With the surging popularity of the UFC coupled with the buyout by Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG, it should come as no surprise that some familiar faces would start appearing in a lot of your favorite television shows, so let’s take a look at the five of the most memorable moments.
5) Tank Abbott makes friends
The first UFC appearance on a mainstream television show actually came all the way back in 1997 on episode S03E24 of the hit sitcom Friends.
In the episode, Monica dates an eccentric billionaire named Pete Becker (played by Iron Man directed Jon Favreau) who desires to become the Ultimate Fighting Champion.
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Unfortunately for Pete, he was paired up with street brawler David ‘Tank’ Abbott who had no problem putting Pete is a full body cast after their brief encounter.
4) Cowboy Cerrone pukes in Philadelphia
If you’re a fan of FX’s hit sitcom ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ you may have noticed a few familiar faces from the UFC in the latest season.
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In episode S12E04 titled ‘Wolf Cola: A Public Relationships Nightmare”, Mac and Charlie discover that their product ‘Fight Milk’ which is described as the “the first alcoholic, dairy based protein drink for bodyguards, by bodyguards” is being used by UFC fighters Donald Cerrone and Paul Felder to make weight… by way of puking up and exploding diarrhea.
3) Bas Rutten fights obesity
Former King of Pancrase, former UFC heavyweight champion, Pride FC commentator and author many legendary street fighting defense videos, Bas Rutten took up the role of fitness guru as part of Cartoon Network’s ‘Get Healthy’ campaign to fight childhood obesity.
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“We do these 30-second clips where I try to get the youth off the couch and do something — dips, push ups, punch and kick combinations, etc. I also tell them about food, germs, and anything that’s healthy.”
2) Keith Jardine breaks bad in Albuquerque
A UFC veteran holding wins over the likes of Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, Keith Jardine has transitioned to an actor and stunt man with shows like Logan, John Wick and the remake of MacGyver on his resume.
But perhaps his most memorable performance would come in 2010 where he made a cameo in AMC’s flagship series Breaking Bad where he played a thug that gets in a fight with DEA agent Hank Schrader (played by Dean Norris) in episode S03E03.
For someone who made his career as a prizefighter, Jardine had no issue trying to smash a mirror with his head – although it wasn’t as easy as one may think.
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It doesn’t break and I feel like a real dummy and I’m trying to prove myself as a stunt guy and not just a dumb fighter.
Despite Jardine’s best efforts with his head, they ended up having to smash it with a hammer twice to get the required shot.
1) Kevin James gets dethroned
When the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter concluded back in 2005, the UFC become an insanely hot property and it was starting to become more common to your favorite MMA fighters popping up in other forms of media.
An avid fan of mixed martial arts, comedian Kevin James brought in the likes of Frank Trigg, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture and Rampage Jackson to guest star in episode S08E22 of his hit show King of Queens where the UFC veterans played a rival group of parcel workers.
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Predictably this ended in pain for Kevin’s character Doug and rest of his friends.
Author: Nic is a designer and illustrator alongside being a martial arts enthusiast. You can find some of his illustrative work for purchase here.
