Documentary maker Morgan Spurlock is set to produce an MMA origins film entitled Tough Guys.
Spurlock will executive produce the doc along with filmmaker Ross Kauffman which will tell the origins of Mixed Martial Arts.
Tough Guys will be directed by Henry Roosevelt and W.B. Zullo, and will showcase the sport’s early days in 1979 Pittsburgh when Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri decided to pit bar dwellers against wrestlers, martial artists, boxers, bouncers, and brawlers — the contests were billed as no-holds-barred competitive fighting.
The fights became known as tough guy matches, and the film will delve into MMA’s rise as the economy of Pennsylvania was plummeting.
“When I was around 12 years old, my dad took me to my first ‘tough guy’ competition in my hometown of Beckley, W.Va.,” Spurlock said. “And I have to admit, it was one of the greatest things I’d ever seen. So when the opportunity came along for me help tell the story of its origin, I jumped at the chance.”
Tough Guys will premier at AFI Docs Film Festival in Washington, D.C on June 15th.
Originally published June 14, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
