UFC and Strikeforce fghters amongst those featured
The first of a four part MSNBC documentary series exploring the sport of mixed martial arts will premiere on Tuesday, January 9th at 10 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Warrior Nation takes viewers inside the world of mixed martial arts by opening the door to the lives of the sport's fighters and the personal and professional struggles that they endure on a daily basis. Superstars Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, as well as budding stars Urijah Faber and Elaina Maxwell are amongst those that the camera follows. A new episode in the four-part series will air on each of the next three Tuesday nights at 10 PM after the first episode launches.
“‘Warrior Nation’ is not just about fighting,” says MSNBC Long-Form Programming Vice President Michael Rubin. “It’s about a quickly growing American phenomenon - the millions of fans and tens of thousands of young athletes who gravitate to this new sport, hoping to springboard from obscurity to celebrity, using the most basic of tools– their bodies and fists.”
Episode one showcases Faber and Enoch Wilson. A college graduate, the 27-year-old Faber fights and trains full-time and has earned 14 career wins and over $100,000 in prize money. Wilson, a 26-year-old high school drop-out and single dad with 8 career wins, works at a plastics factory to support his training and his 14-month-old daughter.
The second installment introduces famed female combatant, Erin Toughill. At 29-years-old, she is one of the top women fighters in the world. Toughill’s husband, Clark Bevans, a 32-year-old gym owner, also participates in MMA fighting. Together, they hope to become the first couple in the world to fight on the same night and win.
Episode three unites two rivals for their second head-to-head fight. Kickboxers Gina Carano and Maxwell take it to the cage when they face one another at Strikeforce in San Jose, California. The victor of their first encounter, Carano attempts to reproduce a similar result in the rematch while Maxwell, who has been training under undefeated world San Shou kickboxing champion, Cung Le, expects to even the score. Neither will take this fight lying down.
On January 30th, the series finale dives deep into the organization of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The episode looks at the highly-anticipated rematch between Liddell and Ortiz. After defeating Ortiz in April 2004, Liddell, who has since emerged king of the UFC's light heavyweight (205 lb.) division, puts it on the line a second time against "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy." UFC President Dana White also explains his struggles and plans to make mixed martial arts legal in all 50 states.
Warrior Nation is produced by 29 Stories, LLC.
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