Kurt Angle discloses major reason why he turned down UFC to sign with WWE
Kurt Angle has shared that he received an offer from UFC in his early career, but he decided to sign with WWE instead.
The MMA organization wanted to bring him in after his success in the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling. However, Angle chose to go the professional wrestling route and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots. He has won multiple world titles, headlined numerous events, and shared the ring with many legends since stepping into the squared circle.
Speaking in a recent interview with ESPN, Kurt Angle reflected on turning down an offer from the UFC. He said that although he was interested in fighting inside the cage, he didn't want to do it for the amount they were offering.
"I love fighting, but I don’t love it that much to get my butt kicked for 15 grand [per fight]. So, I decided to go to WWE and when I got there, I had so much success early on. And then UFC started becoming mainstream in the early 2000s, and this is when I was having a stellar career in WWE, winning world championships, beating The Rock for the world championship, beating ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin] for the world championship. And I thought, ‘Man, I would love to fight, but I already had this great career going on right now,'" said Angle.
Kurt Angle recounts turning down UFC again after he joined IMPACT Wrestling
The Olympic Gold Medalist's longtime rival Brock Lesnar made the jump to UFC after his WWE run and is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Kurt Angle also wanted to compete in the MMA organization after he went to IMPACT Wrestling, but he didn't because he wouldn't have been able to fight and wrestle at the same time.
"Dana White would not let me wrestle and fight at the same time. And I didn’t want to go back to TNA and say, ‘Listen, that contract I just signed is null and void.’ I started training for it a little bit and I realized, ‘I’m past my prime, I can’t do this.’ So, I had to turn it down. But I’m very grateful for the offers Dana White gave me. He is an incredible person," said Angle.
After a very successful career in professional wrestling, Kurt Angle hung up his boots after losing to Baron Corbin at WWE WrestleMania 35.
What's your favorite Kurt Angle moment in WWE? Sound off in the comments below!