Bill Goldberg comments on how close he came to potentially crossing over into the world of mixed martial arts.
Bill Goldberg's moves inside the wrestling ring had an early MMA vibe, even back in WCW. In those days, the UFC was less than a decade old and was a ways away from its major boom and explosion in popularity.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Goldberg said he'd always considered dabbling in MMA and came closest to having an exhibition for GLORY, a kickboxing promotion founded in 2012 during his hiatus from wrestling.
"I’ve always kind of dabbled in the thought that I could have crossed over. GLORY and I were closer than any promotion, of me doing something, like an exhibition. I’ll be honest. My abilities fall so short in what my expectation for myself would be as an outcome in a sport like that," he said. "My injuries prevent me. It’s hard for me to throw a right hand without breaking my hand or blowing my shoulder out. I’m not worried about getting hurt by other people. I’m worried about what’s going to happen to my body once I connect. I was never a true wrestler, so I don’t have that ground game, even though I was the co-owner of the largest MMA gym back in the early 90s. To do a crossover like that, I wasn’t around when the Mike Tyson money was around to make him lower to the point of getting in the ring with Jake Paul. For the amount of money he did, I don’t blame him. I don’t think that type of money was around, or I might have considered it. I always have such a high expectation of myself and if I don’t feel as though I’m prepared, I’m not going to take that chance in front of national television just for the sake of money and doing it."
Bill Goldberg plans on retiring from professional wrestling in 2025. Learn more here.
