by Tommy Hackett

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If you’re like me, you’ve always wanted to like Bob Sapp in his Mixed Martial Arts career.

If you’re at all reasonable, you want that fighting career to end now.

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Bob Sapp is a born entertainer. He’s got an engaging personality and a great laugh. Combine that with his unusual physical size and you’ve got something, certainly enough for a career as a B-Movie villain. Sapp was going to give Hollywood a try. While in Hollywood, Sapp was within a signature of a WWE deal. They planned to bring him in and use him both as a pro wrestler and as wrestling’s representative in the world of MMA.

“K-1 was playing games, games that would consequently lead me to have one of the best years of my life and would save my career. Because I came over here and left K-1, got ready to sign with WWE, a huge contract with WWE, and they threatened to sue WWE. WWE backed out, thank God they did, because my partner was going to be Chris Benoit,” Sapp said. After a narrow escape from being partnered with a child murdering pro wrestler, Sapp’s persistent good luck led him further and further up the Hollywood food chain.

“I was supposed to be on the Anna Nicole Smith show, that’s why I first went out to California. It didn’t work out because she was sick and didn’t show up for the scene the next day. However, I caught the attention of one of the producers from the movie Elektra. I did Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel. That caught the producers from The Longest Yard. I’ve done 8 Hollywood movies so far and I just did Pros versus Joes,” Sapp said. “I’m 33 years old. Everything I’ve done, not only has it not required a job application, but every job I’ve touched has manged to make me well over six figures. Or in that six figure range. My first pro wrestling contract was like $120,000, you’ve got the fighting which is well over a $1 million, you’ve got all the movie work which is now adding up to be over $1 million. You’ve got the NFL in there too which is over a $1 million. It’s like ‘Bob, you’ve lived a huge and an incredible life.’ Everything I’ve done has been a kid’s dream job.”

Back in Japan, K-1 tried desperately to find the next Bob Sapp. Instead of looking for the most skilled and charismatic performers they could find, they tried instead to find another comical giant. Sapp considers the legion of giants and showmen to be acknowledgment of what he’s brought to the sport. The “giant” is back and it all started with Bob Sapp.
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The strong first year that saw Sapp thrash K-1 star Ernesto Hoost twice and almost beat Pride Champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera made Sapp a legitimate celebrity in Japan. Things got weird quickly. Soon he couldn’t even walk outside without an escort. “When I would walk down the street and everyone would start flipping over taxi cabs and going nuts,” Sapp said. “The police would ask me not to walk outside. It was nuts.” Japan had its share of gaijin stars in the pro wrestling and fighting industries, but none could compare to Sapp.

His life was pretty crazy. It’s amazing that he even had time to fight at all. He became a staple of the network Japanese morning and evening shows and was on the air every day, sometimes on multiple channels.

“I would eat breakfast early, go to sleep, wake up again at 8 AM. From there I’d go and do television shows from about 8 to 2 o’clock. From 2 to 4 I would eat lunch, from 6 to 9 I would have to do some more television shows and then some rest and go eat dinner. Then I’d have to do some commercials and television shows, some of the late night television shows. The next day I’d get up and go anywhere from a pro wrestling match or pro wrestling practice, then kickboxing practice, followed by MMA practice,” Sapp said. “A kickboxing or MMA match would be followed almost immediately by commercials or pro wrestling. Then the next day I’d have a full onslaught of television. It was hard. And that’s one of the reasons my records are going to stand. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who’s going to be able to work and do that much stuff. I did comedy shows and the only thing beating out my fights were my comedy shows. The entertainment I was providing was ridiculous. They had me doing absolutely everything and anything.”

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