Even Olympic gold medalists have their regrets. In a recent interview, a WWE Hall of Famer revealed that watching his friend Brock Lesnar pivot into MMA made him regret his decision not to do the same. While the wrestler had rejected offers from UFC three times, looking back, he seems to have some regrets.
The Hall of Famer has had many friends turn to UFC during an illustrious career with WWE. He even advised others to stay with MMA when asked. So why didn?t he indulge in it himself?
Watching Lesnar and Couture in MMA made this WWE legend regret his decision
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Speaking to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Kurt Angle looks back fondly on his career with WWE and TNA. But, one thing that does sting is that he never took up the opportunity to get into MMA. His friend and colleague Brock Lesnar established himself as a titan across combat sports when he secured the UFC Heavyweight championship in the promotion. The Beast gained plaudits from notable personalities for his accomplishments and Angle feels like he missed out.
“Every once in a while, it gets to me. And when I watch these fights, I’m like, ‘Gosh, man, I think I would’ve done pretty well in this?. Seeing Brock Lesnar, my friend, be UFC champion and seeing Randy Couture, who I trained with for the Olympics, being UFC champion. It makes you question, did you do the right thing?? he said.
Interestingly, Angle had three chances to get into MMA, with Dana White personally asking for the Olympian to join the UFC. But these were all rejected for different reasons, including a lack of decent pay.
Angle says he would have loved to fight inside the octagon
Despite Dana White saying in 2009 that Angle couldn?t go ahead with UFC because he failed to pass his medicals, this wasn?t true at all. With his first offer in 1996, Angle rejected the UFC offer because it didn?t have the traction that WWE had.
He also highlighted the lack of financial compensation that would have made the rigorous process worth it. “I love fighting, but I don’t love it that much to get my butt kicked for 15 grand [per fight]. So, I decided to go to WWE and when I got there, I had so much success early on. On their second approach in 2006, Angle had already made a name for himself with WWE. In fact he had just started with TNA. However, White?s offer meant that Angle had to choose between wrestling and fighting, so he stuck with what he knew he was good at.
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In 2009, Angle went so far as to start training as UFC approached him yet again. However, this time around, Angle, having broken his neck several times and realizing he was past his prime, rejected it. But regrets don’t help too much, as Angle seems to realize. With Angle going down in the books as one of history?s greatest wrestlers, he says that he doesn’t regret his choices.
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How do you think Angle would?ve fared if he did decide to get into MMA?
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