Kurt Angle turned down a reported seven figure deal from Bodog, which would have included multiple fights, but Angle said he only wanted to do one or two fights total - the first, a likely tune-up match, followed by a fight against either Brock Lesnar or Daniel Puder.

In an interview, Angle said he personally called Lesnar trying to put together the match for Bodog. Angle also said that he didn't feel UFC's Dana White respected his gold medal, and claimed that his trainer in Pittsburgh had developed secret techniques that Tito and Chuck don't know that he'd used to beat them if he were ever to face them.