The 10 Best MMA Movies, Ranked

Though controversial figures like Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor and organizations like the UFC have turned mixed martial arts into one of the most popular sports in the world, that popularity has failed to translate to the world of cinema. "Rocky" and "Raging Bull" showed what full-contact competitive fighting sports could uniquely bring to the sports subgenre, and the continued success of the "Creed" series proves that the appetite from audiences for this sort of film persists despite the Marvel-ification of the movie theater.

So why aren't there more MMA movies? It's likely because what few have been produced have, on the whole, been critical failures. But that doesn't mean this sub-subgenre is doomed altogether. We've found the 10 best MMA movies ever made, the best qualities of each arguably revealing what qualities future films need to master before entering the theatrical octagon themselves.

If there's one thing mixed martial arts fans know when it comes to film, it's that genuinely good MMA movies are few and far between. The sub-subgenre is filled with low-budget, high-effort action flicks that pack in as many dazzling fight sequences as they can into a 90-minute runtime, almost always at the expense of basic story elements like plot, character, and theme. One of these movies is 2010's "Locked Down" (not to be confused with the pandemic era film of the same name).

Cult genre favorite Tony Schiena reunites with late director Daniel Zirilli, the two having previously worked together on the similarly middling MMA movie "Circle of Pain." Rather than playing a straight-up athlete in "Locked Down," however, Schiena had to adapt his style to play a police officer framed for a crime and subsequently forced to fight in an illegal prison MMA tournament (run by Vinnie Jones). Kimbo Slice, Rashad Evans, and Forest Griffin also feature in the film in supporting roles.

There isn't much to say about "Locked Down" beyond the fact that it's the best of the worst MMA movies. If you absolutely love everyone involved, it won't be too much of a chore to sit through.

"Never Back Down" was a hard movie to place on this list. It's far from a masterpiece, and it's likely all but the most ravenous MMA fans will find it watchable, if encountering it for the first time in the 2020s. And yet, for others — especially those who grew up with and are maybe even MMA fans because of it — it is the MMA movie. It tells the story of a high school boy (Sean Faris) who trains to fight a bully terrorizing him and his friends.

For director Jeff Wadlow (who ultimately went on to helm the action-packed but underwhelming sequel to "Kick Ass"), "Never Back Down" is something of a morality tale about the ways people deal with the intense emotions that naturally rise up inside of them. While Ryan "The Terror" McCarthy (the archetypal high school bully played by Cam Gigandet) represents using strength and fighting ability as a means of dominating those who are most vulnerable, Djimon Hounsou's Jean Roqua represents positive qualities of "dedication, commitment, honor, and friendship."

As Wadlow said to Tribute in 2008, "I think, in life, everything has a positive side and a negative side, and MMA culture — not the sport of MMA... has both of those [sides]. And we presented both." This isn't to suggest "Never Back Down" is a straightforward "after school special" about right and wrong, but rather, it's a brutally honest story about the consequences of one's choices (emphasis on the word brutal). Though it never fully achieves the sort of complexity it perhaps unintentionally sacrifices in favor of flashy fight scenes built around well-worn stoic tropes, "Never Back Down" still deserves credit for staking MMA as a legitimate sports sub-subgenre.

Even after you watch the trailer for "Here Comes the Boom," Kevin James and the idea of an MMA movie don't exactly seem like they go hand in hand. On the contrary, James had been a longtime fan of the sport even before signing on to the film, having spent so much time ringside at UFC matches that he had developed friendships with several fighters — including UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten, who trained the actor during his time on "King of Queens." As such, James came into "Here Comes the Boom" with the utmost respect for the sport, and he was able to demonstrate his commitment so much that the UFC gave production permission to use official branding in the film.

The story follows a former college wrestler and high school teacher (James) who decides to train as a competitive MMA fighter. Director Frank Coraci was also dedicated to telling the outlandish story as truthfully as possible, starting James' unlikely hero from a place where he couldn't imagine stepping in the ring and working him up slowly to competing in the UFC. James and Rutten also felt the advent of social media and internet virality lent their story more credibility, as real fight promoters would give someone like James a shot if there was a human interest angle and/or a significant online following — likening their story to that of viral street-fighter-turned-pro Kimbo Slice.

But while the film certainly reinforced James' respect, it also reminded him of what separates him from someone like Slice. "There's something I didn't do in this movie that these guys do, and that's literally, at the end of the day... [the fighters] get in that octagon, they lock that door, and it's just you and another guy," he told MMA Weekly. "And that, to me, I don't want any part of it, man."

"Fighting" is a rather unusual MMA movie. Despite taking place during the UFC's rise in popularity, it more or less dismisses the sport entirely in any formal capacity, instead depicting it as a completely underground movement dominated by disparate cultures and crime lords. It's a fascinating approach to the subject matter, which allows Channing Tatum's protagonist to operate as an arresting cross between a down on his luck athlete and a video game hero moving from level to level. His character Shawn is a broke con-artist who is recruited by an underground fight promoter (Terrence Howard) to compete in no-rules, full-contact matches for thousands of dollars. As he descends deeper into this hidden world of dangerous fighters and even more dangerous handlers, he struggles to maintain his sense of identity.

Tatum had previously worked with director Dito Monteil on "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" and brought him onto the project when it was originally about a basketball player. Both decidedly unenthusiastic about shooting a basketball drama, they reworked it as an MMA drama influenced by the 1969 film "Midnight Cowboy." Tatum was partnered with UFC fighter Cung Le, the two becoming friends over the course of shooting. In addition to helping train Tatum, Le plays one of the fighters Shawn meets during his journey.

The 2024 remake of "Road House" sees Jake Gyllenhaal take over for his former "Donnie Darko" co-star Patrick Swayze in a remake that is much darker than the original. "The Bourne Identity" director Doug Liman (a longtime friend of Gyllenhaal's) brought up the reimagined story over dinner with the actor, explaining how the protagonist would be a washed-up UFC fighter tasked with defending the titular roadhouse (yes, there's a space in the title but not in the actual word) from unscrupulous businessmen. Gyllenhaal instantly took to the idea of rebooting "Road House" and committed wholeheartedly — going so far as to make a surprise, live appearance during a real UFC match so they could capture one of his character's early match-ups for a scene in the film.

Admittedly, "Road House" (2024) doesn't really stack up to the 1989 film. It's also worth noting that Liman has accused distributor Amazon of using its streaming service Prime Video to circumvent his contract and even boycotted the film's premiere over it. All that said, Jake Gyllenhaal is charming as ever as a "Mr. Rogers"-type bruiser, and what few fans remain of Conor McGregor will probably find some enjoyment in seeing him act as a fictional villain (instead of his usual role as a real life villain). A sequel is currently in the works, with Gyllenhaal returning to bust more heads.

As part of the major deal she signed with Netflix, Halle Berry directed and starred in "Bruised," an MMA movie that stands out for being one of the few martial arts stories told from a woman's perspective. Her character Jackie Justice is a retired UFC fighter who retreated from both the sport and the world after a humiliating loss. When her estranged young son reappears in her life, she attempts to rebuild her career from the ground up in order to provide for him.

Berry, a fan of MMA and no stranger to action films herself, knew she would have to suffer a few bruises in order to bring the film over the finish line. After over two years of rigorous training, this ultimately included a literal broken rib she sustained early during shooting — a similar injury which had previously cost her eight weeks of shooting for "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum." She thus chose to keep this hidden from production in order to avoid a shutdown that would cost her what little resources she had managed to gather during her limited production window — including UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, who plays a supporting role in the film and helped Berry hone her fighting technique. 

"I just knew I would lose all of these things that I had been working so hard for," she told NPR. "And I knew I could puncture a lung, sure. I was told that the first time I broke the ribs [while filming "John Wick"], which is why they made me stop. But I took the gamble... stopping never crossed my mind. It was more — how can I get through this fight?"

"Bruised" predictably remains mostly lost among Netflix's sea of original films, and it was far from a critical hit when it landed in 2020. Still, Berry's directorial debut is a promising one, as she deftly breathes humanity into an MMA storyline.

If you've already seen the film "Redbelt," you're probably a die hard martial arts fan already. When it premiered in 2008, it received very little attention from the public — save from Stephen King, who listed it among his favorite films of the year. For our part, /Film rightfully recognized Chiwetel Ejiofor for his outstanding performance in the film a full five years before "12 Years a Slave" would make his talent obvious to the world and turn him into a household name. 

In "Redbelt," he plays Mike Terry, a financially struggling Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor who has a chance encounter with a waning Hollywood action star (appropriately played by Tim Allen, who was arguably the film's biggest name at the time). As Mike's situation worsens, he learns the art he shared with his new friends is being hijacked and corrupted to make them rich — compelling him to enter their MMA competition to set things right. 

Ejiofor trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu both so he could execute his character's physicality and so that he could better understand the moral code that drives the film's story. "The sense of competing for commerce is something that [Mike] doesn't believe in and won't do, and the reason why he trains people is to defend themselves and to prevail through that defense," Ejiofor explained to NPR. "And the complexities of the world surrounding fight come to bear in the sense of the whole nature of the fight world and the fact that there are riches to be made through fighters and you know, he has tough choices to make." 

"Redbelt" also features several figures from the MMA world including Mike Goldberg, Dan Inosanto, Enson Inoue, Ray Mancini, and Randy Couture, the latter of whom plays a major supporting role as fight organizer Dylan Flynn.

In our book, any martial arts film showcasing the unique talents of Michael Jai White deserves praise, even if the story surrounding him is a little lacking. "Blood and Bone" features the prolific action star as an MMA fighter attempting to put a life of violent crime behind him, only to be forced back into the criminal underworld by a ruthless mob boss (Eamon Walker).

Interestingly enough, there's a solid chance readers will have come into indirect contact with "Blood and Bone," even if they've never seen the movie before. A clip of White and fighter Kimbo Slice (who appears in the film as a prison inmate) filmed on the set of the movie has gone viral several times over the years, seen by tens of millions of people online. While shooting a fight scene between himself and Kimbo, the latter struggled to react properly because White was moving so fast. "See, Kimbo needed to react like he was being punched but he claimed he couldn't see it," White later explained on his own YouTube channel. "I needed to slow it up and punch closer to his face so he could see it and finally react like he's being punched." A frustrated Kimbo asked White to show him why the punch was nearly invisible afterward, to which White obliged, leading to the viral clip of White showing how big a role telegraphing plays in combat.

Both the clip and the film are testament to how great of a martial artist White is, which can be credited in part to his humble willingness to learn, even when it required him getting shown up by the likes of Billy Blanks (a move Blanks used to knock White down was affectionately included in the film). Along with Kimbo Slice, "Blood and Bone" features Gina Carano, Gene LeBell, Ernest "The Cat" Miller, Matt Mullins, Bob Sapp, Maurice Smith, and Robert Wall.

Before the UFC turned it into a global sporting phenomenon, Hollywood had already produced one of the best MMA movies they'd ever make. 1988's "Bloodsport" stars martial arts legend Jean-Claude Van Damme as Frank Dux, a real Canadian-American fighter who claimed to have fought his way through an illegal MMA tournament in Hong Kong called the "Kumite."

Behind the scenes, however, the creation "Bloodsport" was apparently something of a fight to the death in and of itself. The real Frank Dux actually spoke to /Film in 2016 to give his account of how the film came to be (as well as clear the air about a number of rumors that questioned the veracity of his life story). According to Dux, he befriended playwright Sheldon Lettich (one of the film's writers) who was drawn to his story of surviving an underground fighting tournament with his ninjutsu skills (Dux himself had been in the process of turning the story into a film called "Enter the Ninja," though that never materialized). For his part, Lettich confusingly described "Bloodsport" as being his idea to Asian Movie Pulse, despite stating that story came from one of the few tales Dux had told him that didn't "[turn] out to be bulls***."

"There was one guy who he introduced me to, named Richard Bender, who claimed to have actually been at the Kumite event and who swore everything Frank told me was true," Lettich told AMP. "A few years later this guy had a falling-out with Frank, and confessed to me that everything he told me about the Kumite was a lie; Frank had coached him in what to say." To /Film, Dux accused Lettich of attempting to take credit for his ideas to avoid being discarded by Van-Damme. Whether fact or fiction, "Bloodsport" is a tale too wild to believe — and too thrilling to deny.

Without question, the undisputed champion of MMA movies — and one of the best sports movies ever made, period — is Gavin O'Connor's "Warrior." Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy star as brothers — torn apart as years prior, ultimately due to a dysfunctional upbringing at the hands of their alcoholic father (played by Nick Nolte) — who train to fight one another in a tournament that could change their lives forever. Ever committed to his craft, Hardy built his physique on broccoli and beatings, though even he couldn't remain unphased when the film's brutal fight choreography got a little too real.

Reflecting on "Warrior" in an exclusive interview with /Film a decade after its release in 2021, O'Connor shared that he was intent on making the movie's fights as physically credible as possible, in contrast to those seen in "Rocky." The Sylvester Stallone classic was one of the most important films to him when he was growing up, and its strong character-driven narrative inspired O'Connor to challenge himself and the audience by creating two opposing character equally worthy of affection. "How do I get [the audience] to have deep feelings about both of them, and not only their trauma, but also the stakes of their lives? The fight outside of the cage?," he recalled of his thought process to us. "If I can hook them into that, I'm going to challenge them... When they face each other in the showdown, now who are you rooting for? That was the idea."

The film features an ensemble of real MMA fighters in its supporting cast, including Erik Apple, Roan Carneiro, Yves Edwards, Anthony Johnson, Nate Marquardt, and Amir Perets, with WWE legend Kurt Angle added to the mix as well. "Warrior" is the rare MMA drama that will excite average moviegoers and casual enthusiasts, while still satisfying lifelong fans of the sport.