Kurt Angle Still Talking About Joining the UFC, Competing in the Olympics

Known in pro wrestling circles as “The Olympic Hero,” Kurt Angle has always been an intriguing prospect for MMA fans. 

An Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, Angle’s unbelievable grappling acumen made him a top candidate to dominate inside the Octagon. 

In a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio, Angle revealed that he had the choice of joining the UFC or the then-WWF right after his impressive Olympic performance. 

As is the case in many circumstances, the bottom line came down to money.

“Was I going to go into pro wrestling or the UFC? I talked to the UFC, but at the time they were only paying their top fighters 15 grand to fight, and here WWE throws this big contract at me.

“It’s kind of like, let me see, do I struggle and go in the UFC or do I go here and make a bunch of money? Obviously, the decision was very easy.”

Also worth noting is that Angle was going to make the transition to MMA in 2003, but broke his neck before those plans could ever come to fruition.

Despite the fact that Angle is 42 now, he still thinks a run in the UFC is a very real possibility. 

For those not familiar, Angle has a role in the new film Warrior, where he plays a Russian middleweight named Koba. 

He participated in various MMA drills to prepare for the role, and Angle loved every second of it.

That was all it took for Angle to pick up the phone and give UFC president Dana White a call. 

“I actually contacted Dana White again after the movie. I flew out to meet him once and got a great offer. I contacted him again, I was thinking about dropping out of Impact wrestling, and there were some personal problems with my marriage and I just wanted to get away,” Angle explained. 

Angle also went on to say he even took a physical for the UFC, which he passed.

As we all know, the situation never panned out with Angle signing a contract. 

“The terms weren’t good, I mean not for me, and the terms I gave him weren’t good for him. He wanted me ready in four and a half weeks; I wanted three to six months.”

Angle explained that he had to decline since he wanted to be at his absolute best before making his UFC debut.

“So I respect Dana White and I love him to death, very good friend. I knew I was capable of winning in four and a half weeks, but I wanted to be at my best.”

While White decided not to address the issue publicly, he responded to the issue on Twitter when Wrestle Chat Net inquired about the situation.

“@WrestleChatNet love kurt but not true,” White tweeted. 

Whatever the case may be, once it was established that Angle’s MMA debut would be at best delayed again, he decided he would feed the hunger to compete again by getting in shape for the 2012 Olympics.

“I’ve been training for five months,” Angle said. “I contacted USA Wrestling. By the end of the year, I will probably be out at the Olympic training center for periods of time.

“Their concern was ‘Kurt, are you really doing this? We need you out here because if you make the team, God willing, we you to medal.’”

Of course, the competition will be stiff, and the fact that Angle will be 43 when the 2012 Olympics commence means that there are no guarantees he makes the team this time around.

“So they know I’m making a very serious approach at this, and if I do make the team and I do beat the guys in my weight class, they want to make sure I’m ready to medal,” Angle clarified.

After his Olympic aspirations are fulfilled, Angle indicated that he eventually wants to be an actor full-time. 

Amazingly though, he still won’t rule out a stint in the UFC. 

“That remains to be seen. Depending on how good I do, I can’t say no,” Angle admitted.  “Obviously, it’s going to raise Dana White’s eyebrows. He actually sat me down and said, ‘Kurt, if you do this is your neck okay? Are you well enough to do this? 'Cause I know you’ve taken a pounding the last 10 years,’ and I said, ‘Dana, I’m fine. Yeah, I broke my neck five different times, but I have never felt better than I do now. I’ve had setbacks but, I’m fine.'"

Angle also did not rule out staying with TNA wrestling long-term, or simply retiring and spending time with his family. 

The US Olympic wrestling trials will be held in Iowa City, Iowa, in April 2012.  Those who make the cut will head to London for the 2012 Olympics.