5 UFC fighters you probably had no idea appeared in Movies
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Some performances by UFC fighters are known to almost everybody. Outside of the ring; GSP, Ronda Rousey, Rampage Jackson, and Cowboy Cerrone have made a name for themselves. We’ve seen them on the silver screen, where even little cameos from Kamaru Usman and Chael Sonnen are well known.
With UFC stars gaining mainstream attention and Conor McGregor’s “Roadhouse” close to being released, we hunted down some of the lesser-known cameos by UFC fighters that even the hardcore fans may have missed.
#5. Brian Ortega – The Tax Collector (2020)
T-City plays the role of gangster “Venom” in this movie starring Shia Lebouf. Though the former title challenger didn’t have much screen time in the movie, he did have a couple of dialogues. Those who did watch this movie found Ortega’s performance of a Mexican gangster authentic.
This was Ortega’s first performance on the big screen, he can also be seen in Mark Wahlberg’s Father Stu (2022). T-City plays an unnamed boxer in the film with no lines.
#4. Max Holloway – Den of Thieves (2018)
“Blessed” has also blessed the big screen with his presence. He played a bank robber named “Bas” in this bank heist movie with Gerard Butler and 50 Cent. Appearing for a small amount of time while driving a truck that gets hijacked, Max has only one spoken line in the film.
Den of Thieves remains the only film in which Max has acted in.
#3. Urijah Faber – Reach Me (2014)
One would imagine real-life fighters would be cast in action films only. But “The California Kid” displayed his versatility with his debut in this drama film, starring Sylvester Stallone. Though his character is unnamed in the movie, he does have a few lines as he motivates a group of people to believe in themselves.
Faber went on to take part in several movies after this one. Most notably Rampage (2018) starring Dwayne Johnson.
#2. Forrest Griffin – I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009)
The beloved former champion has always been entertaining. Whether it’s inside the cage, fighting outside the cage interviewing and breaking the fights down, or as the first breakout star of UFC’s reality TV Show. So, it’s no surprise that Griffin was called by Hollywood. Forrest plays an unnamed cop in this raunchy comedy and has no lines.
Griffin went on to do three more movies, all of them released in 2010. The most well-known amongst them is 13 (2010) starring Jason Statham and Micky Rourke.
#1. Tyron Woodley – Sultan (2016)
It’s extremely common for fighters to play fighters in the movies. Some even play as themselves. But what’s bizarre about this entry is that Sultan is a Bollywood film in Hindi language. T-Wood plays an MMA fighter named Tyron Woodley who gets defeated by the main character Salman Khan in the semi-final round. Since making his debut in Hindi movies, Woodley has been featured in many American films. The last one is an MMA film, Embattled (2020).
We hope to see many more former and present UFC athletes on the big screen in the coming years, branching out and landing bigger roles. Fingers crossed.
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