12/09/2025
😳📢Steven Seagal questioned Jean Claude Van Damme’s real kickboxing record and Mocked Him as a ‘small Hollywood tough guy’ but turned down a $ 20 million offer to fight Jean Claude Van Damme. What are the details of the feud between Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme?
🥷🤜🥋In the 1990s, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme became the era’s most talked-about action-star rivals—a clash fueled by ego, martial arts credibility, and decades of public jabs. The conflict began in 1991 when Seagal went on The Arsenio Hall Show and dismissed Van Damme’s fighting background, implying JCVD’s kickboxing credentials were exaggerated. Van Damme, who did have competitive experience (even if some titles were overstated), took the dig personally, especially since Seagal had a habit of belittling other martial artists.
🤜📢The feud escalated in 1997 at a Miami party hosted by Sylvester Stallone, where Van Damme challenged Seagal to fight on the spot. According to Stallone and other witnesses, Seagal refused to engage and avoided the confrontation, cementing his reputation among stunt performers as someone who talked tough but ducked real challenges. Around the same time, producer Peter Guber tried to arrange a $40 million cage match between the two; Van Damme was willing, but Seagal never agreed, reinforcing the perception that he wouldn’t risk a real bout.
😳📢Through the 2000s, both men continued trading small public insults—Seagal mocking Van Damme as a “Hollywood tough guy,” Van Damme responding with mild, humorous remarks. Their careers diverged: Van Damme embraced self-aware roles and remained culturally beloved, while Seagal drifted into low-budget films and controversy.
😳📢Then, unexpectedly, in 2025 the two appeared together celebrating Seagal’s 73rd birthday. Van Damme posted a friendly video, framing their old feud as youthful posturing. Fans were shocked but intrigued, joking about deepfakes and demanding a team-up.
😳📢In the end, their rivalry symbolized the ’90s action-film era—authentic martial arts versus Hollywood mythmaking. Van Damme’s humility and adaptability aged well; Seagal’s bravado didn’t. But their public reconciliation offered a rare feel-good epilogue to one of Hollywood’s most infamous macho showdowns.