From the Octagon to the big screen: Five fighters who swapped MMA for Hollywood

2. Randy Couture

'The Expendables 3' Premiere - The 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival

Like many of the fighters in this list, Randy "The Natural" Couture started taking small film roles during the height of his career but only really started to get serious about acting as he approached the end of his time competing in the Octagon.

From his film debut as "Fighter #8" in the Jet Li and Aaliyah action classic, Cradle 2 The Grave (2003), Couture has gone on to stack up an impressive number of film credits.

"The Natural" got his big break playing Toll Road in the iconic blockbuster action movie The Expendables (2010) and has remained an important part of the franchise ever since, appearing alongside legends of the genre such as Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris, to name just a few.

In addition to his work on the three Expendables movies, Couture secured a recurring role in the modern adaptation of classic TV show Hawaii Five-O. With a number of other projects currently in pre and post production, the future appears bright for the former two weight UFC champion.