TNA Champion Kurt Angle spoke recently with MMAWeekly.com. Among the highlights:

On Why he joined WWE instead of UFC after the 96 Olympics: "I talked to the UFC, but at the time they were only paying their top fighters 15 grand to fight, and here WWE throws this big contract at me. It’s kind of like, let me see, do I struggle and go in the UFC or do I go here and make a bunch of money? Obviously, the decision was very easy."

On training for the 2012 Olympics: “I’ve been training for five months. I contacted USA Wrestling. By the end of the year, I will probably be out at the Olympic training center for periods of time. Their concern was ‘Kurt, are you really doing this? We need you out here because if you make the team, God willing, we want you to medal.’”

On the closest he came to switching to UFC: “I actually contacted Dana White again after [filming upcoming MMA movie "Warrior"]. I flew out to meet him once and got a great offer. I contacted him again, I was thinking about dropping out of Impact wrestling, and there were some personal problems with my marriage and I just wanted to get away. I contacted Dana White, I flew out, and he had me take the UFC physical. I passed it, thank God, and he gave me the offer.

“The terms weren’t good, I mean not for me, and the terms I gave him weren’t good for him. He wanted me ready in four-and-a-half weeks; I wanted three to six months. So I respect Dana White and I love him to death, very good friend. I knew I was capable of winning in four-and-a-half weeks, but I wanted to be at my best.”

Kurt Angle has also taken exception to WWE listing him No. 34 on a top wrestler list.

"I was No. 34 of WWE all-time greatest? Tell you what, take me off the list. I'd rather not be on it if I wasn't top five. Who ranks wrestlers?"