50 Facts About Don Frye

Donald Frye was born on November 23,1965 and is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor.

Don Frye retired from MMA in 1997 to pursue a career in professional wrestling with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and quickly became one of the company's leading heels.

Don Frye fought bouts with Ken Shamrock and Yoshihiro Takayama during his two years in Pride.

Don Frye departed the promotion to compete in K-1 and Hero's in 2004 but returned for the final Pride event in 2007.

Don Frye was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2016.

Don Frye boxed under the name JR Frye in several matches after being forced to change his name due to a contractual dispute.

Don Frye worked in a psychiatric ward but left that position after breaking a patient's arm while restraining him.

In 1995, Don Frye helped train Dan Severn for the Ultimate Ultimate 1995, accompanying Severn's entourage to Denver.

Don Frye soon made the jump to the burgeoning sport of mixed martial arts himself and joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship the following year.

Don Frye returned at UFC 9 in Detroit, Michigan on May 19,1996 for a match with fellow tournament winner Marco Ruas, but Ruas was injured and replaced by Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist Amaury Bitetti.

Don Frye stopped his opponent's takedowns and land punches, knees and elbows, and used a judo ude-garami on the jiu-jitsu champion, something that was unusual at the time.

At UFC 10 in Birmingham, Alabama on July 12,1996, Don Frye returned to tournament format.

Don Frye defeated Mark Hall by stoppage, slamming the Moo Yea Do specialist and working his side with body punches until the stoppage, and then defeated Brian Johnston, again leading the action to the mat and landing elbows to the head.

However, at the finals of the event, Don Frye faced Mark Coleman, who was considered the "godfather" of the ground and pound strategy Don Frye often followed.

Coleman, a more decorated wrestling champion than Don Frye himself, kept the top position through the match and landed multiple strikes to the face.

Don Frye capitalized on a failed neck crank attempt to get standing and try to outmatch Coleman there, but he was taken down again, and a late takedown attempt of his own failed, with Coleman reversing and threatening with an overhead throw before returning to his routine.

Don Frye won at the U-Japan event in November 1996, taking a submission victory by forearm choke over Mark Hall in a rematch.

Just one month later, Don Frye entered the UFC's Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournament, held to find the best of the best from past tournament winners and runners up.

Don Frye firstly went for the second time against Gary Goodridge, who brawled on the clinch before taking Frye down and landing headbutts, but the result was the same, as Goodridge tapped out as soon as Frye got dominant position.

Don Frye then faced Mark Hall for the third time in his career, but this fight was even shorter, with Don Frye getting a takedown and an Achilles lock for the give up in 20 seconds.

Don Frye was noticeably more muscular and seemingly stronger than his UFC days, having gained 7 kilograms in weight since his last MMA outing.

However, his fight with Gilbert Yvel that night was controversial and resulted in Don Frye winning by disqualification in the first round, as Yvel repeatedly gouged his eyes and was eventually disqualified for continuously holding the ropes to stop himself being taken down.

Three months later, at a joint New Year's Eve show Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001: K-1 vs Inoki, Don Frye defeated Cyril Abidi with relative ease, taking the French kickboxer to the mat and controlling him throughout round one before finishing him with a rear naked choke in two.

Don Frye returned to Pride in February 2002, facing long-time rival Ken Shamrock at Pride 19 in a fight he had been trying to trash-talk himself into ever since Shamrock had defeated Dan Severn at UFC 6.

The bout moved to the mat, where Shamrock attempted another ankle lock, only for Don Frye to try to counter with one of his own and finally refusing to tap out until time ran out.

Four months after defeating Ken Shamrock, Don Frye returned to MMA to face Japanese professional wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama at Pride 21 on June 23,2002.

Don Frye had mentioned in an interview prior to the fight that he had never thrown a kick in his life and his disadvantage was obvious as he couldn't use his wrestling skills and was repeatedly thrown when he tried to tie up with Le Banner.

Don Frye took seven months off following the losses to Le Banner and Yoshida, and next fought at Pride 26 on June 28,2003 to try to avenge his loss to Mark Coleman.

Don Frye departed Pride on the back of four consecutive losses and next appeared fighting under MMA rules in K-1.

Don Frye's first fight, with Yoshihiro Nakao at K-1 MMA ROMANEX on May 22,2004 ended in a no contest when Frye could not continue due to a cut sustained from an accidental headbutt early in round one.

Akebono spent much of the fight clinching with the much smaller Don Frye and pushing him into the ropes, but Don Frye was able to knock the former sumo wrestler down and secure a guillotine choke submission in the second round.

Just ten days later, in his first appearance in the United States since 1996, Don Frye took on Ruben Villarreal in King of the Cage: Predator in Globe, Arizona.

Don Frye made his Pride return after an almost four-year hiatus, taking on James Thompson at the last promotion's last ever event, Pride 34 on April 8,2007.

Don Frye wrote a humorous weekly column called "Dear Don: Advice from The Predator" in which he gives fans advice on love, life, friendship, and more.

However, Gonzalez was injured, so Don Frye instead faced Ruben Villareal in a rematch at Heavyweight.

Don Frye debuted for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in August 1997, defeating Kazuyuki Fujita in his first match.

Don Frye lost out to Keiji Mutoh in his first title shot in April 1999 and was defeated by Kensuke Sasaki in his second in February 2000.

In September 2001, Don Frye won the G1 World Climax tournament.

From October to November 2004, Don Frye returned to NJPW for two appearances as a member of Masahiro Chono's Black New Japan stable, teaming with Chono in a tag match defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Yuji Nagata and then teaming with Scott Norton and Manabu Nakanishi in a winning effort against Shinsuke Nakamura, Yutaka Yoshie, and Blue Wolf.

Don Frye appeared for All Japan Pro Wrestling on October 26,2003 at their 31st Anniversary, challenging Toshiaki Kawada for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort.

On October 2,2005, Don Frye took part in AJPW's Wrestle-1 Grand Prix where he lost to Jamal.

In October 2008, Don Frye wrestled at the Pro Wrestling Expo shows, teaming with Yoshihiro Takayama in a losing effort to Masahiro Chono and Scott Norton on the first day, then losing a six-man tag on the third day.

Don Frye returned to a professional wrestling ring on March 17,2013, at an event held by AJPW in Tokyo.

Don Frye began acting in movies with Godzilla: Final Wars, playing the role of Captain Douglas Gordon.

The director of the film, Ryuhei Kitamura, mentioned that he wrote the role with Don Frye in mind since he was a fan of Don Frye's matches.

Don Frye appeared in No Rules and starred in Nagurimono.

Don Frye played FBI agent Clarence Hurt in Public Enemies, by director Michael Mann.

Don Frye appeared in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia entitled "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops", in which he played a professional wrestler that was getting pummeled by Roddy Piper's character, "Da' Maniac".

Don Frye is credited on IMDb for the role as "Wrestling Opponent".

Don Frye provided the voice for the main villain Matt Ninesister in the third installment of the Stick 10: Even More Swag animated specials, The United League of Stereotypes.