Ronda Rousey The Hurt Business

Ronda Rousey The Hurt Business

Cast: Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Jon Jones, Chuck Lidell, Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, Kenny Florian, Urijah Faber, Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett
Director: Vlad Yudin
Genre: Docu-Drama
Rated: MA
Running Time: 107 minutes

Synopsis: Mixed martial arts megastars Ronda Rousey and Jon 'Bones" Jones are joined by a number of the sport's biggest names in The Hurt Business, a documentary from the creators of Generation Iron and Academy Award® winning producer of Bowling for Columbine and Farenheit 9/11. Director Vlad Yudin's cameras venture beyond the octagon and offer viewers the daily lives of Jones (UFC light-heavyweight champion), Rousey (the first and current UFC women's bantamweight champion) and Rashad "Suga" Evans (former UFC light-heavyweight champion). Such never-before-seen access grants a unique perspective on the various lifestyles and career trajectories that exist in the fight business. The film, narrated by Kevin Costner, also features renowned MMA brawlers such as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Georges St-Pierre, Kenny Florian, Urijah Faber, Ken Shamrock and Bas Rutten. Interviews with psychologists, neurologists, sociologists and government officials analyze the grim prevalence of brain trauma and the implications of MMA's increased popularity.

The Hurt Business
Release Date: October 7th, 2016

About The Production

From the producers of Generation Iron and the producer of Fahrenheit 911 and Bowling for Columbine, the Vladar Company's currently untitled docu-drama about MMA fighters goes beyond the octagon and takes a deeper look into what life is really like within the world of MMA. The film follows the daily lives of UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Jon 'Bones" Jones, former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad 'Suga" Evans, female phenomena Sara McMann and down-and-out retiree Michael 'Joker" Guymon, and for the first time gives viewers a diverse perspective of the various lifestyles, and career trajectories that exist in the fight business.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the world. Every year, more and more children and adolescents enroll by the masses to train and compete in this violent combative sport. With every professional bout more new fans gather in arenas and in front of TVs to watch the best pound-for-pound fighters going head to head in the cage. Always in the spotlight, MMA athletes are forced to balance the strenuous physical training that defines their diverse skill-set with the bottomless pool of glamorous perks, and the temptations that exist within the culture of the Las Vegas based sport.

The film also features the top names in the sport including Chuck Liddell, Georges St-Pierre, Tito Ortiz, Kenny Florian, Urijah Faber, Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett and many more. Through the telling of their experiences, the complete history and culture of MMA is explored in a more expansive way than ever before.

Additionally, contributions from leading psychologists, neurologists and sociologists as well as government officials analyze the grim prevalence of brain trauma , and the implications of MMA's increased popularity, and what it means for our society. How has a sport that has until recently been illegal and referred to has 'human cock-fighting" become accepted, and even glamorized by the mainstream culture.

Director's Note

Over the last ten years, I've witnessed the fast rise of Mixed Martial Arts within mainstream American culture. I've found the increased popularity of the sport to both fascinating and, frankly, bothersome. I viewed Mixed Martial Arts as an uncivilized celebration of brutality, and assumed those who participated in the sport to possess some sort of misplaced anger that caused them to pursue such violent careers. I decided to make a documentary that aimed to get to the bottom of why so many young men (and women) gravitate to competitive fighting, and in the process, to tell the story of how MMA has gained so many fans the United States and across the world. While shooting the film, I began to identify with the fighters and appreciate the hard work, extreme dedication and immense skill that the top fighters in the world exhibit in training and during their professional bouts. The result has been the creation of a film that takes an objective take on MMA and analyzes the history and culture of the sport more broadly and expansively than other previous works on the subject.

The Hurt Business
Release Date: October 7th, 2016