Once I Was a Champion

Jun 18, 2011 | IMDB 5.8

93 min Watch Now

Documentary

Writer, philosopher, alcoholic, and MMA fighter Evan Tanner died mysteriously in the desert of Clapp Springs, California. He was searching for treasure but not the material kind. This feature length biopic focuses on fifty people whose lives he forever changed as they try to figure out who he really was and the reason behind his untimely death.

Casts
Randy Couture, Rick Franklin, Forrest Griffin, John Herzfeld, Matt Lindland, John McCarthy, Benji Radach, Bas Rutten, Chael Sonnen, Evan Tanner

MOVIE COMMENTS

SIMILAR MOVIES

SIMILAR MOVIES

Mexican Fighter

IMDB 4 | Nov , 2013

The historical impact of Mexican fighters in mixed martial arts.

poster

UFC: Best of 2011

IMDB 0 | May , 2012

A look back at the best moments from 2011 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, featuring 30 matches in total. Among the fighters whose exploits captured the imagination of UFC viewers in 2011 were Junior dos Santos, Frankie Edgar, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva and Minotauro Nogueira, while, for many, the encounter between Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua stands as the most memorable fight of the decade.

poster

UFC: Best of 2014

IMDB 0 | May , 2015

With upsets, blowouts, submissions, a new weight class and one spinning-elbow knockout, UFC Best of 2014 recaps the year in 90 spellbinding minutes. Look back at defining moments from dominant titleholders including Jon Jones and Ronda Rousey, newly crowned champions including Carla Esparza and T.J. Dillashaw and white-hot stars on the rise like Conor McGregor. Plus, nearly four hours of bonus fights bring you all the action from signature performances by stars such as Johnny Hendricks, Robbie Lawler, Chris Weidman, Dan Henderson and more.

Eddie Bravo Invitational 8

IMDB 0 | Sep , 2016

Eddie Bravo Invitational 8: The Middleweights was a submission-only grappling tournament of 16 middleweight (185 lb) male entrants. The event took place on 11th September 2015, and included a special super-fight between UFC veteran Liz Carmouche and Maria Henderson.

Fight Life

IMDB 7 | Jan , 2012

Chronicles the daily lives of professional MMA fighters from all different levels over the course of one year.

Frank Shamrock: Bound by Blood

IMDB 2 | Oct , 2013

Shamrock: Bound by Blood, a gripping 65-minute documentary that airs Thursday on Spike (11 p.m. ET), stirs up a few ghosts still haunting the MMA personality. There's a lot of story to tell (Spike producers said they bandied the fighter's 2012 memoirs around the office to begin), but wisely, Shamrock focuses mostly on Frank's deteriorated relationship with his iconic brother Ken. Frank and Ken, a weathered UFC Hall of Famer still trying to ply his trade at age 49, haven't spoken in nearly 15 years. ... For MMA enthusiasts, Shamrock will be an enlightening hour. It also takes a more serious tone than Spike's previous MMA programming. But at its heart, Shamrock is not about MMA. It's about love and hurt, and finding forgiveness and acceptance in the face of dysfunction. For Frank, on his own road of self-improvement, it was about finding peace.

poster

Takedown: The DNA of GSP

IMDB 6 | Feb , 2014

A look at the life and career of Ultimate Fighting Champion's welterweight world champ Georges St-Pierre, also known as "GSP".

Eddie Bravo Invitational 7

IMDB 7 | Jul , 2016

The seventh EBI submission, and grappling event shown on 16 July 2016 at The Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, the second Invitational event to be streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS. This time around, it's the featherweights turn to take center stage. This seventh edition of the Eddie Bravo Invitational will be crowning the promotion’s featherweight (145lbs / 65kg) division champion, a title currently held by Eddie Cummings. Although the open weight tournament (EBI 6) included big names of jiu jitsu’s international circuit, this featherweight event will have the popular tournament return to its origins in a recipe that rose the attention of the sport’s fans in previous showings, a mix of veteran grapplers, fairly unknown talent and rising stars of the submission only movement.

poster

Fight Church

IMDB 5.5 | Sep , 2014

A documentary about the confluence of Christianity and mixed martial arts, including ministries which train fighters. The film follows several pastors and popular fighters in their quest to reconcile their faith with a sport that many consider violent and barbaric. Faith is tried and questions are raised. Can you really love your neighbor as yourself and then punch him in the face?

poster

Fight Mom

IMDB 7 | Dec , 2016

A documentary that follows Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson as she balances life as a mother and professional MMA fighter.

poster

Jiří Procházka: Cesta bojovníka

IMDB 5 | May , 2022

poster

The Smashing Machine

IMDB 6.4 | May , 2002

A stunning and provocative look at Mark Kerr's career from late '99 through the 2000 Pride Grand Prix, fighting with his own personal demons that rival the men he encounters in the ring.

poster

Choke

IMDB 7 | Feb , 1999

Welcome to the world of no-holds-barred freestyle fighting...the fastest growing "sport" in the United States, Brazil, and Japan. CHOKE follows undisputed World Freestyle Fighting Champion Rickson Gracie as he prepares to defend his title in a one-night, single elimination tournament where the winner will fight 3 separate fights over five hours. The World Cup finals of hand-to-hand combat.

poster

UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria

IMDB 0 | Jun , 2023

UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 24, 2023 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. A featherweight bout between former interim UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria headlined this event.

poster

Le combattant : Patrick Côté

IMDB 0 | Jun , 2019

poster

Jack McGann: From Cage to Ring

IMDB 0 | Jun , 2019

This documentary focuses on the transition required to switch fight codes with exclusive access to MMA star Jack McGann in the lead up to his boxing debut. Presented by Stephen Graham.

poster

The Ronda Rousey Story: Through My Father's Eyes

IMDB 5.7 | Dec , 2019

This documentary chronicles former Olympian and UFC champion Ronda Rousey's ascent to iconic status in the world of mixed martial arts.

poster

Tough Guys

IMDB 7.5 | Sep , 2017

10 years before the debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 1979, Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri dreamed up a contest pitting barroom bigmouths against wrestlers, martial artists, boxers, bouncers and brawlers, billed as no-holds-barred new type of competitive fighting. When the fights succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, they were swept up in a chain of events that ended in the first mixed-martial arts ban in the nation. “Tough Guys” chronicles the inception of Caliguri and Viola’s first bouts and the colorful, crazy cast of fighters who made them a hit as well as the politicians who brought it all crashing down. The film brings to life a moment when the national martial arts craze was building to a crescendo as the economies of Pennsylvania steel towns were plummeting to levels of unemployment never seen, breeding desperate men looking for a chance to prove their worth and make some money in the ring.

poster

The Notorious

IMDB 7.5 | Mar , 2014

In the world's fastest growing sport, an Irishman from Crumlin stands on the threshold of becoming its next global superstar. This special documentary enters the high-stakes world of the UFC as it follows 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor over the most important six months of his fighting career.

Gina Carano in Training

IMDB 8 | May , 2012