The Weigh-In: From Octagon to Cinema

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

From Octagon to Cinema

Finally! The People’s Red Head has come back to The Weigh-In!

UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway made his film debut in “Den of Thieves.” It goes to show what winning a UFC title and dominating a division can do for you. Holloway finds himself making his film debut with good company. The movie “Den of Thieves” stars Pablo Schreiber. For those of you living under a rock, Pablo was in “The Wire,” which is one of the greatest shows of all time.

On top of that, Pablo plays a crooked guard on “Orange is the New Black.” Pablo is Spanish for your dad. To all the readers out there, this guy is your dad. Do not Google that! This is a fact that predates Google. The film also stars Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr.

The film is a heist movie with a great plot twist. As someone who has viewed the film, it is worth the watch. Is it going to change your life? Probably not. However, I know that half of you are running around watching “The Bachelor,” or “Biggest Loser,” so you have time in your lives to watch a good movie. This movie is a great heist movie.

(Dustin Johnson circa 1996)

Although Holloway does not have a main role, he kills it in the little screen time he receives. Another pleasant surprise is that Michael “The Count” Bisping makes a cameo appearance as well. I will not spoil the movie, but Bisping also kills it on the big screen.

You may ask why I am writing this piece about two fighters with minor acting roles in a lesser-known film. The reason for this piece is to show how talented the fighters of mixed martial arts are. They are like any other athlete you praise, with the exception that they might have the toughest job in the world.

The UFC has allowed fighters to do so much beyond fighting. Just like all the major sports, we are starting to see the athletes of MMA crossover into acting, commentating, and other professions. Sometimes this sport is looked at and criticized for how gruesome it can be. When blood is spattered in the Octagon, it is easy to lose sight of the individual and what this sport, or match, actually means.

(Hollywood and Sport)

It was great to see Holloway and Bisping share the big screen. I hope the movie does well, and look forward to seeing them in future Hollywood endeavors. It is great to see two hall of fame fighters represent the UFC outside of the sport. We are proud of you boys. In fact, the last time I was prouder of two grown men was when the Ward Brothers finally gave up their shared race car bed. It should be noted that they gave up this sleeping arrangement in 2016, so please spare me the “race car beds are awesome” hate mail.