter in itself is a ballsy decision, and succeeding as one is an honor reserved for elite athletes only. Some make it big by becoming icons of the sport while others diverge towards other outlets in order to make a living.
Show business has always been one of the most welcoming employment areas for MMA fighters. And we're not just talking about the ones that failed inside the cage of course, as many UFC legends have made a big splash in Hollywood. It's a no-brainer when you think from a casting director's perspective; MMA fighters make darn good action heroes!
This slider won't be taking an in-depth look at the stars who had a relatively well-known transition from the Octagon to the big screen, and, would rather be focussing on the little-known movie appearances that often go unnoticed. We have, however, listed down a few names and some of their notable movies too as honorable mentions for your convenience.
Honorable Mentions:
Georges St Pierre: Death Warrior, Kickboxer: Vengeance, Never Surrender, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Randy Couture: The Expendables series, Cradle 2 The Grave, 3 Geezers, Hijacked, The Scorpion King 2
Ronda Rousey: The Expendables 3, Fast and Furious 7, Mile 22, Entourage
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson: The A-Team, The Midnight Meat Train, Vigilante Diaries and more
Oleg Taktarov: Air Force One, Bad Boys II, National Treasure, Miami Vice, Den of Thieves, The Death and Life of Bobby Z
Forrest Griffin: 13, Unrivaled, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, Locked Down
Chuck Liddell: How High, Kick-Ass 2, War Pigs
Tito Ortiz: Zombie Strippers, Valley of the Wolves: Iraq, Vince Underground, The Dog Problem
Bas Rutten: Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The River Thief, Here Comes the Boom
Frank Mir: Force of Execution, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, Redemption, Gutshot Straight
Don Frye: Godzilla: Final Wars, Big Stan, Miami Vice, Public Enemies, 13
Michael Bisping: xXx: Return of Xander Cage, My Name is Lenny, Den of Thieves
Let's jump straight into the list then...
#5 Urijah Faber
The California Kid may have never won the big one in the UFC but he is deservedly considered a pioneer amongst the Bantamweights. Faber announced his retirement from MMA after his win against Brad Pickett in December 2016, signing off with a solid record of 34 wins and 10 losses.
The UFC Hall of Famer manages to keep himself busy at his Team Alpha Male gym but has apparently, also set his sights on an acting career.
Faber appeared in the Dwayne Johnson-starrer Rampage as a mercenary named Garrick who gets hired to take down a 30-foot gorilla. The blink-and-you-miss scene sees Faber deliver one dialogue before being gobbled up by the giant monster in the movie.
This wasn't his first excursion into movies, however, as Faber has previously appeared in the movie Reach Me. His next movie, Deep Bay of Bengal, is currently in the pre-production phase and will be releasing in October 2019.
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#4 Keith Jardine
The former UFC fighter is best remembered for his wins against Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell in the UFC. Apart from the two notable victories, Jardine has faced the likes of Luke Rockhold, Gegard Mousasi and Roger Gracie is losing efforts in Strikeforce.
The Dean of Mean hasn't fought since 2012 but has found ample work in various movies and TV shows since 2008. He has played small parts in movies such as Crack: High Voltage, Gamer, John Vick, Shot Caller, Unrivaled, Tactical Force, Once upon a time in Venice, Beer for my Horses, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Inherent Vice and most recently, in the Netflix psychological thriller Bird Box.
Many of you may have missed Jardine in an episode from the third season of Breaking Bad in which he was a criminal in a bar fight. The former UFC and Strikeforce fighter has four projects lined up for 2019 and seems to be prospering since retiring from MMA.
#3 Andrei Arlovski
The Pitbull's days as the explosive heavyweight contender have long gone as he has lost eight of his last ten fights, with the most recent setback coming against Walt Harris at UFC 232.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion has dabbled in acting too, which have largely been unremarked as they weren't major hits. His first movie was a low-budget heist flick called 8 of Diamonds that also starred Eric Roberts.
He was in the third and fourth installments of the Universal Soldier series. It should be noted that Arlovski played the role of the main antagonist in Universal Soldier: Regeneration alongside Jaune-Claude Van Damme in 2009.
He also played the part of a Russian Mobster in a short scene in The Equalizer 2 that had Denzel Washington. The 39-year-old Belarusian has also appeared in the TV show Limitless and MTV's Bully Beatdown.
We're sure Arlovski would be considering dedicating his time to acting on a full-time basis whenever he does hang up his gloves.
#2 Max Holloway
The Blessed one is currently reigning supreme as the UFC Featherweight Champion and as things stand, could even make the jump up to the 155 lbs division for a big money fight.
Holloway has not suffered a loss since being outclassed by Conor McGregor in a unanimous decision fight in 2013. He has since put together a 13-fight win streak and has beaten top contenders such as Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo and Brian Ortega en route to becoming the king of the 145 lbs division.
The incredibly talented fighter has finally been getting the credit he richly deserves and recently even landed his first movie role.
He had a very small part to play in the heist film Den of Thieves which had a star-studded cast that included Gerard Buttler, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson, and 50 Cent. Interestingly enough, Michael Bisping also acted in the movie that was considered to be one of the better Hollywood offerings of 2018.
Holloway plays a robber named Bas in the film. It may be a really small role but we hope it's the first of many (hopefully bigger) for the UFC Champion.
#1 Anderson Silva
Nobody even comes close to matching the dominance and class of a prime Anderson Silva. Beyond his mind-boggling fighting credentials inside the Octagon, The Spider's goofy yet likable personality was what made him a marketable star.
Just like many of his peers, Silva too has tried his luck at acting, He starred in the all-out MMA film No Surrender that also featured the likes of GSP, Quinton Jackson, BJ Penn, and Heath Herring. Silva went on to appear in movies such as Hell's Chain, Til Death Do Us Apart 2, Worms (voice), Monday Nights at Seven and Tapped Out.
He has also acted in two upcoming movies that are in pre-production -- The Invincible Dragon and Extreme Force Operations. However, the legendary Brazilian will be more worried about his UFC 234 fight against the high-flying Israel Adesanya.
Did we miss out on any cameos and appearances? Let us know in the comments section below...
