Hulk Hogan Claims He Almost Joined UFC

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan once made a bold claim that he was nearly involved in the first-ever UFC event in 1993—a statement that has since been disputed.

In a 2015 interview with the Australian Herald Sun, Hogan discussed UFC’s rise in popularity and its expansion into Australia. During the conversation, he revealed that he and his team had considered participating in the debut UFC event, which took place on November 12, 1993. However, they ultimately opted out due to concerns over the sport’s brutality.

“We looked at it and it was very violent, and the referees weren’t stopping the matches and letting guys get beat up when they should have been stopped. So we just didn’t want to have any part of it, but it’s become quite a phenomena.”

Hogan never clarified what role he might have played in the event, but given that he was not a trained mixed martial artist and was already 40 years old at the time, it is unlikely he would have competed.

Despite Hogan’s story, UFC co-creator Campbell McLaren later publicly denied the claim. Responding on X, McLaren stated that neither he nor any of the other UFC founders had ever approached Hogan about participating in the promotion’s early days. He further asserted that there was no interest in involving Hogan in any capacity. While Hogan’s legacy as one of professional wrestling’s biggest icons is undeniable, his alleged ties to UFC’s origins remain questionable.

What Did Hulk Hogan Say About Wrestling Again?

Hulk Hogan addressed the possibility of him wrestling again and completely ruled out the idea and said that due to the number of surgeries he has over the years due to wrestling-related injuries if he steps into the ring to wrestle again he thinks he’d “turn into dust.”