If you thought Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather was going to be the biggest fight of the year, you were wrong.
After years of anticipation, we finally got the Jean-Claude Van Damme vs. Jason David Frank battle for who has the coolest longer name.
First, let me give you the history of both men. Van Damme was a huge martial arts action star that gave us the movie Double Team with Dennis Rodman. Frank was the Green/White Power Ranger from the original series, not the 500 spin-offs that followed. They got into an argument way back in 1995 during the premiere of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, which was my favorite movie as a kid.
In 2010, JDF challenged JCVD, but nothing came of it.
And now, for the main event.
The two were set appear at La Mole Comic Con. Shouts to La Mole Comic Con for setting up both men to appear at their event. More Comic Cons should do this. God knows there are enough of them. And here’s what happened according to Jason David Frank. Keep that part in mind. This is his account of the story.
He says that a rep for JCVD came over and told him that JCVD wanted to take a photo with him. JDF agreed, thinking they would bury the hatchet. Instead, JDF entered a room with Van Damme and 20 of his friends. JCVD wanted JDF to apologize and said they could throw down if he wanted to. JDF also mentions that cameras were rolling. That’s an important note.
JDF did not apologize. Instead, they agreed to a MMA fight right there on the spot. JDF grabbed him by a headlock, JCVD did nothing, they argued some more, and security broke it up. You can see cell phone footage of altercation and a photo of Frank grabbing Van Damme, who appears to be smiling mind you, by the neck.
I’m calling bullshit on this whole thing. Who agrees to an impromptu MMA fight that ends after someone grabs a headlock and then continues to argue with the guy? And look at the photo. Van Damme looks almost happy. And watch the video, JDF is the aggressor who is trying to be the bad ass because JCVD says something about Chuck Zito, who KO’d Van Damme in a bar years ago.
If it was a set-up, those 20 dudes would have jumped JDF from the start and edited the footage to make it look like Van Damme whooped his ass. They wouldn’t have filmed some sort of apology. And literally no MMA fight starts with a headlock or clinch work. And, again, if they agreed to a fight, why release the hold and go back to arguing?
I suspect we’ll never know the real story. Just like Jason David Frank will never have a UFC fight despite years of begging.