He starred in an iconic 90s blockbuster but turned his back on acting for a MMA career… but can YOU guess who it is?

This iconic child star starred in a ’90s blockbuster but has since left acting for a career in MMA.

The actor, now 33, has landed roles in Oscar-winning films but has now left Hollywood behind to pursue other endeavors.

He looks very different now than when he was in the spotlight – as the sweet boy from ’90s TV has undergone a complete transformation.

With a ripped physique from martial arts training, he has gone on Celebs Go Dating and maintains an active online presence.

But can you guess who it is?

Career change: The ’90s blockbuster star is now an MMA fighter

Were you right? It’s none other than Stuart Little and Jerry Maguire star Jonathan Lipnicki.

He played Ray Boyd, Renee Zellweger‘s son in the Oscar-winning classic.

As a child, after starring in Jerry Maguire, he landed roles on The Single Guy, The Jeff Foxworthy Show and episodes of Dawson’s Creek.

He then appeared in the sitcom Meego and became a hit again when he starred in the hit film Stuart Little in 1999.

He played a boy whose family adopts a talking mouse. Stuart was voiced by former child star Michael J. Fox.

Jonathan also appeared in the E4 series Celebs Go Dating in 2018, alongside Sam Thompson, Gemma Collins and Ollie Locke, where he took Rebecca Mason to LA.

But in another episode, Jonathan stormed out of his date when she continued to focus on his children’s roles and wouldn’t see him in a new light.

Earlier this year, he joined Jeffrey Dahmer production company Buffalo 8 as an executive producer and also taught “actors gym” classes.

At the time: Jonathan Lipnicki starred in the Stuart Little films

Today: Jonathan has turned his back on acting for the time being and once said he found it difficult to get work after Jerry Maguire

Jonathan, who earned his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu in 2020, started martial arts training from a young age because his father owned an MMA production company.

“My family owns an MMA promotion company, so it’s kind of a family deal,” he told ESPN in 2012.

“That’s why I gave my mother a lot of fighters to fight in a show. I’m training one of my friends right now: he’s fighting a jiu-jitsu guy.

“So I’m his sparring man. If it’s someone much better, I’m not a good sparring partner.’

In 2002, he reprized the role in the film’s sequel, also appearing in 2000’s The Little Vampire and 2002’s Bow Wow in Like Mike.

He also played the lead character, Tony Thompson, in the 2000 film The Little Vampire and co-starred with hip-hop rapper Bow Wow in the 2002 sports film, Like Mike.

In 2016, Lipnicki revealed to DailyMail.com that since Jerry Maguire, it has been difficult to film directors and producers see him as something different than that cute boy from the movie.

He said being an actor is a constant endeavor, but he still scored roles in Indy films and wanted to become a mainstream adult actor.

Reality spotlight: He starred on Celebs Go Dating in 2018, alongside Sam Thompson, Ollie Locke and Gemma Collins

Transformation: Jonathan, an actor, producer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, now 33, (now pictured) played Renee Zellweger’s son Ray Boyd in the Oscar-winning classic

And he considered himself lucky to have a mentor in his former co-star Cruise, who he still keeps in touch with to this day.

Lipnicki trains diligently in martial arts and says staying in top physical condition helps him stay centered and mentally strong in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood. Moreover, having a six-pack also helps you book more jobs.

The Academy Award-winning film Jerry Maguire, which marked Lipnicki’s acting debut, is one of the highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time. It was a verified box office hit, earning a whopping $274 million worldwide.

Recalling life on the film set as a five-year-old, Lipnicki said, “Every year the memories become fewer and fewer, but Tom and Renee were truly wonderful to work with. Everyone was a pleasure to work with, and I was fortunate that this was my first role in such a positive environment. What I remember is how warm everyone was to me.”

Lipnicki says he has kept in touch with much of the cast, but especially Cruise, whom he emails occasionally, and last contacted him about a year ago.

“That was the last one, I had a new car – I had a ’67 Mustang for a while – and (Cruise) wanted to see it, so I sent him a picture of that. He’s a guy!’

Lipnicki describes Cruise with the highest regard and calls him his role model. He also admires how Cruise does all his own stunts, something he admits he would like to do more of himself.

He explained: ‘I’d like to do more stunts, I just haven’t had the chance to do anything too crazy yet. I had a fight scene with Danny Trejo in Bad Ass 2 a few years ago, which was fun. I would like to do that more.’

As a child, after starring in Jerry Maguire, he landed roles in The Single Guy, The Jeff Foxworthy Show and episodes of Dawson’s Creek (pictured in 2019)

Speaking about how Cruise has been there to give him career advice, he continued, “If I have a question, he’s been very open when I need advice. He has always said that if you have any questions the door is always open and he has always been very responsive and helpful.”

When asked what the best advice Cruise had given him, Lipnicki praised his mentor’s work ethic.

“It’s not even so much about what he said, it’s about modeling myself after how hard that guy works,” Lipnicki explained. ‘If I could work half as hard as that guy,

‘I am doing very well. I mean, that man’s professionalism and work ethic are insane; he is someone I have always really looked up to. I’ll always look up to him, he’ll always be a role model because no one I’ve ever met or worked with has had that much energy where they are… that laser focus is fascinating.”