Speculation will always abound with people thinking about what could have happened if this person fought that person. This article is all that since most of these actors are past their prime.
Just to clarify, people who were already in MMA before going into acting don’t count, so that excludes Bruce Lee, Randy Couture, Gina Carano and others known solely for their fighting. First up will be our honorable mention list:
~ Honorable Mentions ~
Gerard Butler-His training for movies like 300 and Olympus Has Fallen meant he’s a good learner and indicates unrealized potential for MMA.
Channing Tatum-Roles in Haywire and Fighting have shown him to go toe to toe with professional fighters such as Cung Le and Gina Carano.
Laurence “Mr. T” Tureaud-Granted we saw him was as Clubber Lang in Rocky 3 but it’s still a guess that he could have done more in MMA.
Dolph Ludgren-Several roles point to this including his role as Ivan Drago in Rocky 4, appearing in Universal Soldier, and several other films.
Ice Cube-This is a long shot but his role in XXX: State of the Union lends credence to the idea he could have gone into the sport in his prime.
Vin Diesel-The list for this actor is long including the Chronicles of Riddick trilogy, The Fast and the Furious series, and xXx just to name a few.
Arnold Schwarzenegger-Yes he was primarily a body builder but he actually used some MMA in The Last Stand indicating potential in MMA.
Bruce Willis-He showcased a little in RED and Live Free or Die Hard with several other roles indicating a potential for the sport had he done it.
Michelle Rodriguez-She’s been typecast as the bad ass girl, but it’s also what places her on this list because of the variety and skills involved.
~ Now for the actual list ~
~ 10 ~
Kevin James
He maybe rather rotund but like Tank Abbott, there’s more to him then meets the eye. Kevin James was actually an active athlete in high school which included making the football and wrestling teams (one of his wrestling teammates was future pro wrestler Nick Foley). He has also been a longtime friend of former UFC and Pancrease Champion Bas Rutten and trains with him regularly at Rutten’s gym. This actually happened long before both men stared in the moving comedy Here Comes the Boom. There is actually footage of James and Randy Couture training at the UFC Training Center before it was updated to its’ current state.
~ 9 ~
Jason Statham
The only British actor of this list, Jason Statham trained specifically for movie roles but still has skills for the sport. Statham studied the fighting disciplines of Wing Chun, Kung Fu, Karate, and Kickboxing. All of these disciplines came in handy for roles such as The Transporter series and the Expendable series. Those are only a few of the action roles he took that showcased his skills. We will continue to see in Expendables 3.
~ 8 ~
Sylvester Stallone
This man is probably one of the biggest names in the action film genre. Sylvester Stallone’s first major action role was that of his role as Rocky Balboa in the original Rocky. The training helped him in the next five Rocky movies and for the upcoming Grudge Match movie. However, he recently displayed actual MMA skills in the Expendables 2 in his fight with JCVD. Also upcoming for the actor is Expendables 3.
~ 7 ~
Angelina Jolie
In real life this woman simply is not another pretty face. Angelina Jolie actually has training in the heavily underutilized discipline of Krav Maga. This training has helped in many of her action roles including the Tomb Raider movies, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted, and Salt just to name a few.
It’s also something that would be a good thing to teach to her kids if she were smart about it. Somethings do run in families.
~ 6 ~
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris is the only man on this list to study individual martial arts before becoming an actor, then after he’d been an actor for years develop a martial art. Chuck Norris first learned martial arts in Korea while he was serving in the Air Force. Overtime he earned black belts in Tang Soo Do and Taekwando (he was the first documented Westerner in history to do so). These came in handy in many of his acting roles including his famous on screen fight in Way of the Dragon against Bruce Lee. He’s since developed Chun Kuk Do and created the WCL.
~ 5 ~
Steven Segal
Steven Segal’s first martial arts experience was in that of karate he learned from a man he worked with in a restaurant called The Wagon Wheel. He then traveled with his father to Japan through the military where he became a black belt in Aikido. He also became the first foreigner to operate a dojo in Japan. Afterwards he moved to California where he got into acting. He actually helped Team Blackhouse members Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva perfect the Crane Kick in their respective matches against opponents Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort.
~ 4 ~
Jean-Claude Van Damme
This is the only man on this list who has a professional kickboxing record. Jean-Claude Van Damme started Shotokan Karate at age 10 and then at age 16 took up ballet, which is where his amazing flexibility comes from. He then went onto have a successful kickboxing career going 18-1. It was only after that did he go into acting. Even now he still showcases his kickboxing in his various movie roles like Expendables 2.
~ 3 ~
Michelle Yeoh
Even though she’s been most identified with Chinese roles, Michelle Yeoh actually hales from Malaysia. It’s also interesting to note that Yeoh doesn’t come from a martial arts background. In fact she comes from a dance background, having learned her whole childhood. However, that didn’t keep her from excelling while studying and choreographing for various martial arts films. Also her roles are endless to recount.
~ 2 ~
Jet Li
There was no way this man wasn’t going to make it this high on the list. Jet Li first made a name for himself as Chinese National Champion in Wushu. He then retired at age 19 and pursued an acting career in China before finding success in America. One of his earlier successes included the highly underrated film The One in which he plays good and evil versions of his character. See him soon in Expendables 3.
~ 1 ~
Jackie Chan
This man can’t be mentioned without action films also being mentioned. Jackie Chan essentially spent most of his childhood training in the Chinese Opera where he met longtime friends and fellow action stars Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. During his early acting career, Chan worked as a stuntman in a few different Bruce Lee films.
He first started his main roles basically being groomed as another Bruce Lee, but eventually broke out into the comedic action film roles he is now known for today. Knowing how to utilize his environment could have give Anthony Pettis a run for his money if the two ever fought each other because both are known for their unorthodox utilizing of their surrounding environments.
Are there any other action stars that you think may have done well in MMA? Leave a comment to let us known.