The Bends

A universal underdog tale with its own unique lens. Out of the ashes of loss, can one man use mixed martial arts to save young people from the toughest parts of our society? Zero opportunity, poverty and crime are common themes in the housing estates of Sunderland, North East England. A once proud region of industry, now a wasteland scattered with the relics of the past, as generations of government continue to neglect it.

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.

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.

A mixed martial arts fighter evokes an ominous spirit when struggling to cut twelve pounds the night before his weigh-in.

When Max, a former MMA world champion about to retire, discovers he has an 8-year-old autistic son, his life is turned upside down. Now, as he trains for one last opportunity to regain his world champion title, Max must deal with his new family and his father, from whom he has long been estranged.

A disgruntled teenager, sent to do community service at a rundown Karate school, enters an MMA tournament to face the man who killed his parents.

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

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.

Exposing the shocking world of youth MMA (kids cage fighting), the film follows 2 child fighters over several years on their quest to win the kids MMA national championship, as they wrestle demons at home and battle for glory in the cage.

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

In 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War, man-of-the-people Lt. Chard and snooty Lt. Bromhead are in charge of defending the isolated and vastly outnumbered Natal outpost of Rorke's Drift from tribal hordes.

Professional boxer Sota Kusunoki has gained popularity for his fighting style, where he goes headlong into his opponents. However, years of fighting have taken their toll on his body, and he is forced to retire by a doctor's stoppage. He takes the opportunity of his retirement to marry his girlfriend, Sachiko, and start a new life, but he is completely useless in society and is made acutely aware of the harsh reality of his situation. One day, a mysterious man who claims to be a fan of Sota's receives an offer to fight in an underground martial arts tournament, where he will fight for a large sum of money and where his desires are thriving... The prospect of fighting once again revives his almost forgotten excitement, and his adrenaline surges as if to fill the emptiness in him. Will the madness and honesty of a man obsessed with fighting have a happy ending or a bad one?

Plagued by a hidden childhood trauma that is destroying his life, an obsessive-compulsive MMA fighter moves to Fire Island and pretends to be gay in order to buy the house of his dreams and exorcise his demons.

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?

Le combattant : Patrick Côté

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.

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.

Up and coming MMA fighter Sloane Zaro is on her way to super-stardom when she comes home to witness the brutal murder of her mother. As Leonard Zaro goes on trial for killing his wife, Sloane trains for the fight of her life.

World renowned UFC fighter Kimo Leopoldo presents his fierce brand of hand-to-hand combat with his sensational new “Fierce Fighting” self-defense video training series. Developed from hundreds of street fighting encounters and no holds barred cage fights, Kimo has refined and perfected a “Fierce Fighting” system so effective that anyone who learns his lethal techniques is almost certain to win any stand-up or ground fighting encounter.

On these streets everyone is fighting for a way out, but after a lifetime of hard knocks, a down-on-his-luck cage fighter gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is chosen to compete against the MMA world champion during a massive competition. The stakes are high and the reward great...but should he lose, it will cost him his life.