Best MMA documentaries

If you’re just getting into the world of MMA and still don’t know your way about things, then I would suggest that you sit down and watch a few documentaries that are on the list below. These documentaries provide a rare and aesthetic insight to this fighting sport, delving into the memories of the fighters, their coaches and families. They show how the day of a typical fighter passes. It highlights the level of training, sweat and dedication that these people give to the sport. Following are some of the best documentaries to ever be made in MMA history. Attached at the end of each paragraph is the respective trailer:

#1 - The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr

Released in 2002, this surprisingly personal HBO piece follows “The Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr through the highs and lows of early mixed martial arts competition, chronicling his addiction to drugs, his relationship with his then-girlfriend, and his bond with mixed martial artists Mark Coleman and Bas Rutten. It spans a huge part of his career and covers his early days in Vale Tudo, his successful stint in the UFC, and his transition to PRIDE FC where he became a star.

It depicts Kerr, not as a degenerate brawler, but a soft-spoken competitor. However, the film reminds us why he was known as The Smashing Machine inside the ring. In essence it’s the story about the rise and fall of a talented fighter, but it’s much more than that and you don’t have to be a mixed martial arts fan to appreciate it. However, you might find segments hard to watch if you are squeamish.

Kerr holds no punches. He strips his character down to its core and allows the director to capture it on camera – his vulnerabilities, blemishes, and failures are laid on the table along with his successes. It isn’t often that such a strong character has the fortitude to expose his vulnerabilities like Mark Kerr does in this documentary.

#2 - Renzo Gracie: Legacy

The first of two Gracie documentaries that made it onto the list is Renzo Gracie: Legacy. Just like The Smashing Machine, this documentary vividly profiles the career of a legendary mixed martial artist – in this case Renzo Gracie.

“Legacy” narrates the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master’s extraordinary life. It details his legendary family, the family responsible for the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the UFC, and gives the viewer an insight into the fine-details of being a mixed martial artist. However, it’s his career in fighting that the documentary highlights as its centerpiece.

It’s the scope of the documentary that makes this story so extraordinary. The film follows Renzo while the sport was growing at an unstoppable pace. From the most primitive of contests to more contemporary bouts we expect to see today, we witness the growth of a world class BJJ player coming into his own under mixed martial arts rules.

#3 - Rickson Gracie: Choke

Rickson Gracie: Choke” is often cited as catalyst for mixed martial arts documentaries. It was the first of it’s kind, and it opened the flood gates for masterpieces like the aforementioned “The Smashing Machine” and “Renzo Gracie: Legacy”.

Filmed in 1995, it didn’t reach audiences until 1999 – but when it finally did it blew us away. The film plays like an event, but with all the drama of the pre-fight preparations, the family dynamics (not just any family, the Gracie family), and the camaraderie between competitors. The event in question was an eight-man Vale Tudo tournament with no weight classes and a cash prize of $60,000 – and it’s that event that the acts as the backdrop for the story.

However, the training phase takes up a large chuck of the documentary also, and is one of the more interesting portions of it. It doesn’t just follow Gracie’s preparations, but it puts us into the training room with some of the other competitors.

#4 - Fighting for a Generation: 20 Years of the UFC

Released on the 20 year anniversary of UFC 1, “Fighting for a Generation: 20 Years of the UFC” is a retrospective look at the UFC’s expansion from it’s controversial beginnings into the global entity it has become today. Unlike the aforementioned documentaries, the subject isn’t showcasing a fighter. The subject is the company as a whole and the main players involved in the successes and failures.

There’s always a fear when a documentary is produced under supervision of its subject. Being a FOX Sport vehicle, and with the UFC’s strong ties with FOX, I feared that it would be nothing but 90 minutes of propaganda – and although it strongly promoted the UFC, of course, it did address key moments in the company.

One of the coolest aspects of the documentary is the range of people they interviewed and highlighted. This included the major players in the early UFC years – like Art Davie, Rorion Gracie, and Royce Gracie.

#5 - Like Water

No, it’s not something to do with Bruce Lee. It is, however, a documentary about another infamous martial artist: Anderson the Spider Silva.

“Like Water” is a riveting documentary, which follows then-UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva into his 7th title defense against Chael Sonnen in 2010.

Unlike “The Smashing Machine” and “Renzo Gracie: Legacy”, this documentary follows a fighter at the tip-top of the game. Don’t get me wrong, Renzo Gracie is a legend of MMA and BJJ, and Mark Kerr was a top-contender at one point – but Anderson Silva was the very best at the time. “Like Water” gives people the opportunity to experience a great talent in such an intimate way.

The only criticism that the documentary received is that the person who made the film never picked Anderson‘s brain much. Anderson Silva has always been an enigma. His unusual interviews and remarks have confused but at the same time intrigued mixed martial arts fans for years, and I thought this would be a chance to get to know Anderson a lot more. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic watch.

#6 - Fightville

Fightville follows a group of fighters from Louisiana trying to make it to the MMA big time. Dustin Poirier stands out as the best they have and the documentary follows him as he fights on local shows trying to work his way to the UFC.

It showcases the intriguing world of the local MMA scene and how people go about promoting fight cards and protecting their investments and focuses a lot on the early days of the well-established Poirier’s career.

#7 - Jens Pulver: Driven

This raw and intimate documentary has the first ever UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver as the focal point, showing how he overcame a difficult childhood to beat the likes of BJ Penn and Cub Swanson in a chequered career.

Having tasted the highs of UFC glory, the film shows how Pulver struggled to deal with four defeats in a row and how he worked up to try and get back to a level near the top of the sport.