SUMMARY
- "The Eagle" based on the life of Khabib Nurmagomedov will be released on Netflix in the Fall of 2024.
- The "Road to The Belt" captures Topuria's intense preparation, emotional moments, and sacrifices leading up to his title bout against Alexander Volkanovski.
UFC is the world’s premier MMA promotion. And it has been at the very top for some time now. Since its inception 2 decades back, it has now grown into a global organization with fans all around the world tuning in to watch UFC pay-per-view events unfold.
For a MMA promotion, one of the foremost factors in making it a successful organization is the brand of fighters it has on its roster. And UFC does not lack one bit in that regard. In its history of being at the helm of the MMA business UFC has housed some of the most popular names and made them into a brand worldwide. Many times the organization itself benefits from their fighter’s brand value.
Apart from captivating audiences inside the octagon, the fighters take part in other spheres of the entertainment industry to build up their value and fame. Furthermore, many a time these fighters have an interesting and heartwarming story to share. Hence, people from the film industry choose to make documentaries about the lives of these mixed martial artists.
These documentaries further help in building a connection with their audiences. Also, they give fans all around the world an insight into the lives of these MMA fighters. In 2023, fans were presented with “McGregor Forever,” a documentary on the famous UFC fighter, Conor McGregor available on Netflix.
“Thug Rose: Mixed Martial Artist” was a documentary on the journey of Rose Namajunas, another UFC fighter. 2024 too promises to be a great year for MMA documentaries. With many being in the works while some are being confirmed to be released soon. So let’s take a look at some of the MMA documentaries that fans might be able to enjoy soon enough.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s “The Eagle” Documentary
Khabib Nurmagomedov is undoubtedly one of the most famous UFC fighters to ever exist. ‘The Eagle‘ is one of the greatest, if not the greatest UFC fighter ever. In his professional MMA career, the phenom was never defeated and holds a career record of 29-0-0. Not only was he the greatest of his time, but he also paved a path for others to come through even after his retirement.
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The fighter from Dagestan, Russia has left an indelible mark in the MMA industry. Even today his influence on the promotion is impeccable. The current lightweight champion of the UFC, Islam Makhachev, looks up to the former lightweight champion as his big brother. Many other Dagestani fighters including some of Khabib’s related brothers are tearing up several weight divisions in the UFC.
And it all started with Khabib’s entry into the organization. “The Eagle” which is the name of his documentary will be released on Netflix in the Fall of 2024. Many social media outlets have claimed that this documentary is set to be released on October 1, 2024. In August 2023, Dana White and Khabib half announced the documentary when the latter joined Dana White’s Instagram Live.
Apparently they’re shooting a documentary that comes out mid 2024
byu/Uaquamarine inufc
Many sources across the internet have claimed that the UFC and Khabib Nurmagomedov have been working very closely for the past year or so. UFC fans, and especially those who love Khabib will be very excited for the release of this documentary. It is said to be a story of his ascent from his first days in Dagestan to being the lightweight champion of the world.
Ilia Topuria’s “Road to the Belt” Documentary
Ilia ‘El Matador’ Topuria is one of the most exciting fighters on UFC’s fighters as of now. The Georgian-born Spanish fighter is currently the #3 ranked featherweight in the UFC. However, this could change by the end of February. The Spaniard is set to challenge the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 on February 17, 2024, at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, California.
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The lead-up to this fight has been nothing short of extraordinary. Ilia Topuria has a MMA record of 14-0-0 but he is up against possibly the greatest featherweight ever to grace the UFC mat. But Ilia has shown immense bravado outside the cage leading up to their showdown. ‘El Matador‘ had recently announced his documentary titled, “Road To The Belt.”
The documentary’s teaser was announced on Instagram 2 weeks ago. It came with a caption that said, “A preview of my intense preparation, emotional moments, and sacrifices that have marked my path to the World Championship. This teaser captures the essence of overcoming, faith, and unwavering family support. KILLER, world premiere February 17th.”
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His Instagram profile further claims his record to be 15-0-0 and his bio claims that he is already a world champion. The release of his documentary is set to be on February 17, the day of his title bout. While Volkanovski is determined to play a spoilsport to Topuria’s plans, El Matador’s fans would want to see the movie’s title rightfully predict the future.
The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez (2024)
Tatiana Suarez is an American professional mixed martial artist and a former wrestler who competes in the UFC. She is currently ranked number 2 in the women’s strawweight division of the UFC. She won the strawweight tournament in season #23 of The Ultimate Fighter. After which, she made her promotional UFC debut in November 2017.
Today, she holds a professional MMA record of 11-0-0 and is a multi-time medalist in professional wrestling. She has not had it all easy though. The 33-year-old fighter has had her fair share of life-threatening problems in her journey to being one of the top women’s contenders in the strawweight division.
After making her professional MMA debut in 2014 she bettered her record to 9-0-0 in 2019 before suffering a career-threatening knee injury which kept her out of the sport till February 2023. This isn’t all though. Tatiana suffered a brutal neck injury while training for the 2012 Olympics. CT and MRI scans revealed that she also had a life-threatening thyroid cancer.
Her documentary, “The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez” was released on January 31, 2024, on HBO Max. It takes the fans through all of her injuries and portrays her never-give-up attitude in a new light. Tatiana was scheduled to fight at UFC 298 on February 17, 2024, but pulled out of the fight due to another knee injury. But there is no doubt that she will be fighting through it too.
Dwayne Johnson to star in former UFC fighter Mark Kerr’s documentary
Mark Kerr is a former American wrestler and MMA fighter. As a MMA fighter, he was a two-time UFC Heavyweight tournament champion and also a PRIDE FC competitor. It has been reported that the A24 production house will be making a documentary on the life of the legendary MMA figure. Dwayne ‘The Rock‘ Johnson is said to be taking on the lead role in the film.
The film will be titled “The Smashing Machine,” as a callout to the former wrestler and MMA fighter’s nickname. The Rock is set to play the character of Mark Kerr in the upcoming movie by filmmaker Benny Safdie. It is set to be produced by Dwayne, Safdie, David Koplan, Dany Garcia, and Eli Bush. It will be reportedly released in theatres at the back end of 2024.
Mark Kerr had an HBO documentary made after him titled “The Smashing Machine” in 2002 which followed his fighting career. It also provided an insight into Kerr’s rise to the top, his battle against addiction, and how it led to an overdose. The movie will explore the life of Kerr, while he finds his way through his peak in the year 2000. And his career victories, friendships, love, and addiction.