If Jake Gyllenhaal was a real UFC fighter: Weight class, potential opponents, KO chances, and other fun speculations

Jake Gyllenhaal is not a UFC fighter. In fact, he is the furthest thing from it; he is an actor and Hollywood star. However, for the 2024 'Road House' remake, Gyllenhaal plays the role of a fictional former UFC middleweight by the name of Elwood Dalton. But what if it wasn't an acting role?

What would Gyllenhaal even be like as a mixed martial artist? He has no background in any martial arts to speak of, nor does he appear to possess any noticeable athletic attributes. While he managed to get into fairly good shape for 'Road House,' his appearance is largely for aesthetics rather than functionality.

Regardless, there are other factors to take into account when it comes to a hypothetical MMA career for Gyllenhaal. So what kind of world would Gyllenhaal inhabit were he a UFC fighter?

---

Jake Gyllenhaal's potential division and potential foes

The closest approximation to what Jake Gyllenhaal would look like as a UFC fighter is likely his appearance at UFC 285, where he filmed a faux octagon fight for 'Road House.' According to the actor, he weighed in the avenue of 185 pounds at the time, so he would be a middleweight.

However, that is his walk-around weight, and at six feet tall, he would be undersized at 185 pounds, especially since he'd be fighting at his natural weight, having not undergone a cut. So it is more likely that he would compete at welterweight instead, cutting 14 to 15 pounds.

Check out Jake Gyllenhaal's staged UFC fight:

This is more sensible as he appears closer to Conor McGregor, his 'Road House' co-star, in terms of physical dimensions. With his weight class determined, what of the opposition would he face? A glimpse at the welterweight division reveals a whole host of disastrous matchups for any unproven 170-pounder.

But Gyllenhaal's age of 43 years old must be considered. He would have retired from active competition by now. Instead, his tenure as a UFC fighter would have taken place 10 years ago in 2014, when physical juggernauts like Kamaru Usman and tireless workhorses like Colby Covington were on the come-up.

His physical prime would have coincided with Johny Hendricks' championship reign. If Gyllenhaal was an elite fighter, he'd be facing the likes of Robbie Lawler, Rory MacDonald, Carlos Condit, Tyron Woodley, and Jake Ellenberger, all of whom populated the divisional top five.

However, below them, a less remarkable Gyllenhaal would be in competition with Hector Lombard, Matt Brown, Demian Maia, Tarec Saffiedine, and Dong Hyun Kim. Even lower still, the Hollywood actor would have encountered Jake Shields, Mike Pyle, Kelvin Gastelum, Gunnar Nelson, and Erick Silva in the top 15.

---

Would Jake Gyllenhaal have been a knockout artist? Who would he have trained with? Would he have been successful?

Whether Jake Gyllenhaal would have a high percentage of knockouts is almost impossible to determine in a purely hypothetical sense. There is no record of the actor's athletic performance in any meaningful setting, nor are his natural instincts in a true fight ever known.

Perhaps he would have been a career grappler instead. Being a native of Los Angeles, California, it is probable that he would have sought a gym closer to home than not, especially since he wouldn't have had the luxury of Hollywood fortune with which to travel around the world in pursuit of better training facilities.

And given the high-level grappling talent at welterweight back then, it would have been sensible for Gyllenhaal to select a California-based gym with a focus on grappling: 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. This would have put him under the guidance of the eccentric but skilled Eddie Bravo.

In terms of training partners, he would have more than likely trained with former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, as opposed to Conor McGregor. A dangerous submission game would have paid dividends, but also have a negative impact on his success rate inside the octagon.

If he fought with a grappling base, it would have been highly unlikely for him to have gotten past high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts like Gunnar Nelson. All it would do is give the actor the tools to frequently put himself in compromising positions by frequently seeking ground-fighting sequences.

Besides the Icelandic phenom, the likes of Jake Shields, Demian Maia, and Hector Lombard would have awaited him. He may have found himself out of his depth, especially against a legendary grappler of Maia's caliber or the kind of physical specimen an Olympic judoka like Lombard was.

They would have served as stiff roadblocks for Gyllenhaal on his path up the division. He would likely not have been a champion, but in a world where Michael Bisping captured UFC middleweight gold, anything is possible. Instead, a more realistic prediction for his place in the division would be that of a Neil Magny.

He wouldn't have been remarkable, but he would have been a frequent presence in the fringes of the top 15. Or worse, he might flounder in unranked territory, but no one will ever know for sure.