With memorable appearances under the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator banners, Jay Hieron made a name for himself in professional MMA. Now he’s making a name in Hollywood, but it’s been a learning process.

“The camera doesn’t lie,” Hieron told MMAjunkie Radio. “It’s just like fights. If a guy doesn’t show up, and he’s not in shape to get in a fight, it’ll show. It doesn’t lie. That’s the great thing about cameras. So being that said, when they do fight scenes, of course they want a guy that really knows what he’s doing.”

Hieron has proven himself as one of those guys. “The Thoroughbred” already boasts more than 70 credits as both a stuntman and speaking actor, and he’s booking new gigs every day.

It may seem like a natural progression for a retired professional fighter to reenact the sport on screen, but Hieron said it was actually much more difficult than you might expect.

“You could be a great fighter – a real fighter in real life – but you can’t transition to film fighting,” Hieron said. “So I took my time and worked hard at learning how to fight for film, to sell the punches and make reactions real and make it look like I’m really getting hit. I had to work on that.

“Over time I learned film fighting is a whole different ballgame than real fighting. It’s a total opposite. You have to open up your punches, throw wide. For reactions, your chin should be up, and you’ve got to look like your neck is wobbly.”

While MMA fans often criticize MMA movies for their lack of realism, especially when it comes to fight scenes. But Hieron hasn’t been focused on recreating MMA. He’s been logging scenes in TV Series such as “The Americans,” “Better Call Saul,” “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage” and more, and he said the approach to on-screen action is vastly different than a real fight.

“If you film a real fight, a hit that is a devastating hit won’t even look like a real powerful hit, as you see sometimes in the UFC,” Hieron said. “A guy will get hit, and it’s like, ‘How did he get hurt by that?’ Then you watch the replay, and maybe his weight was coming forward and the other guy was coming forward, and it’s like two trucks colliding. That won’t sell for film. Nobody will get that.

“You’ve got to throw wide and big – Wanderlei Silva style.”

Hieron, 40, is hoping to book more speaking scenes as his career develops, but he’s carving out a niche for himself as a stuntman, as well. He hasn’t competed in MMA since a February 2013 loss to current UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, but Hieron said he’s just fine with his new life, even if it’s been a lot to learn.

According to Hieron, it’s all about the residuals.

“When I was weighing the pros and cons, I was like, ‘OK, I can do this, I can retire from it, and every time they show it … I’m getting a check in the mail,” Hieron said. “That’s great.”

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.