Most action stars avoid real fighters. Van Damme stepped into the ring with one. When Michael Jai White worked with him on Universal Soldier, White was still actively competing. Van Damme was already the lead, the guy whose name was on the poster. He had nothing to prove by sparring someone who was actually fighting people for real. He did it anyway. White later said: “Van Damme’s not afraid to spar people. He sparred me… when we were doing ‘Universal Soldier.’ We would work out together and he had no real fear… which was a trip because he’s the lead and I was still competing at the time.” White was clear they weren’t equals “he wasn’t supposed to be.” That’s what made it stick with him. Van Damme knew he was facing another fighter, knew he could get tagged, and still gave him that trust. White called him “an outstanding guy” for it. It’s a small thing that happened between takes, but it says more about Van Damme than most of the fight scenes ever did.