The Rock Seriously Considered Fighting in the UFC

Let’s just imagine this human avalanche in the Octagon.

Sean Abrams

Jun 23, 2016

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Instead of running in slo-mo alongside Kelly Brock in the upcoming Baywatch movie, Dwayne Johnson almost chose to battle it out in cage matches for the UFC.

During the UFC unfiltered podcast, the mighty mountain of manhood also known as ‘The Rock’ told Jim Norton and Matt Sera that after he left the WWE in 2004, he seriously thought about a career shift to the Octagon.

“There was a time there where I thought, man, I achieved everything I wanted to achieve in WWE, my movie career is floundering a little bit, what do I do?” Johnson said. “I was relatively still young, I think I was 34. I thought, oh well maybe UFC. Maybe I should do something like that.”

“In my head, I felt like it was at least a two-year process for me to even get in the [cage], let alone the UFC,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t quite too sure what to do or what kind of people to put around me at the time, so the idea kind of fizzled out and I continued to stay on the path of movie making.”

“Anybody, by the way, who is successful in one area and then commits to MMA, I just feel like it’s the toughest f*cking sport in the world,” Johnson said. “I always take my hat off to those guys.”

“Still a big fan and love the sport,” Johnson said. “But at one time, I did consider it.”

Johnson followed up on his statements in the podcast with a typically wry, self-effacing tweet:

.. I have so much respect for the fighters and dues paid and I hate getting punched in the face.😂 #Respect #UFC200 https://t.co/R5Q4vgoJrC

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 23, 2016

The 44-year action star wouldn’t have been the first famous wrestler to make the transition—guys like Ken Shamrock, Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk have all expressed interest in sticking with a professional fighting career.

By the looks of it, The Rock made a pretty solid decision for his life goals. Not only did he save half the West Coast in 2015’s San Andreas, he’s also become a staple in the Fast and Furious franchise, and can be seen next opposite Kevin Hart in Central Intelligence.

And yes, he can still kick all our asses.

h/t The Score