How Kurt Angle Got Offered To Join The Ultimate Fighter; Explained

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is widely considered one of the all-time best in professional wrestling. A multiple-time World Champion throughout his in-ring career, Kurt Angle’s real-life amateur wrestling background helped him transition into the entertainment world of professional wrestling. Aside from receiving praise for his charisma and mic skills, Kurt Angle is perhaps best known for his in-ring skills, having a long list of classic matches with the likes of Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, and many more.

However, because of Kurt Angle’s amateur wrestling background, as he was a former Olympic gold medalist, many have often cited Kurt Angle as one of the best examples of a professional wrestler who could’ve transitioned into the combat world of MMA. It’s not only known that Kurt Angle is an avid MMA fan but also contemplated transitioning to professional MMA while he was in the middle of his professional wrestling career. It’s worth noting that Kurt Angle was offered $500k from the UFC to join the Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights season in 2009, which featured many memorable MMA figures, including the late Kimbo Slice.

Kurt Angle confirmed this in an interview with ESPN while claiming that the UFC wanted to sign him for a six-fight deal regardless if he’d gone on to win the Ultimate Fighter. In that same interview, although Kurt Angle claimed he considered signing with the UFC, he ultimately decided to go against it, feeling he was out of his prime due to being in his early 40s.

Furthermore, although never stated offering Kurt Angle a six-fight multi-fight deal, UFC president Dana White confirmed in the past that he did offer Kurt Angle a spot in The Ultimate Fighter. With Kurt Angle in his mid-50s and has long retired from professional wrestling, at this time, one could only wonder how someone like him could’ve done in the world of professional fighting.