5 cameo appearances from UFC fighters that you might've missed
The majority of the UFC’s stars would obviously describe themselves as fighters first and foremost, and their lives tend to gravitate around the sport of MMA. If they’re not competing in the Octagon they’re training for their next fight, and if they’re not in camp themselves, the likelihood is that they’ll be coaching or simply rehabbing injuries.
Sometimes though, the UFC’s biggest names step away from the sport to make appearances elsewhere. Everyone knows about the movie careers of the likes of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Randy Couture and Ronda Rousey, for instance, while Rousey, Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar are just three of the names to head into the world of pro-wrestling.
On the odd occasion though, it’s possible to see some UFC stars in pretty obscure places – be it music videos, movies or even popular TV shows. Here are 5 cameo appearances from UFC fighters that you may not have noticed before.
#1 Alistair Overeem – LMFAO’s Sexy And I Know It and Sorry For Party Rocking videos
While he’s seen largely as a veteran-slash-gatekeeper in the UFC’s Heavyweight division these days, a decade ago Alistair Overeem was one of the hottest fighters in the entire sport. 2011 was perhaps his biggest year; he was coming off a victory in the prestigious K-1 Grand Prix and was still holding the StrikeForce Heavyweight title, and of course, in the latter part of the year he signed with the UFC and debuted that December by beating Brock Lesnar.
It should come as no surprise then that it was during that period that ‘The Reem’ made a couple of cameo appearances in electronic dance-pop outfit LMFAO’s music videos. Sexy And I Know It, which was released in September 2011 and became a worldwide smash hit, was accompanied by a bizarre video showing various people – including singer RedFoo – lifting weights and dancing in Speedos. The video also features a random cameo from Overeem, who hardly seems impressed with RedFoo’s bicep curls.
The video for 2012’s Sorry For Party Rocking meanwhile features a wild house party being interrupted by an angry neighbour – and ends with another Overeem cameo. This time, the Dutchman appears as a party guest, who seems horrified when the neighbour’s wife – who has become involved in the party – decides to stroke his arm.
Overeem’s appearances are real blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments, but they still stand as an indication of his huge popularity in the early part of the last decade.