Top 10 Movies to Watch About Combat Sports!

10. Creed II (2018)

To start our list we have Creed II the sequel to Creed which is a spinoff of the Rocky Franchise. Creed II acts as much of a sequel to Creed as it does to Rocky IV. Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) takes on his biggest challenge yet in boxing Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the man who killed Creed's father, Apollo, in the ring in Rocky IV. This film also acts as a redemption story for Ivan Drago. If that isn't compelling enough to make you watch this movie, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) grows ill and Creed has to overcome the adversity of finding a new coach. The predictability of the movie is probably what keeps it relatively low, but it is still worth watching for sure. It is a far better movie than its predecessor making me excited for Creed III which hits theaters on March third!

9. The Fighter (2010)

The Fighter is the story of Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). This is a true story about two brothers. Micky Ward is an extreme underdog with no shot to win the Welterweight title. Not only does he have to overcome the odds, but the adversity that is his brother. Dicky is a has-been at this point in his life, he's known for a knockdown against "Sugar" Ray Leonard in a fight that Leonard won by a decision. Dicky is also a big-time drug addict. Christian Bale's performance alone is enough to make this film worth watching.

8. Here Comes the Boom (2012)

How can a movie about a teacher who becomes a UFC fighter starring Kevin James be better than an Oscar-winning film? Sometimes laughing is better than watching someone beat the odds for the thousandth time. Granted this is another story of someone overcoming huge odds, but the tone is completely different. You aren't supposed to take Kevin James seriously as this is a comedy. However, it's got a great cast including Kevin James, Selma Hayek, and Henry Winkler. The actual fighting that's taking place in the movie is also half-decent. Former mixed martial artist Bas Rutten plays Kevin James's MMA coach. Rutten is actually hilarious and should have done more work in comedy. Joe Rogan even makes an appearance alongside former UFC announcer Mike Goldberg. You'll even notice the cut man, Jacob Duran, cleaning up Kevin James in between rounds. Overall this is just a super fun film and well worth the watch if you don't want anything too serious.

7. The Hurricane (1999)

This under-the-radar Denzel Washington movie isn't so much about the sport of boxing as much as it's about the life of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Rubin Carter was a boxer in line for the Middleweight championship when he was framed for murder and sentenced to life in prison. In fact, his life before this was also mainly spent in prison. If you've never seen this movie, or better yet never heard of it you need to watch it now. The story of Rubin Carter is quite the emotional roller coaster. It is a long movie as it runs two hours and twenty-six minutes, but definitely worth watching. It's honestly a pretty good movie about the law as well as boxing. Obviously, some things are fictionalized, but the majority of the movie holds true.

6. Raging Bull (1980)

Raging Bull is an absolute classic. It's directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. This is another true story. De Niro's performance as Jake La Motta is one of his best. This is also a black-and-white film to represent the time a little better. Raging Bull is not just the biopic of a boxer sliding down a downhill slope, it is also the story of an abusive husband and Cathy Moriarty's performance as Vickie La Motta makes you sympathetic to her and her situation being a woman in the 1940s and 50s. This movie is great, but doesn't quite crack the top five because of how serious its tone is, and because it isn't completely about boxing.

5. The Karate Kid (1984)

The Karate Kid is a classic underdog story. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is the new kid in town and he like many has a hard time adjusting and making friends. The one person Daniel can build a relationship with is Ali (Elizabeth Shue). Yet, Ali is dating Daniel's biggest bully, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Johnny physically abuses Daniel until one day Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) defends him. and eventually teaches him to defend himself. This is probably the only Karate Kid worth watching as the deeper into the sage you get, the cornier the movies get. As far as 80s movies go, this is pretty much as good as it gets. The karate displayed in the movie is pretty good as well, so hat's off to the choreography team.

4. Cinderella Man (2005)

I know what you must be thinking by now, not another boxing movie. The truth is most of the actual "good" films about fighting are typically boxing movies. It's just the way it is. That said, Cinderella Man is a fantastic film. This is the true story of how James Braddock (Russell Crowe) won the Heavyweight Championship in 1935. The reason this was such a "Cinderella" story is that the man Braddock defeated, Max Baer (Craig Bierko). In 1935 Braddock was just a man trying to get by in the Great Depression, he was struggling to get fights, struggling to find work, when he lands the Heavyweight Championship fight. It is a fantastic movie and if you haven't seen it, what're you still doing here reading this?

3. Gladiator (2000)

When you look at the sport of boxing or MMA it's just two guys (or girls) trying to beat the hell out of each other. These sports had to originate from somewhere and the origins of combat sports started with swords, spears, and shields inside the coliseum. Gladiators were the original athletes, and outside of MMA, the movie Gladiator is the closest we will ever get to see what life inside the coliseum was like. Regardless of the action, the story is tremendous. Maximus (Russell Crowe) is a Spanish General who fights for Rome and is stabbed in the back, taken captive, and forced to fight as a Gladiator.

2. Warrior (2011)

Finally, a movie that is actually about MMA and isn't about a teacher fighting in the UFC. Well, it may not be the UFC, but a teacher actually is competing in a cage fighting tournament. This story is about two brothers. The older brother, Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is a school teacher with a baby on the way who can't pay his bills. This forces Brendan to sign up for the MMA tournament. The younger brother, Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy) is a marine who came home because he has his own financial struggles. Tommy forces their alcoholic, former boxer, father to train and coach him. The two brothers inevitably face off against each other. The action in Warrior is very good and the movie itself is very much worth the watch. It is by far the best MMA movie ever.

1. Rocky I-IV (1976-1984)

You had to know this was coming. In my opinion, Rocky is the greatest sports movie of all time, not even just combat sports. Any of the first four films work here as well. I find the boxing that takes place in these movies is honestly more entertaining than real boxing. It is nonstop action that takes place at such a fast pace that isn't possible for real boxing. This first one is the best in my opinion. It's the least predictable of the saga, it's more than just a boxing movie, it's also a love story about the last two people you would expect to fall in love. You can't talk about Rocky without mentioning Adrian (Talia Shire). Many will argue that IV is the best one, but there is also definitely a lot of shock value when Apollo (Carl Weathers) dies in the ring. If I had to rank them I personally would say it's I, IV, III, II. They're all excellent movies, maybe some are more predictable than others. For sports movies written in the 70s and 80s, the writing is exceptional and is even better than most movies today for the first one at least. You can never go wrong with any of the first four Rocky Movies.