THE CAGE
Tell me exactly what happened.
Someone knocked.
I was all alone. Régis had gone home.
I don't usually open this late, but I thought it was him coming back.
They came straight in.
We said we'd collect the money from the bet.
As soon as they realized you didn't take the fall,
they came in.
And that was that.
Okay. What do we do now? Huh?
-Do we call the cops? -We do nothing.
-We need to be discreet, or I'll be next. -That's your problem.
-My problem is they beat my mother. -Enough, Taylor!
It doesn't matter who they beat.
Régis does his best to earn money!
So forget about the cops.
If you had dropped like we told you to, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Nobody would have beat her.
You really have to help us, son. Okay?
-How much do you owe these guys? -40,000.
Can you get an extension?
I don't know, maybe a month, tops.
Otherwise, they'll come back. And they'll do it again.
I talked to Martin of KSW.
He has Ferreira in mind.
A striker like you who does Muay Thai.
He's good, but he lost twice in a row. He's doubting himself.
He's got 10 years on you. It'll be his last fight on his contract.
If he loses, he's out.
I think he's on his last legs. You can easily win.
What's the pay?
10,000 for the fight.
What?
And… if I'd signed elsewhere, could I have earned more?
No, not really.
Even in UFC, newbies don't get paid more.
The only way to make a lot of money in this sport is to become a star.
So get up, let's train.
One, two, three.
Good.
One, two, three, four. Good.
Step back.
Very good.
One, two, three.
Good. Spin. Don't stand in front of me.
Go. One, two, three, four.
Good. Again. One, two, three, four.
Good. Go on. One, two, three.
Good. One, two, three.
Come on, move over. Watch your reach. One, two, three, four.
That's it. Come on. One, two, middle.
It rang, keep going. One, two, middle.
Good. Alright, time.
Okay, good.
Right away, let's go.
Drink a little. Two sips, no more.
-Hey, Boss. -Hey, champ.
-Get in position. -Taylor.
-How are you? -Come on.
Here?
Taylor, are you with me? Hey! Come on. Yes?
-Yeah. -Okay.
Let's go.
One, two, three, low kick.
Good. Again. Hey! Focus.
One, two, three, low kick, again.
Good. That was…
Hey!
That's what happens when you're not focused.
-Are you with me? One, two. -Hey! Are you with me?
-Yes? Look at me. -Yeah.
From the top. One, two, three.
Give me more. One, two, three, four.
Good!
One, two, three, low kick.
Good. Come on, wake up. Spin. Come on.
Come on. Give me your jab. Come on, quickly. Good.
Still loading up?
Yeah, I'm having a 45-day cutting phase. Winstrol and Clenbuterol.
What if you have a fight coming up? What do you do?
If it's last minute, I'm screwed.
It takes six weeks for it not to be detectable.
You should stop taking them.
And you should stop thinking you'll hook up with Elena.
What do you mean?
Bro, the whole gym saw the way you look at her.
It's for your own good. Don't waste your time.
She doesn't hook up with guys from the gym.
She cares too much about her reputation.
Even if she liked someone, she wouldn't go for it.
I know it firsthand.
Forget about her.
That's the least of my concerns, so…
Why? What's going on?
I'll tell you, but keep it between us. Okay?
You know you can trust me.
Spill the beans.
I need money. Fast.
For your mom again?
Yeah.
This time, I need a lot.
-Hey, guys. All good? -Yeah.
-Can I join you? -Sure.
What's with the long faces? Did you guys argue?
-No. -Hey, since you know everything,
does KSW still hold tournaments?
Yeah, they still do.
-How much can you win? -Well, it depends.
The minimum is 10,000 euros.
But if you add up the bonuses and all that, it can go up to 100,000.
-100,000? -Yeah, 100,000 bucks.
-In one tournament? -The winner gets 100,000 EUR.
Why are you asking?
BOSS: ARE YOU GONNA WATCH THE FIGHT TOMORROW?
HI, BOSS
SORRY FOR ASKING YOU THIS, I KNOW IT'S LATE,
BUT COULD WE MEET NOW?
Souleymane, you need to fight in France. Not just in the US.
I know, Boss. I've got to box once a year in France.
One fight a year in France, minimum.
-We'll organize it. -Yeah.
-Yes, Taylor? -Do you have a minute?
Come in. I want you to meet my friend.
Souleymane Cissokho, one of our greatest boxing champions.
Hi. How are you?
-Congrats on your career. -Thanks.
-Boss. -Champ.
-I'll get going. -Come by anytime.
-Thanks, see you soon. -Bye.
Taylor, are you okay? You should be resting at this hour.
Yeah, I know.
What's going on?
I need money fast.
I saw that KSW is holding tournaments.
No, that's a bad idea. Forget it.
Okay.
What if I do it anyway?
Why go to a tournament where you could get injured?
You would win no belts, and you're training to fight Ferreira.
I can't wait until December.
I need money right now.
Taylor, that's not how it works.
Listen.
The next KSW tournament in your weight class is next year.
Just let it go.
There's one in a month.
-What? -There's one in a month.
Look it up.
It is not your weight class. Those guys are 20 pounds heavier than you.
Will you help me or not?
Help you do what?
Have three fights a night against guys who are 20 pounds heavier? No.
-I need this money. -Why?
My mom's in trouble!
What kind of trouble?
It's her boyfriend. He owes money to some dangerous guys.
They need 40,000 in a month.
They've already beaten her up once.
I know it's dangerous.
I know I'm putting my career on the line. I know that.
But I've got no choice.
Boss?
So you've already made up your mind?
Yeah.
It'll be riskier if you're not there.
You'll do three fights of three five-minute rounds in the same night.
Quarter-final. Semi-final. Final.
You don't realize what it entails physically.
The guys you're competing against are all heavier, so no cutting.
Eat. You need to gain weight.
They'll all be stronger, so you'll need to be better at cardio.
You'll need more speed and stamina.
After your physical training, we'll move on to stage two.
What's stage two?
Three fights per training session.
With guys who are heavier than you. Keep going.
Come on, give it your all. Come on. Keep going.
Don't let up. Keep it up till the end.
More power. We're at 40%.
When I say faster, go as fast as you can.
Shut off your brain and give me more power.
Alright, let's go. Give it your all!
Come on, faster. Give it your all. Give everything you've got.
Don't let up until I say stop. Stop!
Both hands together.
Faster. Give it your all. Give everything.
That's not enough. Give me more. More.
More than that. More.
Come on. All the way.
Very good.
That's good. Good.
Damien's turn.
And now quickly, Erwan.
That's it. Come on.
Now, Jordan. Keep it up.
Kimura.
Damien. Come on, get out of there.
Good, very good.
That's it. Very good.
Good, enough. Paulin's turn.
Come on. Paulin's turn.
That's it.
Very good.
-You did it. Very good. Well done. -Congrats.
Will you walk me to my car?
Okay.
How's the training going?
It's going fine.
I know it'll be hard, but I'm determined.
Want to talk about us?
No, it's fine.
At first, I wasn't sure what your deal was,
but Niko explained it.
Honestly, I get it.
Okay. What is it you understand?
It can't be easy being a pretty girl in a boys' club.
Am I wrong?
It's because of guys like Niko that I have to make up lies.
I say I don't date fighters so they don't try their luck.
When you reject a guy full of ego and testosterone,
he tends to get offended, and it can all get very unpleasant.
With you, it's different.
Do you understand?
See you tomorrow?
See you tomorrow.
Come on.
One, two. Good. One, two, three, middle.
Yeah, that's it. Yes.
Yes!
Yeah. Come on. Move over.
One, two, with me. Good.
One, two, three, four.
Again. One, two, three, four.
Good job. Let's stop here.
What? We've just started.
-You still have energy? -I'm on fire.
Well, that's good.
I have a surprise.
-You good, Champ? -Good. You?
-Coach. -How are you, guys?
-Let me introduce Abdoul. -No need.
-How are you? -Good.
No way.
-Our first meeting wasn't great. -Yeah.
So when your coach told me your plan,
I thought it'd be cool to come help.
Seriously, I don't know what to say. I…
It's his doing.
You're going to improve your moves with Ciryl.
Then we'll move on to the ground with Abdoul.
-Listen and watch. -Okay.
Move a lot, okay?
That's it. Add some uncertainty, now.
-Very good. -Okay.
-Tell him about your fight with Ngannou. -When he hits you, you're KO.
Yeah, that's it.
Good job.
Abdoul, please show him how to escape a bodylock takedown.
Take me down.
See, I'm on all fours. Hit.
Roll over, grab the heel.
-Pull and push with your hips. -Okay.
-Got it, Taylor? -Yeah.
-Let's try it. Your turn. -I'm going to take you down.
Hang on. Grab the heel.
That's it. Awesome job.
In Poland, you'll fight taller guys.
That's it.
You're not impressed. You're going for it.
Play the uncertainty game again.
This is what you signed up for.
Taylor, you're definitely going to get hit.
Ciryl, tell him when Tuivasa hit you. What do we do?
Above all, don't worry. You're trained for it.
If your vision is blurry, listen to your coaches.
The green zone is either here or here.
-And stall. -Okay.
Stall.
-And off you go again. -Okay.
Simulation exercise. Here we go.
-Boom. -Good. That's it. Yes.
Take me down.
I stick my butt out and grab the head.
I jump. I squeeze.
-Alright. Now you. -Okay.
Come over here.
I get in. You get out.
Squeeze tight.
-Very nice. -Good job.
-Thanks. -Thanks, Abdoul.
-He's ready.
WARSAW POLAND
One, two. One, two.
One, two, three. That's good.
Good! Good!
Good. Again.
Good. Good.
One, two, three, four.
Well done.
Niko, can you take my phone and put on some music?
-Sure. -Thanks.
-What's your code? -It's 8312.
We're pleased to be with you on this event tonight.
It's the KSW middleweight tournament for the under 185 pounds class.
A Frenchman is competing.
Yes, a Frenchman.
I'm surprised to see Taylor Keita in this tournament.
You know what to do. Keep your eyes on him.
…185 pounds.
He'll be up against fighters 20 pounds heavier than him.
There'll be a real size difference between him and his opponents.
-It will be hard. -Go, Taylor!
Come on!
The man who managed to snatch a draw against Ibrahim Ibara.
Ibrahim was expelled from KSW after that.
We'll see Taylor in the cage soon.
This will be the opening match. We give the floor to the announcer.
Man, he's 20 pounds heavier than him.
-He's hefty, eh? -He's bulky.
Keep your eyes on him.
It'll be like we said. He knows he's heavier.
He'll go for your legs to try to take you down. And you…
-You know what you have to do. Okay? -Yeah.
-Yeah? -Yeah!
Go on. Finish this quickly.
Come on.
Come on, now. Come on.
You've got this. You can do it.
Middleweight is not Taylor Keita's normal weight class.
Look at the size difference.
We were talking about it earlier.
It's pretty obvious. And they have different fighting styles.
We've got a wrestler on one side, the Russian,
and a striker on the other, Taylor.
Taylor can use that to his advantage with his speed and agility.
Taylor, let him come to you, like we said.
Come on. Let's go!
Here we go.
Whoa! Knee strike!
What a KO!
That's it!
-What a knee strike. -What a knockout!
A knee strike that came out of nowhere. And he knocked him out.
I can't believe it!
Great job.
That was a quick knockout.
No way.
That's how it's done.
-He couldn't have had a better start. -What a start.
-He didn't suffer any damage.
He didn't waste any energy. He's off to a great start.
-He's ready for the rest of the event. -Exactly.
That's what we call an easy money night for Taylor.
-At least the start of one. -He's off to a great start.
-He's happy. -Who is he up against next?
-Mamaiev. -Oh, fuck. Mamaiev?
-Isn't Mamaiev one of Khabib's? -Mamaiev is trouble.
-Big trouble. -It's a good start.
Yeah, that's Khabib's team.
Wow, fuck, yeah.
I hope he has the same luck in the second fight. Inshallah.
-It couldn't have gone better. -Yeah.
I did the right thing at the right time.
-Can you pass me my phone? -Forget your phone.
-Stay focused for now. -Okay.
He should take it.
Someone's spamming him. Must be important.
ELENA: BE CAREFUL. I MISS YOU.
Seriously? You're going to throw a jealous fit now?
We'll talk later. Okay?
What's going on with you two?
Nothing, don't worry.
No biggie. We're kidding around, Boss.
This is not the time.
Here's Mamaiev, making his entrance for the second semi-final.
He's trouble.
Mamaiev comes from Russia, originally from Chechnya.
He had the pleasure of training with the UFC star Islam Makhachev.
Now that's a training partner.
We got to see Mamaiev in his first fight.
Wrestling is where he shines.
So that's going to be a problem for Taylor in this fight.
Again, what worries me is the size difference.
There was already a huge difference in Taylor's first fight.
But now it's almost a 35-pound difference.
-It's going to be tricky. -He's very hefty.
The guys in his corner are the real deal.
Yeah?
But I've got you.
Here we go, the first round.
Taylor needs to command respect.
Yeah, someone's got to throw the first punch.
-Whoa! -The hostilities have begun.
Keep your distance!
I agree, he should absolutely keep his distance.
That's it! Yes, good!
Spin kick from Mamaiev. He's clearly much more than a wrestler.
Shit, no. Fuck!
Go back to the cage! Your back to the fence!
Nicely done. Nicely done by Mamaiev.
He's hit.
You need to get up.
Use the cage to get back up! Get out of there!
He managed to grab his head. Taylor's in trouble!
-He needs to use his hands. -Look, Taylor's making faces.
Strikes. Clever move from Mamaiev.
He's hitting him while he has his head.
-He's crushing our French guy! -Stand up!
-He's using his weight. -And ground and pound.
He's grabbing his head again. Taylor needs to get up.
-Get out! -Get yourself out!
He's got a lot of weight to lift,
and there's a lot of pressing from Mamaiev's side.
-He's making him fly. -He's strong.
We can see it.
Get out. You can do it.
Taylor is in defense for now. Very nice hook to get himself out.
Yeah.
Stop!
-That's the end of the round. -The round goes to Mamaiev.
Good job.
The slam, the control against the cage,
and especially those big ground and pound strikes…
Let's listen in.
How do you feel?
-The guy's tough to beat on the ground. -No surprise there.
Beard and no mustache means a good ground game.
-So we stick to what we said, okay? -Okay.
Counterattack when he tries to take you down. Okay?
Stay on your feet. You're better than him. Okay?
Taylor's problem is power. We get it.
-When Mamaiev gets his hands on him… -It's complicated.
He's in trouble because he lost the first round.
There are three five-minute rounds. If he loses the second…
ROUND 2
-…he'll have to finish him off. -Now that could be a problem for Taylor.
He's got to get that second round.
Very nice blocks from Taylor.
Yes!
Don't stop!
Good! He's hit!
That's it!
-He needs to go faster! -That's it.
Ground and pound, he's in a good position to hit.
He's trying to get out.
-Taylor needs to hold out. -Mamaiev still has strength.
His arm is at risk. Look, there's so much pressure.
He needs to block his arm to avoid rotation.
Body strikes to make him let go.
Come on!
Mamaiev gets up.
Look at that defense!
That's it, good job.
-And he keeps going. -Acceleration, he's landing his strikes!
Stop.
Good job. Come here.
-Whoa. -It's not like the round we saw earlier.
He's getting tired.
He's got to make the most of his minute to rest.
Look, Taylor didn't come out unscathed.
Come on, Taylor.
He needs to move more.
Don't show that you're tired. Get up.
What's wrong? Why are you scared of his wrestling?
Hey, shut up and ice him!
You won the round. You know that? That's good.
I know you're tired, but he's worse, you wore him out.
-You know? -Yeah, I know.
Be careful when he tries to bring you down. Stay on your feet.
-Okay. -You'll be fine.
-Let's go. -Go.
-Stop being scared of his wrestling. -That's enough.
Keep a good distance.
Here comes the third and final round.
-Go, Taylor! -You got this!
He needs to hold out and make a difference.
You can sense he's tired when he strikes.
Good job.
Mamaiev charges once again.
Such power. Such power from Mamaiev.
Underhook, under the armpit.
If Taylor has energy left, he should use it now.
Control the hand.
He's maintaining control over one arm.
Two on one.
What he's doing is good defense,
but Mamaiev is pressing him physically.
Oh, the counter!
With the elbow, beautiful!
Yes!
Faster!
I think that elbow strike cut him.
Yes!
Fuck! No!
He needs to get up. He can't stay on the ground.
Get yourself out of there!
He's attempting a guillotine.
That's it. Get out, come on!
And uppercut!
That's it!
-Keep going! -He gave it his all.
He rushed into it. Look, he's getting thrown on the floor.
Oh, fuck!
He can't let Mamaiev position himself. Look.
-He's trying a choke. -Fuck, he's screwed.
Careful with that arm triangle choke.
It seems too late. I'm looking at Taylor.
Will he make it?
Ten seconds left. You need to hold out!
-It looks like… -Don't give up!
He's trapped in this choke.
You need to hold out!
-It's the end of the round. -He's got no energy to defend himself.
It's simple, either he holds out until the end or…
Three, two, one!
Stop!
Yes!
-Yeah! -He made it. It was a close call.
Very close, to say the least.
I think it was a close call to a world of nightmares for Taylor.
Damn.
He won, right?
But there's another fight coming.
Get up, Taylor.
Will he have enough strength? He can't even get up.
Look at the state he's in.
Come on, Taylor.
Show them that you've won. Here you go.
We won this one.
He really went all out on that one.
We'll wait for the judges' decision. Hopefully, it'll go Taylor's way.
I think he won the last round.
It's complicated, guys.
-Time for the judges to decide. -Yeah.
Taylor Keita!
Taylor's got heart.
-Wow, unbelievable! -But look at the state he's in.
I don't know how he'll make it back for a third fight tonight.
Look at him walking out of the cage.
That's the part that worries me.
What matters is what he did in this fight.
-He did the job. -We can only hope.
He's dead. He has no energy left.
-Yeah, I know. -The kid's completely out.
-It's going to be hard. -It's gonna be crazy hard.
-How are you feeling? -I'm dizzy, that's all. I just need…
I need to rest for a bit.
You've got to stop. It's too dangerous. You're in no shape to fight.
Okay?
Help him dress.
I'll get a medic and talk to the organizers.
Hey.
Are you stopping now?
Really?
He never believed in you.
He doesn't know you.
You made it to the finals, and you're giving up?
Taylor!
What about the last fight? What's gonna happen?
To be honest, he's pretty dangerous. But you have the skill to beat him.
You know how this sport is. You can knock him out with one punch.
Listen, Taylor, I know you're exhausted. I know you went all the way.
But, honestly, if you finish it fast, you can do it.
Do you hear me? You can win.
I'm saying this for your sake.
You know why you came here.
Think of your mother.
Okay?
Wait, what are you doing?
I'm going to fight.
Give us the room, please.
-Why? -Just get out.
Did he get you all worked up?
He just gave me his opinion.
There's no opinion to give. You're in no state to fight!
-It's not safe. -But I need that money.
Taylor, you're insane.
Your opponent won his two fights before the bell.
He's in peak condition. You don't stand a chance!
You never thought I had a chance, did you?
You don't know me.
Let's go.
This is a bad idea, Taylor.
This is the grand finale of the KSW under 185 pounds tournament.
There's $100,000 at stake.
Let us welcome the scarecrow of the tournament.
The cold-blooded killer from Austria.
Tobias Weber is entering the ring. He's done a lot of damage tonight.
It appears this tournament is just a formality to him.
In other words, he's literally smashed all his opponents.
So Taylor will need to be very careful,
because he's meeting someone who's out to get him.
Look how huge he is.
-What's he doping with? -He's 45 pounds heavier.
Here we go. Third and last fight of this tournament.
-Come on! -It's the last one!
Come on, be strong.
…the hardest fight for Taylor.
Especially after what his opponent did.
And what Taylor went through.
-Give us a powerful start. -They didn't have the same tournament.
-Weber strikes immediately. -Uppercut.
Watch your defense, Taylor.
-He needs to spin. -Taylor needs to stay in it.
…manage his energy…
He's exhausted. He's a mess.
Careful, Weber's combo. The kick hit him.
He blocked but got hit.
He attempts a takedown. No, that's not a good idea.
He looks tired.
Weber's immediate response with the low kick.
He's gesturing.
I think he's asking him to get up.
He wants to do it standing up. He's playing with his prey.
Move, Taylor.
He's trying to knock him out. Weber's pressuring him.
-No. -Protect yourself. Arms up!
Ouch.
Good dodging from Taylor.
Come on, he needs to hit back now.
-Yes! -Beautiful!
He needs to keep going. Good kick. Another blow.
Keep going!
It threw Weber off! What a punch!
Yes!
He needs to accelerate.
He can do it. Come on, Taylor!
He's finishing him.
It's a dramatic knockout for Taylor Keita!
-Ouch. -Oh, my God!
Stand up, Taylor.
He was doing it. He was getting back into the fight!
Damn.
He took an elbow straight to the face!
We told you, all this man's extremities are lethal weapons.
-This is not good. -Damn…
That's not good.
He lost consciousness.
This is the worst scenario. This is a real nightmare.
What a horrific sight with an unconscious Taylor on the ground.
Fuck!
We've seen KOs, but this is a bad one.
It's really bad. I hope he wakes up.
That's not good.
-And that's… -He got a glimpse of the reality of MMA.
It's a harsh reality you don't want to see.
Not tonight, not with Taylor.