Kurt Angle considering MMA fight, calls out Kimbo Slice
Former WWE and TNA heavyweight champion Kurt Angle has always been intrigued with the idea of a potential fight. He has admitted that, in the past, he’s received offers from multiple MMA organizations, and that he has strongly considered having at least one fight.
Angle’s Impact Wrestling run is coming to an end, as he is in the midst of wrapping up what he’s calling his “TNA retirement tour,” and next month, he’ll be at cageside for the Bellator 149 show, which will feature Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie, and a fight involving a man that Angle may want to end up fighting – Kimbo Slice.
Bellator is going to have Kurt Angle be a guest commentator for the second time, and the first time he strongly teased that he would fight Ken Shamrock at some point in the future.
In a recent interview, Angle talked about possibly having one fight, and he said that if he does, he’ll fight someone in his age group like Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, or Dan Severn. He also said that he’d be willing to fight Kimbo Slice, who is younger than him, but not by much.
“ Of course, I'm not going to fight a guy in their prime. It's obviously gonna be one of the older guys. But if it does come to fruition, it'll be a helluva fight, whether its Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn ... or even Royce Gracie.”
“If I do decide [to fight], it'll be with a Hall of Famer ... it won't be someone in their prime in their early 30s, no way, not now.”
It’s very likely that Angle will end up confronting either Kimbo Slice or the winner of the Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock fight next month.
Bellator MMA is trying to get themselves on the map by having big name fights, which doesn’t always mean that the fighters involved will currently be top-level guys. But, their strategy has worked thus far, and it’ll be interesting to see if it continues to work.
Of course, if Angle were to fight, he’d command a lot of attention as he has been an international star in the professional wrestling world for nearly two decades. Plus, if he ends up fighting Kimbo, that’ll likely draw a big number, as they’re both huge names in the world of combat sports.