How WWE legend Kurt Angle narrowly missed out on a dream UFC contract, TWICE

Kurt Angle is a multi-faceted athlete, best known for being the first Olympic gold medalist to sign with the WWE. His near-30-year tenure in the professional wrestling industry has led to a legendary career. However, with his Olympic-level freestyling wrestling skills, some have wondered about Kurt Angle in the UFC.

Despite giving it some serious thought, Angle ultimately walked away from a run as a mixed martial artist despite having an exceptional base. During a recent interview with popular YouTuber TrueGeordie, Kurt Angle revealed that he has twice turned down an offer from the UFC.

The first offer was made in 1996, right after Angle's Olympic triumph. However, he declined, opting to sign with the WWE instead. Though years later, after the UFC grew in profile, he spoke (at 28:26 minutes) about a second signing that would have gone through had TNA not contacted him:

"I went to Dana White in 2006 and said, 'Hey, I'm ready.' He offered me a deal. He wanted me to be on The Ultimate Fighter with Kimbo Slice. I said, 'Dana, those guys don't get paid to be on that show.' He said, 'Don't worry, I'll pay you a substantial amount of money just to be on it. I'll take care of you.' I was getting ready to do it, and I ended up signing with TNA a week prior."

According to Angle, the reason he didn't sign with the UFC in 2006, despite approaching Dana White about it, was that he wouldn't be allowed to compete in both the UFC and TNA. Having already signed a contract with TNA, he had no choice but to honor his obligation to them.

Given Kurt Angle's neck injury, it is likely he would have been a shell of his former self had he gone on to sign with the UFC.

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Would Kurt Angle have been the first Olympic gold medalist to compete in the UFC?

While fans are familiar with the likes of Ronda Rousey and Yoel Romero being Olympic medalists, bronze and silver in their respective sports of judo and freestyle wrestling, there is generally one fighter the MMA fandom brings up when discussing Olympic gold medalists who have fought in the UFC; Henry Cejudo.

Had Angle signed with the promotion, would he have been the first Olympic gold medalist, preceding Cejudo? As it turns out, he would have been had he signed with them in 1996.

But had he signed with the UFC in 2006, he'd have actually been the second Olympic gold medalist, behind Kevin Jackson, who fought in 1997 and was an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling.