'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
To put it bluntly, MMA is one of the toughest sports in the world. Not only does any athlete looking to compete in it need to be highly skilled in multiple areas and possess a phenomenal cardio base, but they’ve also got to be incredibly tough and willing to take punishment from their opponent.
Over the years we’ve seen a number of well-known stars – mainly athletes from other sports – dabble in MMA, with varying degrees of success. The likes of Brock Lesnar (pro-wrestling) and Matt Mitrione (NFL) saw UFC success but others haven’t gotten close to reaching those kinds of heights – remember Jose Canseco’s ill-fated attempt to fight in DREAM?
Those three fought on the highest stage, but here are 5 stars that you might not have realised dabbled in MMA.
Trending
#1 Batista
One of the biggest stars to break through in the world of WWE since the ‘Attitude Era’ ended in around 2001, Batista rose to fame as part of Triple H’s Evolution group and eventually went on to success as a singles star, winning the WWE Title twice and the World Heavyweight Title four times. By 2010 though, Batista had tired of life as a pro-wrestler, and unconvinced by the direction of WWE, decided it was time for him to move on.
Batista – real name Dave Bautista – had been known to be training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie for some time during his WWE career, and so it was not a big surprise following his WWE release that he announced he’d be embarking on a career in MMA. He even claimed to be negotiating a contract with a pre-Zuffa buyout StrikeForce, but when that didn’t materialise most fans figured he was full of hot air.
It might come as a surprise to people who haven’t followed the career of Batista outside WWE carefully then, that he actually did compete in professional MMA for a single fight, facing journeyman Vince Lucero in October 2012 for the CES promotion on a pay-per-view event entitled ‘Real Pain’.
Batista won the fight in about four minutes following a takedown and a series of punches from the mount, but he didn’t look all that convincing and given he was already 43 at the time of the fight, it made sense that it was a bucket list deal for him to tick off rather than a new career, and he hasn’t returned to MMA since. Instead, he’s become a successful actor, starring in the Guardians of the Galaxy series as well as the James Bond movie Spectre.
#2 Aaron Chalmers
Reality TV is big business in the UK these days. Ever since the genre began back in 2000 with the first season of Big Brother, UK television has been simply flooded with similar types of show – and series like The Only Way Is Essex and Made in Chelsea have made stars of the people appearing on them.
One such star is Aaron Chalmers, who debuted on television in 2014 as a cast member on the 8th series of Geordie Shore – a British spin-off of the hit MTV series Jersey Shore. Chalmers had previously appeared on the show as the one-night stand of one of the more regular characters, and after his casting on the Shore, he also made an appearance on another reality show – Ex on the Beach.
The stars of these type of shows don’t tend to retain their fame for long but that could be different for Chalmers, who is currently competing in MMA and isn’t doing too badly for himself. Granted his opponents haven’t exactly been the most skilled or experienced as of yet, but the former kickboxer has still won all three of his fights, and all by stoppage, too.
Evidently, he’s done enough to impress some higher-ups, as he recently signed a deal with Bellator MMA to fight on their UK shows. A cynic would probably say Scott Coker’s promotion has signed him due to his reality fame rather than his skills, but who knows – in the future perhaps he’ll become better known for his MMA career than as a reality star.
#3 Ray Mercer
Most MMA fans have seen former boxing champion James Toney’s foray into MMA, as it came on the highest stage – the UFC – as he was quickly choked out by the legendary former UFC champion Randy Couture. Fewer fans have likely seen the lone professional MMA fight of another former Heavyweight boxing champion from the 90’s – ‘Merciless’ Ray Mercer.
Mercer won an Olympic gold medal at the 1988 games in Seoul and went on to become one of the more successful Heavyweights of the 90’s, fighting the likes of Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and in 1991 he won the WBO Heavyweight title by defeating Tommy Morrison. By the late 90’s though he was clearly past his prime and retirement seemed to beckon.
A boxing comeback in 2001 saw him earn a fight with Wladimir Klitschko, but he was defeated easily and looked every inch of his 40 years old. So it came as a surprise when he decided to move into the world of MMA in 2007, and lost an amateur bout to a pre-Elite XC Kimbo Slice. It was even more surprising when he was matched with former UFC champion Tim Sylvia in his first professional fight.
The fight was initially supposed to be fought under hybrid rules, but in the end, full MMA rules were used. Incredibly, it didn’t matter as Mercer scored a stunning 9-second knockout in the first round, countering a low kick with a crushing right hand that knocked Sylvia unconscious. This was Mercer’s only professional MMA fight but it remains one of the biggest upsets in the sport, and practically ended Sylvia’s career as a top-level MMA fighter.
#4 Jason David Frank
Mention the name Jason David Frank to anyone who grew up in the 1990’s and you might get a shrug and the question of “who?” Mention the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and the character of Tommy – the Green Ranger – and the reaction will probably be much more positive. Played by actor Jason David Frank, the Green Ranger was probably the most popular character on a show that was a huge hit with kids all around the world.
Since leaving Power Rangers in 1997, few people have probably thought about what Frank has done since, and so it might come as a surprise that in 2010 he dabbled in MMA and was actually somewhat successful – winning six fights, five as an amateur and one as a professional.
A lifelong practitioner of martial arts, Frank was trained in everything from judo and Muay Thai to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and taekwondo. He even created his own blend of American karate which he labelled Toso Kune Do. And in 2009, despite being 36 at the time, the actor announced that he was looking to move into MMA and began training with then-UFC contender Melvin Guillard.
Frank ended up taking six fights in the space of eight months, winning all of them by stoppage via both knockout and submission. A second pro fight was scheduled for 2011 but fell through, and despite some talk of him signing with the UFC to fight converted pro-wrestler CM Punk last year, he hasn’t fought since. Given he’s now 44, a return to MMA for the Green Ranger is probably unlikely.
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura
Plenty of pro-wrestlers have dabbled in MMA over the years – and vice versa of course – to varying degrees of success. Everyone knows about Brock Lesnar and CM Punk, who both fought in the UFC, and longtime fans would definitely remember UFC star Ken Shamrock’s run in WWE in the late 1990’s.
Far less well known though is the fact that current WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura competed in MMA in the early 2000’s and actually did pretty well for himself, putting together a record of 3-1 with one No Contest. At the time of his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002, MMA crossovers were far more common and he fought his first professional fight just months after making his NJPW debut.
That fight wasn’t successful as he was submitted by Daniel Gracie, but following this, he defeated PRIDE veteran Jan Njorte by guillotine choke, then went over to Brazil to fight in the inaugural Jungle Fight show, where he submitted the largely unknown Shane Eitner. His third win came over highly ranked K-1 kickboxer Alexey Ignashov, again via submission.
Rather than continue with his burgeoning MMA career though, Nakamura decided to stick to pro-wrestling and by the early 2010’s he was one of the biggest and most recognisable stars in NJPW and across the world. 2016 saw him sign with WWE and the rest is history – he won the 2018 Royal Rumble and will compete for the WWE Heavyweight title at Wrestlemania 34 – but unfortunately, his semi-successful run in MMA seems to have been consigned to history too.
