5 UFC fighters you probably had no idea appeared in Movies
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Almost everyone knows about the big performances from UFC fighters. But outside the cage, stars like Georges St-Pierre, Ronda Rousey, Rampage Jackson, and Cowboy Cerrone carved out names for themselves. We’ve watched them on the silver screen, and even small cameos from Kamaru Usman and Chael Sonnen left a mark.
With UFC fighters gaining more mainstream attention—and Conor McGregor’s Road House remake just around the corner—we tracked down some of the lesser-known cameos that even hardcore fans might have missed.
#5. Brian Ortega – The Tax Collector (2020)
T-City plays the role of gangster “Venom” in The Tax Collector starring Shia Lebouf. Though the former title challenger didn’t have much screen time in the movie, he did have a couple of dialogues. Those who did watch this movie found Ortega’s performance of a Mexican gangster authentic.
This was Ortega’s first performance on the big screen. He is also in Mark Wahlberg’s Father Stu (2022). T-City plays an unnamed boxer in the film with no lines.
#4. Max Holloway – Den of Thieves (2018)
“Blessed” has also blessed the big screen with his presence. He played a bank robber named “Bas” in this bank heist movie with Gerard Butler and 50 Cent. Max appears briefly while driving a truck that gets hijacked and delivers only one spoken line in the film.
Den of Thieves remains the only film in which Max has acted in.
#3. Urijah Faber – Reach Me (2014)
One would imagine real-life fighters would be cast in action films only. But “The California Kid” displayed his versatility with his debut in this drama film, starring Sylvester Stallone. Though his character is unnamed in Reach Me, he does have a few lines as he motivates a group of people to believe in themselves.
Faber went on to take part in several movies after this one. Most notably Rampage (2018) starring Dwayne Johnson.
#2. Forrest Griffin – I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009)
The beloved former champion has always been entertaining—whether it’s inside the cage, interviewing fighters and breaking down matchups, or as the first breakout star of the UFC’s reality TV show. Naturally, Hollywood came calling for Griffin. Forrest plays an unnamed cop in the raunchy comedy I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and has no lines.
Griffin went on to do three more movies, all of them released in 2010. The most well-known amongst them is 13 (2010) starring Jason Statham and Micky Rourke.
#1. Tyron Woodley – Sultan (2016)
It’s extremely common for fighters to play fighters in the movies. Some even play as themselves. But what’s bizarre about this entry is that Sultan is a Bollywood film in Hindi language. T-Wood plays an MMA fighter named Tyron Woodley, a character named after himself, who loses to the main character, Salman Khan, in the semi-final round. After debuting in Hindi movies, Woodley went on to appear in several American films. The most recent was an MMA film called Embattled (2020).
As the line between MMA and Hollywood continues to blur, we’re excited to see even more former and current UFC athletes light up the big screen. With their charisma and competitive spirit, bigger roles are only a matter of time—and we can’t wait to watch it happen.
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