Many people often refer to Arnold Schwarzenegger as the GOAT of bodybuilding, and for good reason. The Austrian won numerous accolades throughout his bodybuilding career, including five Mr. Universe and seven Mr. Olympia titles. Only a handful of bodybuilders were able to defeat Schwarzenegger during his bodybuilding career, and that too when he was young. During his prime, the Austrian Oak was untouchable. But have you ever wondered how Arnold Schwarzenegger would’ve fared in the UFC?

The former Mr. Olympia was born long before modern MMA was invented. However, during a recent interview, Inside Fighting asked Joseph Baena about the bodybuilding legend’s prospects in the UFC, the most popular MMA promotion in the world. So what did Joseph Baena have to say? Let’s find out.

UFC heavyweight champion Arnold Schwarzenegger?

“How do you think your dad would have done in the UFC?” the interviewer asked Baena. However, the 25-year-old couldn’t come up with a concrete answer initially. “The UFC? No clue…” said the aspiring actor. “Bodybuilding is a completely different sport,” added Baena, who shares his father’s love for bodybuilding. However, the interviewer wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

He added a hypothetical element to his question. “He’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) a beast, so like, say he grew up in the UFC era…” said the interviewer. “I have no idea. I think he would have done pretty well,” said the 25-year-old. Baena also implied that the bodybuilding icon would’ve competed in the heaviest weight division.

“I mean, he would have had to have been in the super heavyweight… or the open class,” added Arnold Schwarzenegger’s youngest child. While a “super heavyweight” class doesn’t exist in the UFC, most heavyweights weigh 245 lbs or above. Baena had an interesting reply when asked how the Predator actor would fare against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis ‘The Predator’ Ngannou. “Maybe one of his movie characters would’ve done a really good job,” said Baena.

Joseph Baena’s UFC connection

One might wonder why the 25-year-old’s opinion on the subject matters. Not only is Joseph Baena the youngest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he also loves bodybuilding and combat sports. During the interview, the aspiring actor revealed he was “buddies” with former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.

“We have a lot of mutual friends and he’s a great guy… we’ve trained together,” revealed the young actor. Joseph Baena also gave his opinion on Luke Rock Hold boxing Logan Paul. He believes the former UFC champion would knock out Paul in the first round.

Read More | “The Answers Are Right There”: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Bodybuilder Son Adheres to His Father’s Book as a Holy Grail of Bodybuilding

Do you think Arnold Schwarzenegger could’ve clinched a UFC title? Do you believe Joseph Baena will ever step inside the octagon? Write your thoughts in the comments.

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