This week marks the release of “The Expendables 3,” which features former multiple-time UFC Champion Randy Couture and current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey in starring roles. This will be Rousey’s first Hollywood foray, but it will not be her last. Other MMA stars have tried to take on Hollywood, and achieved limited success. These five fighters are currently the biggest movie stars in MMA:
1. Gina Carano (2 theatrical credits):
Haywire ($33.37 million)
Fast & Furious 6 ($788,68 million)
Although Carano’s sole starring vehicle was not a critical or commercial success, she was still able to yield a prominent supporting role in the most recent entry of the highly successful “Fast and the Furious” franchise. Although it is unlikely we’ll see her in subsequent entries, and currently does not have a movie in production, Carano’s MMA bona fides allow her to remain a prominent figure in action, and a name that frequently comes up in rumors.
2. Georges St. Pierre (4 theatrical credits):
Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($713.86 million)
Kickboxer remake (upcoming)
Semi-retired from active competition, St. Pierre’s turn as Batroc the Leaper in the most recent Captain America movie didn’t showcase much of his acting chops, but he was praised for his fight scenes. GSP now faces a stiffer test in stepping into the shoes of action movie legend Jean-Claude Van Damme in the remake of Kickboxer. We’ll see if movie audiences will be impressed by his performance.
3. Ronda Rousey
The Expendables 3 (Upcoming)
Fast & Furious 7 (Upcoming)
Entourage (Upcoming)
The Athena Project (in development)
With one blockbuster on the verge of release, and two more in development, Rousey is poised to break out as a bona fide MMA movie star. In addition to being generally accepted as attractive, she has already demonstrated the ability to “flip a switch” from fun-loving party gal to super-intense “all-business” badass, a quality that should help her in Hollywood. Much like she has already usurped Carano’s role as the “face” of Women’s MMA, she very well may take her spot as the go-to female MMA fighter for action roles, real and rumored.
4. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson (2 theatrical credits)
Midnight Meat Train ($3.53 million)
The A-Team ($177.24 million)
“Rampage” famously upset UFC President Dana White for prioritizing his “A-Team” responsibilities over his fighting career, and although at the time it seemed understandable — the A-Team seemed to be a “can’t miss” action franchise — it hasn’t led to any followup work. Jackson continues to steadily work on straight-to-video fare, but hasn’t broken out. It’s possible that he could shine in the right role, like actor/pro wrestler Dave Bautista was able to do with “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and in part, that’s a big reason why he signed with Viacom’s Bellator MMA, but right now, there doesn’t appear to be a big hit in his future.
5. Cung Le (4 theatrical credits)
Fighting ($32.48 million)
Pandorum ($20.65 million)
The Man with the Iron Fists ($19.72 million)
The Grandmaster ($64.08 million)
Cung Le definitely has a cult status (especially overseas) that far outweighs his stature in MMA, but he has yet to make a major impact here in the States, or appear in any major American film. At the age of 42, he nears the end of his real fighting career (though not before facing Michael Bisping in the UFC Fight Night 48 main event), but still has some time left in his movie fighting career, so he may yet break out. But at the moment, he has yet to make a serious impact on Hollywood audiences.
