Dennis Alexio, who plays Eric Sloane, was a World Light Heavyweight and World Cruiserweight kick boxing champion in real life.
The scene in which Kurt has meat tied to his leg and is chased by Xian Chow's dog was inspired by a real-life event in which a young Jean-Claude Van Damme was ordered by his karate teacher to wear a protective suit and withstand the attempts of a trained dog to pull him to the ground.
The title held by Dennis Alexio's character in the movie - the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) Heavyweight Championship - is a real championship and has been held by Alexio during his fighting career. The belt in the movie, however, is not modeled after the actual belt.
Tong Po is mistakenly billed as playing himself (during the film's credits). In fact, Michel Qissi played the villainous Thai for this film and its sequel Kickboxer 2 - Vendetta per un angelo (1991). Kamel Krifa played the character in the 4th. Qissi can also be seen in three other Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, Senza esclusione di colpi (1988), Lionheart - Scommessa vincente (1990) and Kickboxer - La vendetta del guerriero (2016). In Bloodsport, Qissi is the fighter that gets his leg broken by Chong Li. In Lionheart (AWOL) Qissi plays Moustafe who alongside another legionnaire is trying to bring Lyon from America back to Africa. In Kickboxer: Vengeance, a remake of this movie, Qissi has a brief in-joke cameo as a prisoner who remarks "You forgot about me?" as van Damme walks past his cell.
Michel Qissi was a technical advisor/choreographer when he overheard the production crew say they were looking for a tall oriental-looking guy with a background in Muay Thai. He volunteered, and got the part of Tong Po. Because he is originally from Morocco, make-up was used to make him look more Asian.