Magician ‘calls out’ Criss Angel for MMA cage brawl — VIDEO
A magician wants to take his beef with Criss Angel to a new place — a cage, specifically, for a mixed martial arts brawl.
All for charity, of course.
“A lot of people want to see this fight happen,” Brett Daniels says in a video challenge to the Luxor headliner. “A lot of people want to see you get your ass beat. I’m one of ’em.”
“It’s about time somebody called him out,” Daniels added by telephone. “What can I do, say, ‘Let’s do card tricks’?”
The two once were friends and prospective business partners for a packaged tour of magicians similar to the Broadway and touring show “The Illusionists.” But Daniels said they could never come to terms on a contract, and he claims Angel proceeded to use illusions Daniels has the rights to for both the touring show “The Supernaturalists” and the new edition of his Luxor showcase.
Daniels also shared a July 12 email he says he sent to Angel:
“Tell me why you didn’t ask me before you put my levitation efx in your new show?” he wrote. “I see your many posts with Chuck Lidell (sic), Randy Couture — all the MMA guys … . Your countless tweets of u in the gym — you’re in shape, buddy!”
“I’m challenging you to a full contact 3 round MMA fight. Las Vegas, 2017. You and me — hey — I’m a 55-year-old man … out of shape and never got into a fight in my adult life.
“But for you — I’ll learn how to fight,” he concluded. “We’ll do it for charity. It’ll be fun.”
Angel performs 41 weeks a year at Luxor and it seems highly unlikely he or his Cirque du Soleil co-producers would agree to anything that risks cancellation of a show which can’t go on without its star.
Neither Angel’s publicist nor Cirque (which is a little busy hosting Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for Thursday’s “Love” anniversary bash) had responded by midday.
“They probably won’t let him do it,” Daniels acknowledged, though he also is willing to wait until the Luxor show runs its course. “But Criss is a surprising guy. He might just say, ‘You know what you big-mouth Brett Daniels? You’re on. Let’s do it.’ ”
“He can ignore it, but it diminishes his brand, his (expletive).”
And few could argue it would raise a staggering amount of money for charity, presumably the pediatric cancer research for which Angel is organizing a Sept. 12 benefit concert called “Heal Every Life Possible.” Angel’s toddler son is battling leukemia.
Last weekend’s UFC 200 announced a live gate of $10.7 million and more than 1.5 million pay-per-view buys, with an estimated gross in the ballpark of $90 million. If Angel-Daniels could generate even a third of that, the offer might not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
Read more from Mike Weatherford at reviewjournal.com. Contact him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com and follow @Mikeweatherford on Twitter.
