Kurt Angle Signs With Bellator: Will The Former WWE Star Do An MMA Fight?

Kurt Angle signs with Bellator, and the world of professional wrestling begins to wonder if this is actually the moment when the former WWE star is going to make the jump to MMA.

For years now, Kurt Angle has always discussed the possibility of him doing MMA. The former world heavyweight champion has even had negotiations with UFC, the biggest MMA promotion in the world. Had Angle been younger when UFC exploded, then he more than likely would have already made the jump.

While a good amount of wrestlers have talked about making the jump to MMA over the years, not a lot of people questioned the possibility of Kurt Angle doing well in the sport. Angle has been doing amateur wrestling since he was just seven years old. It is something that Kurt is definitely passionate about.

Not only has Kurt Angle been wrestling a very long time, he is also very good at it. Angle won the Pennsylvania state championship as a senior in high school. In college, Angle won the NCAA championship twice. Even more famously, Kurt won the Olympic gold medal in 1996, and Angle did so with a broken neck.

Even though he is 46-years-old, the belief is that Kurt Angle can still out wrestle a lot of guys in UFC and Bellator. Angle might not be the best striker in the world, but his wrestling background would enable him to be competitive in MMA. At the very least, Angle would not be embarrassing himself out there.

In their official announcement today, Bellator mentioned that Kurt Angle has signed with the promotion. Angle’s first official duty will be at the Bellator 145 fan fest event in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The event is taking place on November 5th, and Kurt is already being advertised as a special guest. Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz and a couple of other fighters are scheduled to be at the Bellator event as well.

Bellator 145 takes place on the following day. Kurt Angle is reportedly going to be in attendance at the event. Some have started speculating that a big announcement involving Angle could take place during the show. There is a good possibility that Bellator will announce that Angle will be doing his first MMA fight.

Ken Shamrock has also been teasing a major announcement regarding Bellator as well. The former UFC champion seems a bit desperate for money lately, as he has been publicly campaigning for WWE to bring him back. Thus far, World Wrestling Entertainment has not contacted him back about a return.

Since Ken Shamrock and Kurt Angle are well known to WWE fans, Bellator officials know that the two of them could prove to be a draw if they were placed in an MMA fight together. Professional wrestling fans would more than likely tune in out of curiosity. Angle could also draw in TNA fans, while Shamrock can pique the interest of UFC fans.

If Kurt Angle does indeed announce a fight, it would provide ammunition for WWE fans who are rooting against CM Punk, who has been mocked for making sure that he is well trained before jumping into the UFC ring. WWE fans are still upset with Punk because he left the promotion due to unhappiness.

Kurt Angle proved to be a quick learner in WWE by having arguably the best rookie year anyone has seen in the business. His legend would certainly grow tremendous if Angle could pick up MMA just as quickly. Angle doesn’t have to do as well as Brock Lesnar did in UFC. He just needs to prove to the world that professional wrestlers should be taken seriously as athletes.

[ Featured Photo by Michael Buckner / Getty Images ]