Sports are one of the most lucrative branches of the massive global entertainment industry. Just as the movies and TV series shot today have product placements, sports teams and athletes come with sponsors and endorsements, from sportswear brands to companies like the Betway online sports betting business that supports a variety of teams and clubs around the world. It is not unusual for athletes to transition to another popular branch of the entertainment business (it rarely happens the other way around but there are a few examples – like when Idris Elba trained for a year to become professional kickboxer and beat a true pro in a real match). Football players, bodybuilders, wrestlers, and boxers have made the transition in the past – and quite a few fighters who have made a name for themselves in the Octagon.
Randy Couture
Three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, two-time UFC Light heavyweight Champion, an interim UFC Light heavyweight Champion, and the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament winner Randy Couture made his debut in the UFC in 1997 and fought his way to the top several times. He started his movie career in 2003, with small parts at first, then proceeded to give out a few kicks and hits on the silver screen in several movies. His breakthrough came with “The Expendables” franchise, where he played the role of Toll Road alongside legendary action heroes like Sylvester Stallone and Jet Li. He is currently involved with five movies in various stages of production.
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre’s movie career was short but memorable. While he hasn’t played in many movies, he earned a role in one of the biggest hits of all of the above: that of the mercenary Georges Batroc in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. After being defeated by Captain America (he put up a good fight), he took a role in the ill-fated “Kickboxer: Vengeance” along with Dave Bautista and Gina Caro, he also took a small role in a B-movie starring Steven Seagal in 2017. This was the end of his movie career (so far) – he returned to the Octagon in 2017 and defeated Michael Bisping, becoming the fourth fighter in the history of the UFC to be a multi-division champion.
Gina Carano
Gina Carano got her first starring role in Steven Soderbergh’s action thriller “Haywire” in 2011 that was a limited success but she got to play with big names like Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas. Before that, her roles were minor – lending her name to a video game character and her skills as a fighter to on-screen tough ladies. Her first role in a truly high-profile movie was that of Angel Dust in the 2016 superhero flick Deadpool. And another big role is on the way for her: she will play former Alliance shock trooper Cara Dune in Disney’s upcoming “The Mandalorian” series. Although she hasn’t fought in the Octagon since her loss to “Cyborg” Cristiane Justino, she definitely kicks some behinds on the screen instead.
