MMA cameos in Hollywood. Hollywood stars cageside. Both are spectacles in their own way and in their own way, both are blockbusters. MMA fighters in their own world are megastars, but not on the level of Hollywood stars. With that being said, there have often been crossovers between the two, with MMA cameos in Hollywood and plenty of Hollywood stars cageside.
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Let’s take a look at 10 famous MMA cameos in Hollywood movies!
MMA Cameos in Hollywood Movies
Anthony Johnson as Orlando “Midnight” Le (Warrior, 2011)
Certainly one of the better MMA movies out there, ‘Warrior’ stars Tom Hardy as an ex-Marine who looks to win a tournament, however, must battle his demons when he comes up against his brother in the final.
Anthony Johnson’s character is just one of many famous names in Warrior. He portrays Orlando ‘Midnight’ Le, an extremely muscular, ripped fighter who is certainly the favourite in the fight. His opponent, played by Joel Edgerton, catches Le in a kimura, upsetting the odds and forcing Johnson’s character to tap.
Chuck Liddell (Kick Ass 2)
Playing a short cameo role as himself, former light heavyweight king, Chuck Liddell, features as an MMA coach for Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s character in the blockbuster 2013 action-comedy, Kick Ass 2.
Although he didn’t play a huge role in this one, he featured in films such as ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Fight Another Day’ alongside Ken Shamrock and Michael Bisping.
Kamaru Usman (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, 2022)
Arguably the most high profile film on this list, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit Hollywood in 2022. The film was culturally significant as it highlighted black identity within the film. Which better fighter to have featured in the film than ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’.
Whilst preparing for a title defence against Leon Edwards, welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman scored a supporting role as a naval officer. It was a huge honour for Usman, however, the film turned out a lot better than his title defence…
Plenty of Cameos (The Naked Gun, 2025)
Hitting cinemas in 2025, the newest film in the ‘Naked Gun’ series was released with much excitement from fans. Starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, the film provides a great homage to the old films of the 80s and 90s. Along with two of Hollywood’s best, there were plenty of MMA cameos too.
The film climaxes at an MMA event where we’re treated to a whole host MMA talent throughout the scenes. Joey Benavidez and Brandon Moreno face off, Justin Gaethje and Usman scrap it out too. Bruce Buffer introduces them, we have Jon Anik and Michael Bisping on coms and John McCarthy reffing the action. WWE stars Cody Rhoads and Dave Bautista also feature. A great film with plenty of MMA cameos.
Conor McGregor (Roadhouse, 2024)
A remake of the 1989 film of the same name, the 2024 movie saw Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal clash in many fight scenes. Gyllenhaal plays an ex-UFC fighter turned bouncer, with McGregor playing the character of ‘Knox’.
Road House New York Premiere in NYC, USA – 19 Mar 2024 L-R Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal attend the Road House New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. New York United States Copyright: xRonxAdarx/xSOPAxImagesx _radar_roadhouse_20240319_02824
There was certainly some criticism of McGregor’s performance, with one outlet stating: “Conor McGregor is like watching an obnoxious toddler throw a temper tantrum in the middle of a restaurant“. The same article went on to say “it makes your eyes and ears hurt, you don’t know where to look and you wish someone, anyone, would intervene”.
Prehaps stick to the day job, Conor.
Ronda Rousey (The Expendables 3, 2014)
During 2014, Ronda Rousey was one of the biggest stars in the UFC. She was undefeated and had finished everyone who stood in her way. Not only this, but she was quickly becoming a Hollywood star.
Making her Hollywood debut, Rousey plays Luna Maya, a bouncer recruited to the crew by Kelsey Grammer’s character in a bid to overcome an arms dealer. Her aura in the octagon continued to the screen and her athleticism allowed her to shine in the role.
The Expendables 3 2014 – filmstill Ronda Rousey in The Expendables 3 2014 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xFSN-Bx
She would go on to star in Furious 7 a year later as well as Mile 22 in 2018.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez (Havoc, 2025)
One of the MMA cameos that has gone under the radar is Michaelle Waterson-Gomez’s appearance in ‘Havoc’. Playing an assassin, Waterson-Gomez doesn’t stand out as a non-actress but shines in her role.
YEO YANN YANN in HAVOC, 2025, directed by GARETH EVANS. Copyright Severn Screen / One More One Productions / XYZ Films. Credit: Severn Screen / One More One Productions / XYZ Films / Album
She plays the role perfectly, despite being undersized in comparison to the main character, portrayed by Tom Hardy. Her athleticism, karate background and her overall acting ability shine. Don’t be suprised to see The Karate Hottie in plenty more films in the future.
Randy Couture (The Expendables)
Many film fans out there will recognise Randy Couture not as an ex-MMA fighter, former two-division world champion and one of the best to ever do it, but rather a movie star.
He’s best known, however, for featuring in all four Expendables films, alongside some of Hollywood’s elites. Despite not having an acting background, Couture acts alongside Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone, to name just a few, with great success.
Jokes are even made in the first film about Couture’s cauliflower ear due to wrestling in college.
GSP (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014)
Another MMA cameo in a Marvel film came when Georges St Pierre featured in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014. He plays Batroc, a master of the French kickboxing style, Savate, which is very on brand for GSP.
His fight scene with Captain America (portrayed by Chris Evans) is clearly choreographed with his background in mind, featuring plenty of sidekicks and superman punches, something he became known for during his epic welterweight title run. It was certainly nice to see him be able to shine outside of the octagon post-retirement.
Michael Bisping (XXX: Return of Xander Cage, 2017)
Did anyone know that Michael Bisping was filming a movie before taking the fight against Luke Rockhold on short notice back in 2016 for the middleweight title? The very same fight that The Count knocked Rockhold out in to become the champ?
Bisping was filming XXX: Return of Xander Cage when he got the call to fill in on short notice for the injured Chris Weidman. He told Rockhold in the build-up to the fight that he would “Walk off a movie site and beat your ass”, and that’s exactly what happened.
Since his outing in XXX, Bisping has featured in a number of other films, however, does his best work in the commentary booth following retirement.