KURT ANGLE'S MMA DEBUT, AGAIN

By John Pollock

A figure that permeates throughout both professional and amateur wrestling, Kurt Angle’s has re-emerged in mixed martial arts circles recently.

Angle, who earned a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and parlayed this accomplishment into a lucrative career in the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise, has flirted with the idea of taking his talents out of the pre-determined realm before.

With a lighter schedule working with rival promotion Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) and a recovery from numerous health issues, 38-year-old Angle says he’s poised to enter the MMA world in 2007 with a number of suitors courting the former Olympian. At the top of the list, says Angle, is the newly formed Elite XC, which enjoyed a strong debut this past Saturday on the premium channel SHOWTIME.

“It looks like I’m going to sign with them (Elite XC) but then all of a sudden Dana White comes along last week and calls Dixie Carter (President of TNA) and says ‘Why is Kurt going to Showtime? I want to talk to him; he should be fighting for Spike, for UFC.”

Pro Elite’s Gary Shaw issued a “no comment” this morning regarding any contact they’ve had with Angle. Dixie Carter, President of TNA, who would not comment on Angle’s negotiations with any company but did confirm that the wrestler’s TNA contract allows him to do MMA, but only if TNA agrees it is best for him. Inquiries to the UFC were unanswered; while Angle says he’d need at least six to eight months of solid training before entering the cage or ring for a mixed martial arts debut.

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