Sherdog’s Top 10: Hollywood Crossovers

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10. Georges St. Pierre

St. Pierre is one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. The longtime welterweight champion defended his title nine times, dominating two generations of 170-pound fighters from pillar to post with barely a challenge to his iron-fisted rule. In the process of becoming an all-time great and the sport’s first true crossover star, St. Pierre built a massive profile for himself; and as his MMA career wound to a close, he sought to translate that stardom into a second career in Hollywood.

The three-time Canadian Athlete of the Year started with a trio of roles in small, direct-to-video martial arts movies but has since expanded into the mainstream. His first brush with legitimate, high-end films came in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in which he played the mercenary Batroc the Leaper in a long, extended sequence near the beginning of the movie. The door was presumably left open for St. Pierre to reprise the role in future films, as well.

GSP’s next cinematic appearance will come in the upcoming reboot of the martial arts classic “Kickboxer,” alongside such stars as Gina Carano, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dave Bautista. It seems entirely possible that St. Pierre will rate much higher on this list in the future.

Number 9 » While he was a fine mixed martial artist, he was always a man of many parts. A former college football player, he also worked as a firefighter, personal trainer and most famously as a bounty hunter. He started working as an actor at the height of his MMA career and has built a nice sideline for himself in increasingly big roles.