5 UFC fighters who have transitioned into Hollywood
UFC is widely considered the world's biggest and most successful MMA promotion. It offers world-class competition to some of the best fighters and rewards them with handsome salaries. While there are several other MMA promotions globally, none come close to being the global stage that UFC has proven to be.
Naturally, then, most UFC fighters are the center of global attention. From top brands and MMA promotions to Hollywood directors and producers, people eye UFC stars for one reason or another.
Some lucky UFC fighters have made it to Los Angeles, California, to get bigger pay-cheques for working half as much.
Here are five UFC fighters who have successfully crossed over into the glamour of Hollywood:
#5 - Chuck Liddell
Charles David Liddell, famously known as Chuck Liddell, is a retired mixed martial artist and a former UFC light heavyweight champion. While Liddell has fought in the UFC for most of his career, he has also made stints on other promotions like Pride.
Chuck Liddell became the UFC light heavyweight champion after defeating Randy Couture via KO at UFC 52 in 2005. He defended his title four times before losing it to Quinton Jackson two years later. Liddell became a star at the peak of his career and sold almost a million PPV tickets for his second fight against Tito Ortiz in 2006.
'The Iceman' retired from UFC in 2010 and appeared in an action-comedy blockbuster movie in 2013, Kick-Ass 2. Interestingly, he always had a connection in Hollywood since his childhood. In 1981, Chuck Liddell played the role of a 14-year-old boy scout in an erotic thriller, The Postman Always Rings Twice.
In 2003, he appeared in Cradle 2 The Grave and in The Life and Death of Bobby Z in 2007. Chuck Liddell has also featured in many TV shows, including Entourage, Dancing with the Stars, Punk'd, and The Simpsons.