The noted Hollywood star, Jack Black, may have cornered the noted UFC welterweight, Stephen Thompson, during UFC 296. But, he isn’t the only silver-screen personality with an affinity towards the UFC. The noted comedian and actor, Ricky Gervais, had also expressed his love for the premier MMA promotion of the world way back in 2014. The Golden Globe Award-winning actor described the UFC as a “real” reality show saying that he fails to get enough of it.
The comedian-actor also supported the fact that UFC bouts were more than just fighting. The ‘Derek’ star said that he viewed cage fighting as a “sport”. His exact words were:
“It is not really violence, it is a sport. It is fair and fascinating how disciplines like mixed martial arts and boxing come together.”
Well, Gervais’s words also revealed that he had been following combat sports for a prolonged time. He mentioned that he was always into boxing. The 62-year-old labeled the boxing legend Muhammad Ali as his “hero”.
“Seriously, I have always liked boxing. Muhammad Ali was probably my first hero and then I got into UFC. And it is also behind the scenes, so it is like a reality show that is real. They real are fighting it is not like it is staged, and it counts, there are title fights.”
Gervais has never been to a UFC showdown. But he has taken the boxing ring once for a public combat sports showdown. The noted comedian dawned the boxing gloves for a charity match in the year 2002 against the noted businessman Grant Bovey.
It’s quite apparent that Gervais’s interest in combat sports makes him tune into UFC fights whenever he is free from work. If he is still holding onto his love for the UFC, January 2024 is probably going to be an exciting month for him.
The UFC authorities have two events scheduled for January 2024
The UFC CEO Dana White mentioned that 2024 is going to be a grand year for the fans. It won’t be wrong to say that he is proving it pretty much from the first month of the year. The promotional authorities have scheduled two events for this month, the UFC Fight Night 234 and the coveted UFC 297. Gervais and the scores of UFC fans like him have every reason to get excited right now.
The Ankalaev vs. Walker and Strickland vs. Du Plessis main events fights have a superb background story. The matches have created massive hype in the UFC community. The promotional authorities are planning to collect good revenues from these events. But, Dana White will probably want Gervais to be present at a UFC event and experience all the action through his own eyes.
