At one point in his prime, Wesley Snipes was one of the biggest actors on the face of the planet. The man had a string of hit films, and while he had some on-set incidents and even an alleged altercation with Mike Tyson, Snipes still forged an impressive run on the big screen years back.
Years ago, whispers of Snipes stepping into the UFC were being passed around, but nothing ever came to fruition with the rumored bout. Fortunately, details have emerged all these years later, and the story behind it all is one that is almost hard to believe.
So, how close did Wesley Snipes come to fighting in the UFC? Let’s take a deeper dive and hear what people have had to say.
Snipes Was A Huge Action Star
The history of action movies is filled with a few performers who were able to do great things while the adrenaline was cranked up, and in his prime, Wesley Snipes was a major action star. Sure, he could do a little bit of everything, but Snipes did exceptional work in the action genre.
During his peak years in entertainment, the actor would star in major action movies like Demolition Man, New Jack City, Passenger 57, and more. The Blade franchise was especially lucrative for Snipes, and he was truly ahead of his time while leading that franchise to box office success.
Now, action stars look macho on the big screen, but people have wondered just how tough these dudes are when the cameras aren’t rolling and when everything isn’t scripted. Turns out, there was once a point when Wesley Snipes was going to go toe-to-toe with someone in the UFC.
He Was Going To Fight Jean Claude Van Damme
So, why would Wesley Snipes want to step into the Octagon?
Per TheMacLife, “In 2005 Snipes was in trouble with the IRS and his management team approached the UFC with the money-spinning idea of having Snipes compete in a one-off bout in the Octagon.”
Money issues aside, it also could have been a chance for Snipes to show the world that he was more than just an action star who pretends to be tough on the big screen. Nevertheless, Snipes was totally down to compete in the UFC, and the opponent that was initially picked out was fellow action star, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
This, however, wasn’t something that interested Campbell McClaren, who was still serving as a UFC official. McClaren was interested in Snipes competing against someone who was more relevant.
Instead of stepping into the Octagon against Van Damme, Snipes would be offered a fight against none other than Joe Rogan.
He Nearly Fought Joe Rogan In The UFC
According to Rogan, “So he said ‘would you fight Joe Rogan?’ This is when [American game show] Fear Factor was on. And [Snipes] said ‘Yup, let’s do it.’ So they came to me, and I went ‘How much money?’ And then they started talking, then I said ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ And they said, ‘Are you serious?’ And I go, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight that guy.’ So I was like, ‘Ok, let’s see what happens.’ So then there was a bunch of changes to the contract and it was supposed to be 50/50, then it changed and I said okay to that too. I said whatever, let’s just do it. Let’s just do it.”
That’s right, Rogan was 100% on board with the fight itself. This would have been an interesting fight to make, considering that fans would have had no idea what to expect. Rogan, however, is a legit martial artist and knew that if the fight hit the mat, he would have a massive advantage.
“I just didn’t think that anybody who didn’t know any jiu-jitsu could learn it quick. I was already a brown belt by then, and I just knew what happened when a brown belt fights a white belt. I just can’t imagine. I know how to stand up, and even if I wasn’t good at striking anymore like I was when I was a kid, I’m good enough to know what to not do and where to not be. And if I get a hold of someone who doesn’t know jiu-jitsu, I’m pretty sure I’m choking the (expletive) out of them,” Rogan said.
The fight, however, never came to pass, and it has since lived on as a what-could-have-been event. Snipes might have a pedigree in action films, but Rogan’s combat sports past has got to give him the edge here.
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