I’ve been training for five months. 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 want you to medal
Angle landed a role in the upcoming movie Warrior where he plays the undefeated Russian wrecking machine Koba. According to Kurt, after they finished filming, he contacted UFC President Dana White about potentially signing with the UFC.
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. I contacted Dana White, I flew out, and he had me take the UFC physical. I passed it, thank God, and he gave me the offer. 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. 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.
No one can argue that Kurt Angle isn't a special brand of athlete. But there are major concerns about his overall health. Angle has suffered a ton of injuries in his pro-wrestling career including breaking his neck five times. His body is broken down and at one point he was needing a painkiller cocktail just to get through the menial tasks of the day. He's obviously a fan of MMA but his better days are behind him. Had he made the transition to the sport right after the '96 Olympics he could have made a great run. Right now he's in no shape to compete against the best the UFC has to offer. It's true. It's damn true.