Jason David Frank is best known as Tommy Oliver, aka the Green Ranger, but he’s also a trained MMA fighter. Jean-Claude Van Damme is one of the world’s most famous martial arts based actors, and apparently the two stars threw down at a recent Comic Con event over the weekend.
The Blast reports that Jason David Frank and Jean-Claude Van Damme came face to face on Saturday, and apparently things got ugly.
Van Damme and Jason David Frank have a long running feud which started when the two actors exchanged words at the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” premiere back in 1995. Frank publicly challenged Van Damme to a fight in 2010, but the fight never happened.
According to Jason David Frank, he was asked to share his green room with Van Damme and his 20 person entourage at La Mole Comic Con in Mexico City, and JDF agreed.
Frank says that he started to get suspicious when Van Damme’s handler approached him asking about a photo-op, but Frank agreed thinking that Van Damme wanted to bury the hatchet.
But according to JDF, it was all a set up, and Jean-Claude Van Damme approached him with cameras rolling and demanded an apology. JDF claims that Van Damme brought up the 2010 challenge and said, “Let’s throw down.”
Frank then name dropped his friend Chuck Zito who knocked out Van Damme in a bar in the 90s. The two stars agreed to a MMA brawl, and JDF put Van Damme in a headlock and put him up against a wall.
Frank says that Van Damme then froze up and seemed surprised that he actually wanted to fight him, so it was over before it began. Security then apparently intervened and broke it up.
This is of course JDF’s side of the story, and it’s unclear at this point in time if Van Damme plans to release the footage that was filmed from his cameras.
The Blast has obtained footage from the confrontation, but even though it does show a heated exchange, it doesn’t show any physical interaction. You can watch the video here.
JDF recently commented on the altercation when he posted the following on Instagram:
“People told me to never meet your heroes because they will disappoint you. It’s unfortunate that this happened in 1995. Despite the fact, I’ll always be a big fan of his movies. I’m not holding a grudge. I think it’s better to be professional and offer to fight in the cage not at a comic con. If your a fan, still be a fan. Do not let this alter your opinion. For me, I enjoyed the heck out of my fans at La Mole Comic Con and that is what feeds my fire. I thought you should all hear it from me rather then seeing it online. By the way, Bloodsport is still a classic film haha Full article on my Facebook page.
JDF @blast”
