Ex-UFC star Keith Jardine finding successful second act in Hollywood

In the fall of 2007, two days after Keith Jardine celebrated his most famous victory by defeating UFC legend Chuck Liddell, he was back home in New Mexico. The adrenaline of the win had long since worn off, leaving Jardine feeling as though he’d suffered through a car crash. After visiting his doctor to address some of the injuries he’d sustained throughout his training camp and in the fight, he was relaxing in a cafe in Bernalillo with his fiancée Jodie Esquibel when he noticed two people slowly approaching them.

He assumed the duo to be shy fans, but instead, they introduced themselves as Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, co-directors of a movie that was in pre-production in the area. After…