yeah hes been out of wrestling for 11 years, but hes a very dominant wrestler..the best wrestler the ufc would have…but still that doesnt mean he can fight mma..i kinda want to see though

I’m sorry, but I think this is so ridiculous!! I cannot see Kurt Angle as a UFC fighter. People will argue that he’s an olympic wrestler but may I remind you that was 21 freaking years ago! He has zero mma experience and he’s starting at age 39. Save your argument about how Randy Couture is 40 and still going strong. Randy didn’t START at age 40! This is by far the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Stick to wrestling Kurt, do yourself a favor and save the embarrassment.

Its a way for Dana to draw the crowd of fans from the slowly fadeing wrestling community. However Kurt has less then no chance. He will come be retired is all. Again simply marketing. Not a bad move though, really kinda smart.

yeah randy started at like 36 soooo?? same thing. Im not saying this is a smart idea,its kinda stupid, i just think it would be fun to watch..But if i had to choose olympic wrestlers to try mma i would say Cael Sanderson should give it a shot, and if i wanted to see pro wrestlers, i would like to see Greg “The Hammer” Valentine fight Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, or “The Crippler” Chris Benoit vs. “The Crippler” Chris Leben… Or a tag team match with Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker vs. Cro Cop and Arlovski……I think Cro Cop and Arlvoski can take them, they just have to watch out for the big leg drop or its over…haha im sorry dudes

This might have worked in the UFC of old…but this era of MMA is going to chew him up and spit him out…

I don’t want to see Kurt destroyed at UFC. I like him as a pro wrestler, he should stick to that.

Kurt could beat only one MMA guy…Heath “Texas Lazy Horse” Herring.

I agree with tommy

I always wanted to see Kung Lee from K-1 come into the UFC and try out his little scissors-kick take down, and then get body slammed and pounded-out.

Kurt – stay out of the UFC. They throw real punches.

Ok I am probably gonna take some flak for this but…

Pros…
Olympic wrestler (hey its not tai chi or TKD) (its relavant)
Image/Draw Factor ($$$ makes the world go round)
Transition from OW to PW (the same cant be said for Shamrock MMA to PW)
Connections ($$$ to get best training)
Intelligence (PW can follow set patterns, stick to a game plan)

Cons…
No MMA experience (Everyone starts with no MMA experience)
Injuries (Everyone has them to some degree, Kurts are more significant)
Age (it can be a factor only if you let it, it really only matters in non-athletes)

I am not saying that every Pro wrestler could make the transition, but its a fairly good start. Most PW were something else before they signed on with WWE or TNA.

Pro wrestlers practice moves constantly, a hell of a lot more than any MMA will. In reality most MMA fighters would practice more than this but 2 strikes with legs (High & Low), 3 Punches (Jab, Haymaker, Uppercut)2 takedowns, 2 throws and 2 attacks from clinch (Elbow & Knees), 4 Submissions (Armbars crossbody & Ude Garami & Naked Strangle & Gillotine) 2 escapes from guard. Around 20 Drills or senario trains and you should be able to stand in the ring and give it a serious go. Provided you were in top shape.

Now Wrestlers might “Fake” everything but they are still responsible for I would only imagine 100 moves and the timing/control has to be perfect or people could get hurt.
So that means Dedication…

Also “Fake” matches are/can be really long and these guys are in good shape, yes they get little breathers and yes they dont have the adrenaline pump to wear em out but its still alot of work, with the exception of a few guys. I think we can say they are in above average shape at the least.

I think if a PW wants to make it, he has a good base (not so much the actual wrestling, but the dedication and natural ability and physical strength/agility/conditioning).

It isnt like these guys have irrelavant training so much as not the exact training. Ty Domi, Mike Tyson, Kimbo Slice would have a much harder time trying to be a UFC fighter than Kurt.

Of course they wouldnt feed Kurt to the wolves right off the bat, they would likely give him an easy ride for the first 2 or 3 fights anyway.

With the success of Karo Parisyan taking hold I would like to know how some of the other Judo guys would do… Nicolas Gill, Keith Morgan, Jimmy Pedro. Just curious as Judo is even more relavant than wrestling to MMA (Chokes, Armbars, Throws, Takedowns, Ground control)

Anyway, Here comes the noise…

Robin,

I wouldn’t worry about flak. Your arguments are organized and well thought-out. I disagree on the judo however, using Pawel Nastula (1-3 with two submissions and a TKO) as an example. I think Karo is the exception, gifted not just in judo but as a complete fighter.

Pro wrestlers have an uphill battle. Former WWE talent Sylvester Terkay, also a gifted amateur wrestler from Pittsburgh, was able to manhandle the lower ranks, but crumbled under an experienced Gary Goodridge. Sean O’Haire, former WWE/WCW wrestler who is both muscular and extremely agile, fared even worse (KOed by Butterbean).

The wrestling will help Kurt Angle get his opponents to the ground (assuming he can overcome the sprawl). But will he know how to finish them once they are there?

This would be awesome for UFC. Imagine all the new fans that would sample there product if they brought in a “name” like Kurt. As for how Kurt would do, i wouldn’t count anyone who won a Gold Medal in the Olympics out!

when wwf practiced moves though….they practice not to hurt eachother, just to make it look good…Chuck Liddell practices moves punching bags as hard as he can, working the right muscles to do so..Most of all pro wreslters cant make the transition…Kurt Angle is one of the only that has authentic background skills for MMA..I really cant think of too many others, but ligitimate amiture wrestlers…not football players or body builders…And i think UFC needs to break away from the wwf mentality further and further, its hogwash, and its a knock on the sport, The integrity of the sport is questioned, and the hard work of true MMathletes is downgraded

like anything it takes dedication and how many MMA fighters make the grade… The road is hard and long.

I agree with the body builders and football players in PW being not reasonable.

Does anyone know why they cap the heavy wt division at 250lbs and not make a super hwt division.

its actually 265…thats pretty big..probably becuase guys bigger than tim syvia are even more boring to watch….butterbean, bob sapp have huge punching power, but not that exciting…they do super heavy in a lot of smaller shows, but i think its goo that they dont do that

To Erhardt:
Cung Le is undefeated in MMA at 3-0. He has kicked the shit out of everyone K-1Romanex/Strikeforce has put in front of him: Brian Warren, Mike Altman, and Jason von Flue. The Flue stoppage was a bit weak, but Flue wasnt gonna win that fight anyway. I’ve heard Joe Blowgums rip Cung Le, which is I guess where you get that opinion from. Time to eat crow, Joe.

You can Dailymotion the three fights. He’s a midget Crocop. You cant teach standup like that, and BJJ defense is easily learned. Just ask Chuck Liddell.

whats his home telephone number ill ask him, haha jk

MoreThanUFC: Thanks for the info.

LOOK WHAT I STARTED ABOUT KURT ANGLE.MMA DUDE CAEL SANDERSON THAT WOULD BE FUN TO SEE 4XNCAA CHAMP,159-0, AND A GOLD MEDAL IN THE OLYMPIC.WHAT A MACHINE

Giant Silva. End of super-heavyweight discussion.

Lots of pro wrestlers have done very well in MMA and Angle is considered cream of the crop and i believe the man has enough natural ability to knock off the lower ranks in UFc fairly easily. Also the 265 weight limit is crap. I want to see Eric pele and Antonio Silva fight Tim Sylvia or Crocrop

Eric pele is good for a super heavy weight, but when it comes to oxygen he doesnt have enough for the ufc heavyweights let alone those two you mentioned…and those “pro wrestlers” you mentioned were in mma first, then needed a little extra money so went to pro wrestling for a bit…not exactly what everyone else is talking about

Kurt Angle thinks he can accomplish anything. He will get pounded if he somehow makes his way to the ufc.

Kurt Angle is the best Pro-wrestler there is with excellent amateur background skills. He is lean and with a huge body muscle mass, he is in such good shape.

From his quotes he obviously isn’t being stupid about it and with someone like Randy behind him he stands a good chance.

I personally think he stands a good chance, and can’t wait to see it.

Yeah but can he strike. Or will he get knocked out like the rest of them?

im one of the biggest kurt angle fans so yes i am biast but i can back what i say up with fact.
injuries yes kurt has them and they will not make this easy but

i seem to remember kurt winning the gold medal with a broken neck, and you hear about fighters all the time going into fights with a fresh injury, so shut up about injuries.

i agree with the people who said you start with no mma experience and couture started practicing at 36 and not long after that he was heavyweight and light heavyweight and recently recrowned heavyweight champ. also look at matt hughes and (even though i don’t like him) Josh Koshcheck. they both came in with only wrestling but evolved quickly even though i stated in another segment koscheck isnt that good he is still capable of winning. and if anyone knows kurt angle he got into a backstage scuffle with the late eddie guerrero who was a legit tough guy and he handed him his ass.

as for age yes look at couture and liddell 2 of the best and 2 of the oldest. but if you know anything about pro wrestling that requires more conditioning than mma. angle has had matches last close to an hour and if anyone remembers from the old day when Lawrence Taylor wrestled Bam Bam Bigelow the pro football player had to be carried bc he was so tired from the 15 minute match, and also kurt comes in at 5’10" approximately 250 pounds of muscle and i bet could take any of the mma guys down, and probably kick their ass. plus he shows no signs of aging in any of his matches, and i think he’d be good for the sport bc i have met him in person and hes the nicest guy ever (and i even met Mick Foley). i see him as another couture which is good for mma.

kurt angle sucks he is a joke and should not even be talked about

i would like to see him get kicked in the head and leave

would be cool seeing Angle in the UFC – especially after hearing that meathead Brock Lesner wants to compete in MMA – match them up and we’ll see some cool fireworks!!

Personally I think you’re all wrong on what you say about Kurt….Angle could easily beat the shit out of Randy Couture or any UFC fighter!!! there is no one actually who can beat Kurt Angle…(Perhaps Fedor?)…WWE wrestler wrestle 5 times a week, while MMA fighter only 4,5, or 6 times a year….wrestler has definitely have far more intense training than MMA….

I say leave Pro wrestleing out of the ufc and all other mma really it would cheapen the whole sport WWE is horrible i think its sad they can even attach the word Sport to it should call it Stunt entertainment not sports entertainment.

Personally I think you’re all wrong on what you say about Kurt….Angle could easily beat the shit out of Randy Couture or any UFC fighter!!! there is no one actually who can beat Kurt Angle…(Perhaps Fedor?)…WWE wrestler wrestle 5 times a week, while MMA fighter only 4,5, or 6 times a year….wrestler has definitely have far more intense training than MMA….

ya but the wwe is fake and it dont take long to recover from a fake punch or kick.the wwe and all its “super stars” need to stay on the side lines and leave the real fighting to the pros at the ufc,pride,k1,ect…..

Just a quick update, mates. Ross be talking to the WWE. Watch out Hulk Hogan, the Gladiator is coming for you!

yeah randy started at like 36 soooo?? same thing. Im not saying this is a smart idea,its kinda stupid, i just think it would be fun to watch..But if i had to choose olympic wrestlers to try mma i would say Cael Sanderson should give it a shot, and if i wanted to see pro wrestlers, i would like to see Greg “The Hammer” Valentine fight Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, or “The Crippler” Chris Benoit vs. “The Crippler” Chris Leben… Or a tag team match with Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker vs. Cro Cop and Arlovski……I think Cro Cop and Arlvoski can take them, they just have to watch out for the big leg drop or its over…haha im sorry dudes

thats hillarious

Personally I think you’re all wrong on what you say about Kurt….Angle could easily beat the shit out of Randy Couture or any UFC fighter!!! there is no one actually who can beat Kurt Angle…(Perhaps Fedor?)…WWE wrestler wrestle 5 times a week, while MMA fighter only 4,5, or 6 times a year….wrestler has definitely have far more intense training than MMA….

T-R-O-L-L-I-N-G

Personally I think you’re all wrong on what you say about Kurt….Angle could easily beat the shit out of Randy Couture or any UFC fighter!!! there is no one actually who can beat Kurt Angle…(Perhaps Fedor?)…WWE wrestler wrestle 5 times a week, while MMA fighter only 4,5, or 6 times a year….wrestler has definitely have far more intense training than MMA….

staged events like pro wrestling are way different than real fighting..

Kurt Angle ? I saw on youtube him on a radio show where Chuck Liddell was on and he was talking crap about how he would mess up Chuck and that he could out wrestle Randy any day of the week , yeah he is a great wrestler, but better than Matt Hughes, Maybe, but I disagree Josh Koscheck is probably the best Wrestler in UFC and I think that would be interesting to see Kurt put up or shut up against either Hughes or Koscheck , my money is on either of them. Kurt you probably would be a joke in the MMA world , you are no Sakuraba , who in fact was a pro wrestler in Japan along with other greats from PRIDE.

angle is so beat up he would never pass a drugs test from a sanctioning body. His neck is messed up and he has problems not injuring the other wrestlers at tna. He got released from wwe because he could not comply with there wellness contract (which simply means he could stay of the pain killers) I have even seen someone quoting his wife saying that he has problems getti g out of bed in the morning his neck is so bad. All in all he has no chance what so ever of being in the ufc. But i look forward to seeing what Brock can do With his size he could be a force with some good training which he seems to be getting out in minnesota

Keith, your WRONG to think Angle would get easily beat in MMA.
       To everyone > Kurt Angle is NOT first a Pro-wrestler.
  He was a Pennsylvania State Champ, a 3 X NCAA national Champ, and an Olympic Champ.
         Kurt is a phenomonal athlete, blindingly quick, insanely powerful, – – —-

I do NOT know the MMA world, I do know the NCAA and Olympic wrestling world. If someone caught Angle with a kick to the head – - – I doubt even the gracie’s could catch Angle in a choke or arm bar.
        Kurt would very quickly reduce an MMA fight to the ground. It would then be up to Kurt to demonstrate if he had finishing skills to submit someone.
          Angle vs Matt Hughes ? Are you kidding ?
    Both were wrestlers, Hughes was 1/10 the wrestler that Angle is and slower, weaker, less intense, 80 lbs lighter.
           Who would win ? Youv’e got to be kidding.
      Vanderlie Silva or Cro cop might knock out Angle with stikes on the feet but on the ground, Kurt would be a natural and very fast learner & devastating finisher.
         Angles neck injuries ARE a huge negative.
         But NEVER under-estimate how mentally tough Angle is.
       He wrestled an Olympic trails match got thrown, BROKE his neck, was losing, and in huge pain, wrestled back to win the match and then set off the hospital with a broken neck.
         Very very FEW if ANY of your UFC hero’s have ever come close to training as intensely as Angle did in his collegiate and Olympic wrestling years.
   No ONE knows intensity as well as Kurt Angle. He might be too old, but he might turn out to be far better than most of you could even imagine.

Angle would get OWNED by sinosic nevermind any of the top fighters THE ICEMAN WOULD OWN HIM

Kurt may come after his match against Samoa Joe on TNA.

U’ll see all!!!!

Kurt Angle Destroying everyone in UFC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think he’s fitness is not a worryin factor at all. And every body does have injuries going into a fight. Yeah his neck is a greater risk but I think he could pull through it for 15mins. I’d say him V Tito would be a dream match. All Tito does is GNP, which (in my opnion) is all Kurt would try. May look boring for some but I think it’d look class

Brock Lesner won his debut but it wasn’t anything pretty.
Kurt Angle is a World Championship Freestyle wrestler. 90% OF MMA starts with a good wrestling base or knowledge of. Do you really think anybody can match his skills with wrestling and stop his shoot’s? Only problem is he needs to learn what to do once he get’s the guy to the ground, submissions and defense. I’ read a article in a MMA magazine he was training with professional boxing trainers and it showed him hitting the heavy bag.

You might be suprised. But more than likely it will be a sideshow attraction.

What ever happened to Rulan Gardner after he beat YOSHIDA?

Drug test all these pro wrestlers….. That’s all I got to say about that’.

If he was in MMA, he would without a doubt, be the greatest wrestler involved in MMA, hands down.

His absolutely insane wrestling credentials make Couture, Lindland, Kos and hughes all look like man babies.

i dont think that ufc approves of steroid use. after all, that is why he is not with wwe anymore. this dude is a freakin walking/talking steriod nightmare. he could keep going till he is 60 with the roids he is taking presently.

i dont watch any shows that promote steroid use. so if he does move to ufc then i wont watch. just like i dont watch him on tna/wwe. i sure hope dana white wont let him transfer without random drug tests.

Brock Lesner won his debut but it wasn’t anything pretty.
Kurt Angle is a World Championship Freestyle wrestler. 90% OF MMA starts with a good wrestling base or knowledge of. Do you really think anybody can match his skills with wrestling and stop his shoot’s? Only problem is he needs to learn what to do once he get’s the guy to the ground, submissions and defense. I’ read a article in a MMA magazine he was training with professional boxing trainers and it showed him hitting the heavy bag.

You might be suprised. But more than likely it will be a sideshow attraction.

What ever happened to Rulan Gardner after he beat YOSHIDA?

rulan won but got his ass kicked also and didnt want to fight anymore, to him it wasnt worth it. or something along those lines

perhaps kurt angle does belong in the ufc after all he really is a terrible actor, at least in the ufc there is no acting enough said..

i think with proper training and being a great kick ass kurt will do fine and by the way i money making fight will me kurt angle against chuck lidell and he could take chuck out why chuck isnt a good ground fighter and by the way just watch tapes of chuck against jackson and evans and kurt will take him out