Never Back Down: No Surrender

Last updated
Never Back Down: No Surrender
Never Back Down No Surrender.jpg
Directed by Michael Jai White
Screenplay by Chris Hauty
Story by
  • Michael Jai White
  • Chris Hauty
Based onCharacters
by Chris Hauty
Produced byCraig Baumgarten
David Zelon
Starring
CinematographyRoss W. Clarkson
Edited byScott Richter
Music by Frederik Wiedmann
Production
companies
Distributed by Destination Films
Release date
  • June 7, 2016 (2016-06-07)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Never Back Down: No Surrender (also known as Never Back Down 3 and The Fighters 3: No Surrender) is a 2016 martial arts film, directed by Michael Jai White, written by Chris Hauty and Jai White, produced by Craig Baumgarten and starring Jai White, Josh Barnett, Gillian White, Steven Quardos, Nathan Jones and Esai Morales. It is the sequel to Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown , and was released on DVD on June 7, 2016. In No Surrender, which picks up two years after the events of the second film, the former MMA champion Case Walker is on the comeback trail to become champion once again.

Contents

Plot

It has been two years since Case Walker has re-entered the world of professional mixed martial arts fighting, but had grown tired of it. He now competes in amateur bouts in an effort to teach his opponents how to utilize their skills. After such a match in Beaumont, Texas, Case runs into Brody James, an old friend who is also an MMA fighter. Brody has signed with PFC Combat, a promotion run by Hugo Vega, in which Brody has signed to fight the 7-foot beast Caesar Braga for the PFC Championship in Bangkok. Brody asks Case to help him train for the fight, knowing Case needs to find his way back as well as attempt to help Brody go on the straight and narrow. Case reluctantly accepts Brody's offer and travels to Thailand.

Case goes to the Top Fight Gym, where he already finds resistance from Brody's other trainer Matty Ramos. To make matters worse, Case is ridiculed for his training by "Cobra" O'Connor, a younger fighter whose arrogance gets the best of him. During a challenge, Case deflects Cobra's moves and uses elements from Kyokushin to knock Cobra out. Case soon finds himself becoming a mentor to two up-and-coming fighters, Taj and "Creech". Case's pummeling of Cobra attracts the attention of Vega, who is revealed to have some sort of history with Case. PFC marketing director Myca Cruz begins to have a liking to Case and asks him on a date to get to know him, to which he agrees.

When Case has his date with Myca, Matty watches the two together and decides to use it against Case when it comes to Brody. Brody has been slowing down his training and Vega, in an effort to make the fight a success, recommends that Brody use steroids from his supplier to help him better himself. Matty tells Brody of Myca and Case, in which their date ends abruptly when Myca brings up Case's time in prison, making him feel very uncomfortable. When Brody offers to spar with Case, the session gets out of hand as Brody goes too far, hitting Case in the head, to which he retaliates in a way he never expected. Despite apologizing to Brody, their friendship seems to have ended. That is until Case notices Brody using steroids. After training one night, Case and Brody go out to eat. It is then when Brody realizes his mistakes and apologizes. He vows to Case he will do things the right way and even tells Case that Myca would be a good woman for him. Brody and Case work together to begin training for the fight along with Matty, who thanks to an intervention from Brody, agrees to work with Case in training Brody for the title fight. However, viral footage of Case beating up the racist policemen from two years prior has grabbed the attention of many, thus causing Vega to realize that Brody may not be the one worthy of the fight against Braga.

During training, a Sambo wrestler named Boris injures Brody's knee. Case reveals that he had secretly replaced Brody's steroids with baby aspirin and other placebo drugs. Vega offers Case a million dollars to fight Braga. Beginning to train for the fight under the mentorship of Brody and physical training from Matty, Taj confronts Case, accusing him of "selling out". The next day, Case's suspicions are confirmed as he breaks into Boris's locker and discovering a text message telling Vega "It's done". Case knows that he is forced to fight, but must find a way to stop both Braga and Vega, who is set to make a lot of money off the fight and prove that he is responsible for Brody's injury.

At the night of the fight, Myca, who has become Case's girlfriend, tells Vega she quits. Case realizes how he can stop Vega and starts a fight with Braga outside the ring. When Braga gets the best of Case, Case resorts to using Kyokushin again, this time using a Nakadaka Ken (Extended Middle Knuckle Punch) that damages Braga's ribs. Case continues using traditional karate techniques and knocks Braga out with a Kaiten Geri (Rolling Wheel Kick) to his head. Vega threatens to sue, but Case tells Vega that they have the proof of him causing Brody's injury and that suing could cost Vega millions of dollars. To make matters worse, Vega must pay back everyone who came to see the fight, to which he storms off in anger, knowing he has been defeated. Case, Myca, Brody, and their crew leave the ring arena knowing they have achieved victory.

Cast

Ron Smoorenburg appears uncredited as Case's first opponent. Evan Peters appears as Max Cooperman in a flashback scene from Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown .

Production

Filming started in Thailand in June 2015. [1]

Sequel

A sequel, titled Never Back Down: Revolt, was released on November 16, 2021. Kellie Madison directed the film and a new cast includes Olivia Popica, Michael Bisping, Brooke Johnston, Vanessa Campos, Diana Hoyos, Neetu Chandra and James Faulkner. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bas Rutten</span> Kickboxer, professional wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter

Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten is a Dutch-American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three-time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak. From 2007 to 2016, Rutten was the co-host of Inside MMA on AXS TV. Rutten became a naturalized American citizen receiving citizenship in the late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana White</span> American businessman and president of UFC

Dana Frederick White Jr. is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 million.

Kazuyoshi Ishii is a Japanese master of Seidokaikan karate and founder of the K-1 fighting circuit, a widely televised international martial arts competition combining Muay Thai, karate, sanshou, taekwondo, kenpo, boxing, and kickboxing. His karate training began with Kyokushin karate, but he formed his own karate organization in 1980, began promoting televised karate competitions, and started staging K-1 events in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Stevenson</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Joseph Christopher Stevenson is a retired American mixed martial artist fighting out of Hesperia, California. Coached by Matt Hughes, Stevenson rose to prominence by becoming The Ultimate Fighter 2 Welterweight Tournament Winner. Following a drop in weight class and two-year undefeated streak, he was ranked among the top UFC Lightweight competitors, culminating into a title shot for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship against B.J. Penn at UFC 80: Rapid Fire. Stevenson fought most of his career as a Lightweight and made his Featherweight debut at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry. He is the former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Jai White</span> American actor

Michael Jai White is an American actor, director and martial artist. He was the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, starring as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White appeared as Marcus Williams in the Tyler Perry films Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too?, and starred as the character on the TBS/OWN comedy-drama television series Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse. White portrayed Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat: Legacy and the Cyborg Seth in Universal Soldier: The Return. He portrayed boxer Mike Tyson in the 1995 HBO television film Tyson. He also played the title role in the blaxploitation parody film Black Dynamite, as well as the animated series of the same name.

<i>Fighter in the Wind</i> 2004 South Korean film by Yang Yun-ho

Fighter in the Wind is a 2004 South Korean film. It is based on the Japanese book Karate Baka Ichidai which is a fictionalized account of karate competitor Choi Yeung-Eui who went to Japan during World War II to become a fighter pilot but found a very different path instead. He changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達) and went across the country, defeating martial artists one after another. This film concentrates on the period when he is still young, and developing his famous karate style, Kyokushin. The film was the seventh highest grossing Korean film of 2004 with 2,346,446 admissions sold nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson Silva</span> Brazilian mixed martial artist

Anderson da Silva is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 and ended in 2013 and included a UFC record 16 consecutive victories in that span. UFC president Dana White, UFC commentator Joe Rogan and numerous mixed martial arts (MMA) pundits have named Silva as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. Silva left the UFC in November 2020 and returned to boxing.

The Ultimate Fighter 5 was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a house near Las Vegas, Nevada and trained together while participating in a single-elimination tournament, with the winner being awarded a six-figure UFC contract. This season featured only one weight class, lightweights (146–155 lb) and the fighters were divided into two teams; one coached by former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver and the other by former UFC Welterweight Champion and former lightweight champion B.J. Penn. The season was well-known among fans for the large number of fighters kicked off of the show.

Glaube Araújo Feitosa is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005, Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was a K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 finalist. He has gone the distance with some of the top fighters in his time, such as Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Semmy Schilt and Errol Zimmerman. An accomplished karate fighter, he was known for his use of the "question mark kick," utilizing the technique in several knockout victories in his career. Feitosa also holds wins over Cheick Kongo, Alistair Overeem, Ruslan Karaev, and Paul Slowinski.

Peter "The Hurricane" Smit was a Dutch martial artist who mastered such different fight disciplines as kyokushin karate, kickboxing and Muay Thai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Sherk</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Sean Keith Sherk is a retired American mixed martial artist and former UFC Lightweight Champion. Sherk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was one of the first combatants to have been a championship competitor in multiple weight divisions. He was the second UFC Lightweight Champion in the organization's history after Jens Pulver vacated his title five years earlier. Sherk also spent time competing in the Japan-based organizations, PRIDE Fighting Championships and Pancrase; going undefeated in both promotions. He holds one of the longest undefeated streaks in mixed martial arts history, with only four career losses, all to fellow-UFC Champions. Sherk announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts competition in September 2013 having last fought three years prior.

<i>Never Back Down</i> 2008 film by Jeff Wadlow

Never Back Down is a 2008 American martial arts film directed by Jeff Wadlow and starring Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, Amber Heard, Cameron Fegreus and Djimon Hounsou. It tells the story of a frustrated and conflicted teenager who arrives at a new high school and discovers an underground fight club there.

Terutomo Yamazaki is a Japanese karateka from the Kyokushin Kaikan (極真会館) and professional lightweight kickboxer. He is the founder of Gyakushin-Kai (逆真会館) and a Director of Karate in Japan. He presides over the International Budo Karate Organization Gyakushin-Kai from the headquarters of the organization (honbu) in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama, Japan. His title as head of the Gyakushin-Kai organization is “Kancho”.

<i>Blood and Bone</i> 2009 film by Ben Ramsey

Blood and Bone is a 2009 American direct-to-DVD martial arts film directed by Ben Ramsey and written by Michael Andrews. The film stars Michael Jai White, Eamonn Walker and Julian Sands, and features martial artist Matt Mullins, former professional wrestler Ernest "The Cat" Miller, MMA fighters Bob Sapp, Kimbo Slice, Maurice Smith, and Gina Carano.

<i>Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown</i> 2011 film by Michael Jai White

Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown is a 2011 American martial arts film starring Evan Peters, Michael Jai White, Dean Geyer, Alex Meraz, Todd Duffee, Scott Epstein and Jillian Murray. It is a sequel to the 2008 film Never Back Down. The film made its world premiere at the ActionFest film festival in Asheville, North Carolina, on April 8, 2011 and was released on DVD on September 13, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film marks White's directorial debut.

Michael Thompson is an English former karateka and kickboxer who competed in the cruiserweight and heavyweight division. After a long and distinguished career in Kyokushin, in which he won the British Open four times, the Commonwealth Championships in 1988 and the European Championships in 1991 as well as competing three times in the World Open, Thompson later switched to Seidokaikan and reached the final of the 1994 Seidokaikan Karate World Cup. During his time as a Seidokaikan competitor, he also fought as a professional kickboxer in K-1, amassing a 6–5 record and becoming the WKA European Super Cruiserweight Champion.

The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians was the twenty-first installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. This season was the first to feature a gym vs. gym theme.

Ron Smoorenburg is a Dutch martial artist and actor. He is best known for his film debut as the high-kicking henchman in the final fight of Jackie Chan's Who Am I? in 1998. He currently lives in Thailand, where he works as an actor, stuntman, and fight choreographer.

References

  1. ↑ "On set today, knocking out a few scenes with some of the awesome cast of Never Back Down 3". June 23, 2015.
  2. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 11, 2020). "'Never Back Down: Revolt': Kellie Madison Directing For Mandalay, Wonder Street & SPWA". Deadline. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  3. ↑ Jones, Brian (November 11, 2020). "'Never Back Down: Revolt' Coming Soon, Cast and Director Revealed". Pop Culture. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.