FightHounds » Multimedia

Warrior: Fight Hounds Movie Review. (Contains Spoilers).

Alan — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:24:08 +0000

When I first heard Warrior was to be an MMA movie I thought in horror of the absolutely rubbish Never Back Down from a couple of years ago, a movie about rich kids engaging in martial arts contests in night clubs and on beaches, predictably culminating in the plucky newcomer defeating the cocky ‘champion’ and stealing his girlfriend. Warrior could not be more different and is in fact a brilliant gem of a movie. While it is most definitely a movie about MMA, it is first and foremost a movie about family, love and courage. MMA is simply a vehicle, a way for the two protagonists, Brendan (Joel Edgerton,) and Tommy (Tom Hardy, Bronson), to display that courage and love and also immense anger. The movie centers on both men’s journeys to Sparta, a 16 man MMA grand prix tournament to be held in Atlantic City in which the winner can win five million dollars.

Tommy, played by the incredible Tom Hardy, is a former high-school wrestling and junior Olympic wrestling champion and now an ex Marine who returns to his home town after 14 years for the simple reason he has nowhere else to go. We soon learn that his father Paddy, portrayed by a typically downbeat and guttural Nick Nolte, is a recovering alcoholic. Tommy and his mother left Paddy and Tommy’s brother Brendan years before to escape his abusive behavior. When his mother died Tommy joined the Marines while his brother became a school-teacher and married his childhood sweetheart. When Paddy visits Brendan to tell him of Tommy’s return it is made clear that neither son has any time for a father desperate to make up for time lost in the bottom of a bottle.

We see Tommy visiting the gym where he trained as a young man to find that it is now an MMA gym. The big name fighter in the gym is ‘Mad Dog’ Grimes who knocks out his sparring partner leaving him with no one else to spar with in the lead up to the Sparta tournament. Tommy volunteers and viciously knocks out ‘Mad Dog’ in fairly short order. Hardy simple radiates an almost palpable rage and bitterness during the brilliantly staged fight scenes, his anger bearing him down so that his massive shoulders are permanently hunched. His domination of Grimes earns him a spot in the Sparta tournament and determined to win he enlists his erstwhile father as a coach, taking the first tentative steps towards conciliation though Tommy denies this is his intent.

Brendan’s road to Sparta is somewhat more circuitous. A retired UFC fighter and now much loved high-school teacher, he fights in small time unsanctioned MMA bouts to earn extra money. Turning up at his day-job with cuts and bruises the school-board suspends him without pay, leaving his young family in dire financial straits. He decides to fight full time while suspended and returns to train with Frank Campana (Frank Grillo) who is a kind of Greg Jackson figure in the fictional MMA world. During training, Frank’s number one fighter Marcos Santos is injured and Brendan talks Frank into letting him replaced Santos. The stage is then set for an emotional collision in the middle of an MMA cage.

Warrior is grim, dominated by Hardy’s anger. The majority of the locations before the movie reaches Atlantic City are dull and colorless giving a sense of hopelessness to the whole film. How can either brother hope to win? Tommy has never fought in MMA while Brendan is considered too old. Intriguingly though, both characters have wrestling backgrounds which as all MMA fans know is considered probably the most essential tool in a fighter’s arsenal. Their fighting styles are contrasting; Tommy is a brutal knock-out artist, overwhelming opponents with sheer aggression and power. Brendan, on the other hand is a tactician and submission specialist.

Providing an undertone the whole movie is Paddy, who we frequently witness listening to an audio version of Moby Dick, the classic tale of Captain Ahab seeking the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg years ago. Paddy resembles Ishmael, the narrator of Moby Dick and a sailor on Ahab’s ship, who is borne along by Ahab’s need for vengeance against the whale; described in the book by the obsessed captain as an evil creature. Paddy is caught in the middle of two sons; neither of him wants him and who will almost inevitably collide with great violence. After a confrontation with Tommy concerning his reasons for leaving the Marines, we see Paddy relapse into alcoholism while listening to Moby Dick and crying out for Ahab to stop the ship. Hope is subtly introduced when Tommy takes pity on his father and comforts him while Brendan’s wife reverses her initial decision to never watch Brendan fight again when she realizes there is a chance he might win. Again, each brother’s route to the finals is contrasting, either side of first meeting between the brothers for many years before the tournament. Tommy makes it clear he resents Brendan for not leaving with him years ago while Brendan tries to make Tommy understand why he stayed. When the tournament gets underway, Tommy ruthlessly knocks out three opponents, including another first round of destruction of ‘Mad Dog’ Grimes. Brendan struggles past three opponents, submitting each one late in the fights – including an unbeaten Russian fighter named Koba (guess who Koba’s based on) played by Kurt Angle – but only after taking a severe beating from each one.

The tournament takes over the last act of the movie and is skillfully handled. None of the fights are individually unrealistic although the amount of punishment Brendan takes through his three fights leading seems a bit much. The final between the brothers is brilliantly written, far from cheesy and though it is full of emotion, it is not clogged with it. The climax of the fight is the only way I can imagine the film ending in way that is completely satisfying. The characters in Warrior are complex and multi-layered and utterly believable. Tommy’s reasons for leaving the Marines emerge during the tournament as do Brendan’s for staying with his abusive father during his childhood. The fights themselves will easily satisfy MMA fans while also capturing the imaginations of those perhaps not familiar with the sport. There is of course the inevitable training montage but again it is well handled and does not detract from the film as a whole. Calling it the Rocky of MMA movies is perhaps a bit of a misnomer. This film is less about the brave underdog than it is about the power of love to heal deep personal wounds and the unbreakable bond between brothers. Indeed after the final fight, the brother’s leave arm-in-arm seemingly reconciled – something we often see when bitter adversaries leave it all in the cage. It does itself less favors with frequent talk of men being killed or ending up in the hospital but this can be forgiven given the nature of the movie. An argument about the safety of MMA would simply not fit the tone of the film.

In short, this is a brilliant brilliant movie and absolutely worth seeing over and over for fans and non-fans alike. Oscar worthy-ish was how one friend described it to me and I’d find it difficult to disagree with that. Hardy’s performance deserves to be recognized and I cannot wait to see him as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises next year. Go see Warrior, you won’t regret it.

Alan Keane.

Advertise On Fight Hounds.

AUDIO: John Kavanagh talks Cage Warriors ‘Fight Night 2′

Woody — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:44:36 +0000

With only hours to go till Cage Warriors ‘Fight Night 2″ Fight Hounds caught up with Head Coach of Straight Blast Gym (Ireland) and Fight Hound’s 2010 ‘Coach Of The Year’ John Kavanagh for a quick chat about tonight’s event, his fighters on tonight’s card, MMA in Ireland and more.

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship: “Fight Night 2” takes place tonight, September 8th, at the Al-Hussein Youth City Boxing Arena in Amman, Jordan. Check out the fight card and ways to watch bellow.

FIGHT CARD

Light-Heavyweight (3×5 Minute Rounds)

Ihab Janeb (Pro Debut) The Source MMA, Jordan vs. Mohammad “Felx” Ali (Pro Debut)

Lightweight (3×5 Minute Rounds)
Merv Mulholland (8-4-0) Amir Gerandokov (2-1-0)

Middleweight (3×5 Minute Rounds)
Jack Hermansson (4-0-0) vs. Mike Ling (8-2-0)

Lightweight (3×5 Minute Rounds)
Zac Stratton (Pro Debut) vs. James “Scraps” Saville (7-3-0)

Welterweight (3×5 Minute Rounds)
Cathal “The Punisher” Pendred (9-2-0) vs. Danny Mitchell (9-3-0)

Women’s Catchweight Bout Set at 132lbs (3×5 Minute Rounds)
Aisling “Ais The Bash” (11-2-0) vs. Angie Hayes (4-5-0)

Lightweight (3×5 Minute Rounds)
Conor “Notorious” McGregor (8-2-0) vs. Nicklas Backstrom (3-0-0-1nc)

Main Event – CWFC Welterweight Title Fight (5×5 Minute Rounds)
Arni “The Ice Viking” Isaksson (11-3) vs. Gael Grimaud (13-5)

Cage Warriors: Come join the action

Click here to view the embedded video.

WAYS TO WATCH

To watch Cage Warriors Fight Night 2 LIVE online go to http://www.cagewarriorslive.com/ and follow the instructions on the day

Or fight fans can catch the fights live via their TV screens on Premier Sports TV (Sky Channel 433 in the UK), Setanta Sports 1 (Ireland), Setanta Africa (Africa), The Fight Network (Canada), and Sport 2 (Iceland). Check local listings for exact broadcast times in your region.

Keep Checking www.cagewarriors.com for more updates on this event.
And talk about this event on our forum here

Whilst you can be a “fan” of Cage Warriors on Facebook here

Or follow Cage Warriors on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CageWarriors

“AUDIO” Punchin & Crunchin: The Final Show (9/8/2011)

Woody — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:06:16 +0000

Barry Kearney, Denis Kennedy and Andrew Mc Gahon are back for what will be the final show and it’s MMA talk all the way with the “best bits” over the last year and a half on Ireland’s only MMA radio show Punchin & Crunchin.

Listen Live: Dunndalkfm.com
Website: www.myspace.com/punchinandcrunchinfm
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/punchinandcrunchinfm
Email:punchin@dundalkfm.com
Phone: 0429395100
Text: 087-9127799

VIDEO: Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz exchange heated words: Part 2

Woody — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:06:58 +0000

It starts with words, but it will end with a fight. Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz will square off for the second time on August 6th at UFC 133. Watch the event Live on Pay-Per-View or www.UFC.tv at 6/9pm PT/ET.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Main card

* Light Heavyweight bout: Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
* Middleweight bout: Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
* Welterweight bout: Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
* Middleweight bout: Jorge Rivera vs. Costantinos Philippou
* Welterweight bout: vs. Mike Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald

Preliminary card (televised)

* Light Heavyweight bout: Matt Hamill vs. Alexander Gustafsson
* Featherweight bout: Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya

Preliminary card (Facebook)

* Bantamweight bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
* Welterweight bout: Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
* Featherweight bout: Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
* Middleweight bout: Rafael Natal vs. Paul Bradley

VIDEO: Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz exchange heated words.

Woody — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:59:00 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Main card

Preliminary card (televised)

* Light Heavyweight bout: Matt Hamill vs. Alexander Gustafsson
* Featherweight bout: Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya

Preliminary card (Facebook)

* Bantamweight bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
* Welterweight bout: Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
* Featherweight bout: Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
* Middleweight bout: Rafael Natal vs. Paul Bradley

Cage Contender X TV Details.

Woody — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:32:15 +0000

Ireland:

Setanta Sports (Premier Broadcast Partner)
First Airing: 30/07/2011 @ 19:00hrs
Repeat: TBC

Sky Sports
First Airing: Sky Sports 2, 02/08/2011 @ 22:00hrs
Repeat: Sky Sports 3, 03/08/2011 @ 00:00hrs

Canada

The Fight Network
First Airing: 30/07/2011 @ 20:00hrs
Repeat: Re Runs through out the month of August

Africa

First Airing: 31/07/2011 @ 22:00hrs
Repeat: TBC

Australia

First Airing: 31/07/2011 @ 16:45hrs
Repeat: TBC

Asia

First Airing: 01/08/2011 : 19:00hrs
Repeat: TBC

RUNNING ORDER

LIGHTWEIGHT
Sebastian “Tiao” Torres v Phillip Mulpeter

WELTERWEIGHT
Rich “Sauza” Gorey v Kieran Davern

BANTAMWEIGHT
Richie Edgeworth v Tony Keane

LIGHTWEIGHT
Ciaran Kearny v Joe McColgan

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Michael Kukowski v Dave Reilly

CAGE CONTENDER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
Chris “The Killing” Fields v John “Wrecking Machine” Redmond

CAGE CONTENDER FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE
“Rowdy” Owen Roddy v Benjamin “Son of Life” Davis

HIGHLIGHTS OF ALL OTHER FIGHTS

Credit: Cagecontender.net

VIDEO: UFC 135 Press Conference.

Woody — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:30:09 +0000

Dana White, Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson storm Denver for an entertaining press conference that cracks up everyone at the dais – and in the audience.

Part 1

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 2

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 3

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video Credit: UFC.com

“AUDIO” Punchin & Crunchin: (26/7/2011)

Woody — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:33:04 +0000

Barry Kearney and Andrew Mc Gahon are back and it’s MMA talk all the way with a review of Cage Contender 10 on Ireland’s only MMA radio show Punchin & Crunchin.

Listen Live: Dunndalkfm.com
Website: www.myspace.com/punchinandcrunchinfm
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/punchinandcrunchinfm
Email: punchin@dundalkfm.com
Phone: 0429395100
Text: 087-9127799

“AUDIO” Punchin & Crunchin: (19/7/2011)

Woody — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:51:38 +0000

Barry Kearney and Andrew Mc Gahon are back and it’s MMA talk all the way on Ireland’s only MMA radio show Punchin & Crunchin.

Listen Live: Dunndalkfm.com
Website: www.myspace.com/punchinandcrunchinfm
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/punchinandcrunchinfm
Email: punchin@dundalkfm.com
Phone: 0429395100
Text: 087-9127799

AUDIO: UFC 133 ‘Ortiz Vs. Evans’ Press Conference Call.

Woody — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:12:17 +0000

UFC 133 goes down Saturday August 6th. (2011) at the Walls Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tito Ortiz takes on Rashad Evans once again in the Light Heavyweight division while Yoshihiro Akiyama goes up against hard hitting Vitor Belfort in the Middleweight division. UFC president Dana White took part in the UFC 133 media press conference call which you can listen to (in full) bellow.

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Venue: Wells Fargo Center
Broadcast: Pay-per-view, ESPN UK, Spike TV and Facebook.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Vitor Belfort
Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle
Brian Ebersole vs. Dennis Hallman

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Matt Hamill
Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
Rafael “Sapo” Natal vs. Costantinos Phillippou