Van Damme as "Guile": Man, did this movie suck.Belgian action movie star Jean Claude Van Damme, whose starred in more than 40 martial-arts themed action movies, recently revealed his motivations to get in the ring for real and mix it up with an Olympic gold medalist.
However, as was reported months ago as a likely outcome to the push to get in the ring, Van Damme was recently denied his license to fight in the state of Nevada, citing concerns for his health and safety, and also a more strict set of guidelines for fighters age 35 and older.
This coming weekend, 45-year old Mark “The Hammer” Coleman will take on 46-year-old Randy “The Natural” Couture in a fight that could’ve (and perhaps should’ve) happened more than a decade prior. This is of relevance in light of the fact that Van Damme recently applied for licensing and was denied at his own age of 49.
Four fighters age 35 or more (Couture, Coleman, Matt Serra, 35, and Frank Trigg, 37) who are competing on the UFC 109 card were asked to submit neurological evaluation for clearance to compete on the card, highlighting the more meticulous guidelines set for aging athletes in combat sport.
Though he took place in some of the most memorable fight scenes on the silver screen in the 80’s, Van Damme, who will turn 50 on October 18th of 2010, has only some point fighting credentials dating back to the 1970's, into 1980.
Yikes.