UFC Fighters Who Transitioned into Hollywood Stardom

MMA, especially UFC, has seen some of the most ferocious and physically challenging fighters across the globe. Unlike most fighters, some of them have turned their fame earned in combat sports into successful careers in Hollywood. These fighters have shown that they are not only great fighters but are also great personalities and the physical attributes needed in making movies. 

Here is a glance at the UFC fighters who have entered Hollywood and how they have influenced the film industry.

From UFC Champion to a Hollywood Actress: A Journey of Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey can be considered one of the most successful UFC fighters turned actresses in Hollywood. During her reign, Rousey was the first woman to be signed by the UFC and the first, and only the first at the time of writing this, women’s bantamweight champion. She was a star who took the MMA to the next level, especially for the women’s MMA division. 

Rousey’s charm and appeal were also felt by Hollywood, and she started acting while still competing. Her big roles include action blockbuster movies like Furious 7 (2015), where she portrayed a strong female bodyguard who had a fight scene with Michelle Rodriguez, and The Expendables 3 (2014), where she was among the cast that included Sylvestor Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jason Statham. 

After UFC, Rousey’s acting career in Hollywood also progressed, and she acted in movies like Mile 22, released in 2018, in which she was co-starring with Mark Wahlberg, and she also featured in a TV show Entourage. She was undoubtedly a sports lover, and this gave her the overall strength that made her blend well into the action roles. She also ventured into the world of wrestling, where she also transformed into a WWE champion, which made her more of an entertainment personality.

Georges St Pierre: The Captain America Villain

Georges St-Pierre, commonly referred to as GSP, is among the most decorated UFC fighters of all time; he was the welterweight champion for most of his career. A well-disciplined fighter with a great fight IQ, GSP transcended the cage and even found himself in the MCU. 

St-Pierre’s breakout Hollywood role came when he portrayed the villainous Georges Batroc, a mercenary and expert martial artist, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). The role was perfect for GSP, as his real-life combat abilities were very useful in the movie, especially in the fight scenes against Captain America, portrayed by Chris Evans. His work on Batroc was so good that he was again cast for the same character in the Disney+ series, Falcon & Winter Soldier (2021). 

GSP has not been as active in Hollywood as other fighters have been, but his role in one of the largest movie franchises in history makes him a successful fighter turned actor. He also has the charm and athletic prowess, which is quite beneficial when it comes to action movies.

Randy Couture: From UFC Legend to Movie Star: The Expendables

Randy Couture, a former two-time UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, is one of the pioneers of the sport. Couture was a wrestler who had a tough fighting style, and thus, he was a fan favorite in the UFC, and he was awarded a place in the UFC Hall of Fame. 

In fact, Couture’s Hollywood trip started before he was finished with his UFC career. He appeared in his first movie in Cradle 2: The Grave (2003) but rose to fame when he was featured as Toll Road in the Expendables series that began in 2010. In The Expendables, Couture acted along with the action stars like Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren, and his character was a demolitions expert with quite personality but a fiery spirit inside him. 

Couture has kept on acting in other action movies such as The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008) and Hijacked (2012). This has been very much attributed to his background as a fighter and his tough exterior that makes him an ideal candidate for macho movies and action films.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: From Knockouts to the “A-Team”

Rampage Jackson is one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, the fighter who has a great number of spectacular knockouts and a unique character. His MMA career involved a period in the UFC as a light heavyweight champion and a bitter feud with Wanderlei Silva. However, it

was not only Rampage’s skills on the cage that made him a perfect candidate for the Hollywood movie; his humorous and sometimes childish behavior was perfect for the big screen. 

Jackson’s Hollywood big break came in the form of a role that made him a star, playing B.A. Baracus in the 2010’s The A-Team. As for taking the role previously performed by Mr. T, Jackson was not so different from the original, yet he added his own flavor to the character while staying true to the concept of Baracus being a tough guy. While the movie received rather polarizing feedback, Jackson’s acting was highly credited, and he was able to stand up to such co-stars as Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper. 

Following the movie The A-Team, Jackson went on to do more acting, but his primary interest was in MMA and professional wrestling. But he will always be remembered for his part as B.A. Baracus, one of the most colorful fighters in Hollywood stories, proving that he is just as dominant on the silver screen as he was in the Octagon. 

Gina Carano: An MMA Fighter Turned Actress in ‘The Mandalorian’

Gina Carano was one of the first women to be popular in the MMA arena, fighting in the Strikeforce and EliteXC before the women’s MMA got a slot in the UFC. Carano’s beautiful face, muscles, and talent as a Muay Thai fighter made her one of the most sellable fighters of her time, and soon she was offered a chance to act in Hollywood. 

Her first major Hollywood film was Haywire (2011), an action-thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh. In this film, she portrayed Mallory Kane, a black ops operative who is out for vengeance, and Carano’s performance in terms of action and screen presence was remarkable. This was followed by appearances in big motion pictures such as Fast & Furious 6 (2013), where she portrayed one of the villain’s henchmen, and Deadpool (2016), where she played the role of Angel Dust, a mutant with superhuman strength. 

But Carano’s biggest Hollywood break was when she signed up for the Disney+ Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. She portrayed Cara Dune, a former Rebel shock trooper who was one of the most loved characters by the fans. The show The Mandalorian made her a Hollywood star where she was performing her job, but her stay in the series was terminated due to some of the controversies she posted on social media that made Lucasfilm cut her off from any subsequent projects.

Michael Bisping: The Journey from UFC Champion to TV & Film

The career of Michael Bisping in the UFC can be mentioned as one of the most inspiring in this sport. The uncouth Brit started from an ordinary background to be crowned the UFC middleweight champion, most notably by knockout of Luke Rockhold after being rated as a perennial underdog. Bisping was a loquacious man who was well loved by fans, and his transformation into an actor was not a surprise. 

Bisping has taken on a variety of roles in film and television, with one of his most notable appearances being in the 2018 action film XXX: Return of Xander Cage, where he depicted the role of Hawk, a tough and sharp special operative. He has also featured in movies such as Den of Thieves (2018) and Triple Threat (2019), which are action movies that utilize his fighting skills. 

Apart from fighting, Bisping has also taken up the role of a commentator and analyst for UFC broadcasts, thus increasing his engagements in the entertainment industry. His natural talent of being funny, whether in the Octagon, on the set, or behind the microphone, has made him one of the most successful UFC fighters to venture into acting. 

Bas Rutten, UFC Champion to Comedy and Action Star

The former UFC heavyweight champion and a pioneer of the MMA has had perhaps one of the most diverse post-fight careers in the history of MMA. Rutten, who has a very large personality and a great sense of humor, has been able to make the transition from a comedian to an action hero in Hollywood. 

Rutten’s one of the best performances was in Here Comes the Boom, where he portrays Niko, a former MMA fighter who became a teacher and a trainer of a high school teacher who is portrayed by Kevin James. It was a good opportunity for Rutten to perform comedy while at the same time keeping in mind his background as a martial artist. 

In addition to his comedic roles, Rutten has appeared in numerous action films and television shows, including Paul Blart. Two of them are Mall Cop (2009) and The Kingdom (2007). Rutten’s acting in the Hollywood industry as a fighter and a comedian has made him a rare example of how one can act in different styles of movies, thus showing that MMA fighters can do any acting job.

Conclusion

It is not always a smooth journey from the Octagon to Hollywood; however, these UFC fighters have well demonstrated that they are not limited to fighting. Regardless of whether they are headlining big-budget movies, doing action roles, or even venturing into comedy, these fighters are a testament that they have much to offer in the entertainment business due to their athleticism, charm, and screen presence. 

From Ronda Rousey, who is now a women’s MMA world champion, to Georges St-Pierre, who stars in Marvel Universe, these UFC fighters are leading the way for future MMA stars to make the transition to Hollywood. As the MMA’s popularity continues to rise, it will not be a surprise to see more fighters transitioning to acting careers and adding their own flavor of toughness and charm to films.