THE CAGE
THREE MONTHS LATER
Sorry to bother you, but it's important.
Okay…
Do you recognize this guy?
Is that him?
Yeah, I think so.
How did they track him down?
With the surveillance cameras in the street.
They could tell he didn't look Swedish,
and after a bit of digging, they found out he was French.
Just like you.
They connected the dots.
They tried to contact you, but you are not taking any calls.
Do they know who this guy is?
No, they don't.
That's why they sent us the photo.
Go ahead, tell him.
He looked familiar to me.
I knew I had seen him somewhere. I had seen his face before.
You know how I am, so…
I poked around and did some digging.
And I found this.
It looks like the same guy, doesn't it?
Yeah…
Yeah, it does, but…
Where did these photos come from?
We found them on Ibrahim's socials.
He's been seen at every one of his fights.
Every single one.
Wait a minute.
I agree that Ibrahim is a jerk. He's an asshole.
But you're saying he might have something to do with what happened to Boss?
It's actually a bit more complicated than that.
Boss had a lot of dirt on Ibrahim.
It goes back to when Ibrahim still was a member of MMA Fighters.
Alright.
One night, I was at the gym with Boss.
This chick came in with a smashed-up face.
Her face was completely destroyed.
Swollen face, broken nose, cut eyebrows, split lips, and the list goes on.
It was horrible.
The girl, well… she was dating Ibrahim.
When we asked what happened, she told us Ibrahim had beaten her up.
Boss tried to give her some advice and told her to report it, but…
She wouldn't listen. She was terrified.
Terrified. She was scared he'd retaliate.
She was scared Ibrahim would make her look crazy on social media.
It made Boss furious.
That's why he kicked Ibrahim out of the gym.
And he took pictures of her.
Basically to show Ibrahim that he had him by the balls,
and that if he did it again, he would tell the media and the cops.
So, to sum it up…
you're saying Ibrahim asked this guy to stab Boss?
We're pretty sure he did.
-Well, we have to tell the cops. -Yeah, for sure.
Sure, we'll go to the police.
Do you know how long an investigation takes?
Do you know how long court cases take?
So what do we do?
Huh?
This guy is living his best life
while Boss is in a coma!
This scumbag is going to fight at ARES!
And if he wins the belt, he will go to the UFC!
And what do you think he's going to do?
During each interview, he'll disrespect the gym and Boss.
Hey! I'm talking to you! Look at me!
He's going to disrespect Boss!
And we're not doing anything!
We'll get going.
I… I'm sorry.
I apologize for ruining your evening. I'm really sorry.
But we thought you should know, Taylor.
All set? Got everything? You've got your passport?
Yeah, all set.
I hope things work out well for you there.
To be honest…
I don't really know what to expect, but…
Boss planned this for me.
I know.
Come here.
I have to keep training. He booked one of the best coaches in the world.
And Bilal's right. We can't let Ibrahim get away with what he did.
Thanks for being here.
Be careful, okay?
I'll miss you.
I'll miss you too.
ELENA I'M PROUD OF YOU
JUST LANDED IN MEXICO, EVERYTHING IS FINE
IT'S TOO EARLY FOR YOU TO SAY THAT
-Thank you. -You're welcome.
Hi.
-Hi. Are you here for the class? -Yes.
Go ahead.
SPECIAL TRAINING WITH SIX GUN GIBSON COACH OF JON JONES
Let's go.
Hey, baby.
I'm sending you a voice message rather than calling, just to stay focused.
I wanted to let you know that everything went well.
Great training session, and tomorrow will be even better.
You're on my mind all the time, and I'll make you proud.
Alright, I… I'll be in touch very soon.
Lots of love, and I miss you.
Bye.
Bilal, my man! I made it safely to Mexico.
I'm going to send you some photos of the gym. You'll dig it.
And…
I think about Boss every single day.
I know he's the reason wh…
Why I'm here.
I'm doing this for him, and…
Anyway, I don't have a choice. I've got to make it work, so…
So it'll be okay.
It'll be okay.
Alright, I'll send you the pictures, okay?
Bye, bro.
He got hit!
Look, here comes that spinning strike.
The acceleration.
He might pull this off.
He can pull this off, Antoine.
-That's the end. -I can't believe it.
I can't wait to fight Ibrahim.
I'll stay a few more days to train, and when I come back, I'll be ready.
Alright, I love you.
This is such a long-awaited fight. The fight for the belt.
Taylor Keita, the title contender
who will have to face this man once again, Ibrahim Ibara,
currently the most dangerous fighter on French soil.
-How are you? -Great.
-Can I get your autograph? -Of course.
It's great to see you again. I'm sure it'll be a great comeback.
-Don't worry. -Thank you.
Excuse me, buddy. Sorry. So, are you at weight?
Yeah, I'm at weight.
Awesome. Here, the tickets for your mom.
Oh, you're the best!
-I did great, huh? Of course I did. -Thanks a lot.
Look at this! That's insane! Isn't that legendary?
-It's better if I sign it. -Of course you'll sign it.
Sofiane, the face-off is in ten minutes, and I don't have any shorts.
Sorry. We're late.
There were at least 300 people waiting outside.
Wait, let me show you.
Your own personalized fight pack.
-It's actually very nice. -He's happy.
Well, it looks nice.
-Listen, bad news. -What?
-The face-off got cancelled. -What do you mean?
-Ibrahim doesn't want to do it. -Is he serious?
-We have a full house. -I know, but…
Ibrahim, we know the UFC matchmaker will be there tomorrow,
and rumor says the winner of the match will probably get a contract.
That's an added incentive, right?
No, my main motivation is to beat the shit out of him.
If it gets me into the UFC, even better.
But my plan right now is to smash his face and humiliate him.
I know I'm going to the UFC.
In a few minutes, you'll have a face-off.
How do you think this is going to go down?
There won't be any face-off.
I know I won't be able to contain myself, so I won't go.
But when I do stand in front of him, it'll be to finish him.
Alright, fine.
Thank you, Ibrahim.
Hey!
You know it's just PR, right?
You knew it would happen, bro. You know how he is.
Yeah, I know.
He wants attention, that's all.
Exactly.
-Let's focus on the fight. -Yeah.
-Alright, focus, champ. -Okay?
I'll see you all at 9 p.m. for the last training session.
-See you at 9 p.m. -At 9 p.m.
Yeah.
I'll take the tickets.
Hi, Mom.
I've been trying to get ahold of you all day.
Anyway, I've got two VIP seats for you and Régis.
Front row, next to the cage. You'll see, they're the best seats.
Just let me know if you'd rather pick them up at the counter
or if you'd like me to send someone to drop them off for you.
Alright.
I'm really glad you're coming. Okay.
Call me back, Mom. Lots of love.
Bye, Mom.
MOM THANK YOU, SON.
I'LL PICK THEM UP TOMORROW EVENING.
That's it. Come on, one.
One, come on. Knee.
Yes. Alright, combo.
Yes, very good.
Good job, very good.
Hey, will you stop with that?
I'm not fighting. I can do what I want.
Alright, let's stay focused. Guard up. Let's go.
Alright, two. And one. Come on. That's it.
Good job. Let's go, combo.
Come on. Bam. Good job.
Bam. Good job.
Come on. Right and then elbow.
Knee. Good job.
It's looking good.
But you should stop before you hurt yourself.
Did you come all this way to watch the fight?
Not to watch the fight.
But…
to be in your corner.
That is… if you'll have me.
Of course I will.
Thanks, boss.
Hello.
I'm going to cry.
I'm Georges. Nice to meet you.
I love you, Georges.
Yes.
I've loved you for such a long time.
I love you too.
Georges. Nice to meet you.
Hey, long time no see! How are you doing?
-Wow, it's great to see you again. -You too, Georges.
Come on, breathe.
Well?
No. No one's picked up the tickets.
MOM
You've reached the voicemail of 06-82…
She might show up later.
Give me your bike.
Are you mad? The fight is in less than two hours.
You can't leave.
Listen, I keep calling her. I've sent texts, she's not replying.
Those guys might have come to beat her up.
Let's wait. We'll keep calling her, we'll send someone if we have to.
-I can't wait! -You're not allowed to leave!
I need to know!
-Give me your keys, please. -Taylor.
Bro, give me your keys.
Niko, please.
-Thanks. -What should I tell GSP and Elena?
Tell them I've got an emergency. I'll be back soon.
I think the key to Taylor's success will be his mobility,
not staying in front of his opponent.
Pick up, damn it.
Ibrahim is someone who's very emotional. He often gets angry.
-Hello? -Taylor.
If anything happens to you, you'll ruin everything!
I can't walk into the cage like nothing happened.
You're insane.
What if you get to your mom's and there's a gang waiting for you?
I think we should call the cops.
No, we can't call the cops!
Look, I promise to be careful, but I've got no choice, I need to know.
-Please be careful. -Okay.
So?
How's it going?
Hey, are you okay? What are you doing here?
Where's my mom?
Isa, your son is here!
Mom?
I've been calling all day. Where are you going? What's all this?
Don't raise your voice. Your mother can explain.
Hey, you, don't talk to me!
Mom, tell me what's going on!
You need to calm down first!
You want to know what's going on? Alright, I'll tell you!
Mallorca?
Were you going to disappear without telling me?
Cut it out, Taylor!
I was looking forward to seeing you there tonight.
It would have made me so proud.
But you are leaving during the fight so I'm not in your way.
Right?
What did I ever do to you?
No need to be so dramatic, okay?
It all happened very quickly. Don't make a fool of yourself.
Régis has problems with a lot of people here.
We had no choice.
We didn't say anything to protect you.
How are you going to afford this?
We've been saving up for it after struggling so long.
-You kept saying you were broke. -Hey!
Do you know how hard it is for me to ask my son for money?
I've always given you everything I've had.
Those small bills? You really thought that was enough?
Do you know how much this house costs? Of course you don't.
Give me an honest answer, son.
Would you have found the 30,000 if I hadn't pushed you a little?
Pushed?
You got beaten up, right?
Didn't you?
Do you see how far I had to go to get you to finally agree to help me?
What I had to ask Régis to do to make sure you'd believe me?
You hit her?
Taylor, calm down! I asked him to do it!
Are you out of your mind?
Why did y…?
-Why would you do that to me? -How dare you, Taylor.
I put a roof over your head. I fed you.
You don't know all the sacrifices I had to make.
And you couldn't even get a passing grade in school.
You embarrassed me. You were always at the bottom!
You gave me so much trouble, Taylor!
So you think I'm a bad mother, I don't care.
But it wasn't easy having you as a son.
Yeah.
Yes, I lied about the money. So what?
We had our problems, and we needed it to leave.
It's not as if I had a son with a career who could help me!
That boxing thing…
That's all you're good at.
All I had to do was motivate you. And that's what I did.
And it worked.
And this is how you thank me now?
In the end, you helped your mother, so there's no point in getting upset.
ELENA WHERE ARE YOU? I'M WORRIED…
CALL ME BACK. LOVE YOU
Let us finish packing. You'll be late for your fight, won't you?
It's all good. I'm on my way.
Relax.
That's it, hands high. Keep your hands high.
Breathe.
Come on.
Here!
Come on, elbow.
That's it!
Yes!
Here we go. The main event of the night, the fight everybody's waiting for.
This fight is a bit special because it's between fighters who hate each other
and who have unfinished business that they'll settle in this cage.
This fight is between two men who want to hurt each other.
It's become very personal.
Yeah!
The crowd is on fire!
It's the atmosphere in the room, the presentation,
and also the animosity between the two.
Face to face in the center of the cage with referee Loïc Pora.
You're fighting for the world title in five five-minute rounds.
-I'll destroy you. -We'll see.
Look at their eyes. Neither wants to back down.
Respect the rules and go to your corners.
I like that look in Taylor's eyes.
He was criticized for being passive.
Exactly, for being a bit too gentle.
Can it be that he found his inner demon when he trained with Jon Jones?
And let's not forget GSP, who will be in his corner tonight.
The fight will consist of five five-minute rounds.
Come on, Taylor. Use your legs. Yes!
Yes! The spin kick hit him.
-Finish him! -And that's how you start a fight.
Good job, he's trying to take him down. Ibrahim.
Ground and pound.
-Keep going. -Keep him down.
Stay tight. Keep it tight!
It's going fast.
-Granby Roll. Come on, Granby! -He's trying to get out.
-Granby Roll. -Yes!
Oh, knee strike!
Beautiful!
Very good start.
Good!
Good combo.
Be aggressive! Again!
-Uppercut! -Yes, good job!
Very good.
Yes!
He's scared. Move forward. Yes!
…what the two fighters are presenting right now.
That's it. Keep going.
Ibrahim's being careful. He respects the strength of his opponent.
Not against the cage! No!
And takedown.
It doesn't look good for Taylor.
Wow… Directly in a good position on the ground.
He's going for a rear-naked choke.
Grab your leg and turn.
-Good defense. -…a good grip of his leg.
Now, Taylor's doing something interesting.
Protect your throat!
He better watch his back.
Tighter! Don't let go!
Ibrahim has skills on the ground.
-This is quite good. -He's transitioning to an arm lock.
There's the arm lock. Very good.
…rip off this arm, it's dangerous. He can break his arm.
-Rip his arm off. -Yeah.
…spin. He needs to spin.
Yes!
Very good defense. Very nice what we're seeing here.
It's very interesting.
Yes!
He landed a body shot.
Taylor's accelerating.
Yes!
The referee is stepping in. The round is over.
Come here, I'll fuck you up!
Back to your corners. Calm down!
-There's tension in the air. -We can feel it.
-The referee had to step in. -Let's hope for no bad behavior.
Stay calm.
This fight is full of surprises.
We say it often, but here, anything is possible.
Pull yourself together.
Hey! Look at me! Ibrahim, look at me.
Finish him off in the next round.
Here, drink.
Don't stray from the plan and don't fight with your back against the cage.
You need to keep moving and stay on your feet.
So far, so good. I want to see you move.
-Come on, champ. -Come on.
Now go kick his ass. Let's go.
Medic, out.
Come on, let's go.
-Go, Taylor! -Come on, Taylor. Go, champ.
-A historic fight with high stakes. -Ready?
Round two is starting.
Let me remind you, this is a fight of five five-minute rounds.
A fight with a belt as the prize.
Ibrahim, straight for the upper hand.
That's it.
Come on, Ibrahim. Get nasty.
And that punch landed on him. The hook…
-Be more aggressive. -He snapped out of it.
-Take control of the center. -He needs to move.
Yes!
Come here, for fuck's sake!
Good control of the space, a hook.
-Hit harder! -Yes, that's it! Come on!
Forward. You go forward.
Come on.
-Don't step back, straight line. -Get out of there!
Taylor can't stay there.
The uppercut hit him!
He has his back against the cage.
Keep going!
Get out of there!
Ibrahim's speeding up.
-He knocked him to the ground. -Beautiful!
He shifts. That kick was a bit half-hearted.
Yes, but what a nice transition!
-He's going for a knee lock. -Spin!
-He's spinning. That's good. -Maybe a transition to an ankle lock.
He's going for an ankle lock.
Harder, Taylor!
Taylor will be in danger if he can't go all the way.
He's starting to defend now.
Ibrahim is going to get back up.
That's forbidden!
He did it again!
Why? Again!
Go to your corner. Medic!
That's it, champ.
He was almost disqualified last time.
-It's unbelievable. -In a fight with so much at stake.
-Stay on the ground! -Go back to your corner.
What was that? He can't do that!
Medic!
He was getting up. Let us remind you.
You can't kick your opponent's head when he's on the ground.
Yet that is what happened.
It's looking really tough.
Alright, come, slowly.
Let's see if the medic clears him to fight.
Take your time.
Do you have any intense neck or head pain?
-Any blurred vision? -No.
No?
I think he needs to rest a little.
If he's too stunned, the medic can stop the fight.
Do you have a burning sensation or weakness in your arms or legs?
What a nasty knee strike he took.
Can I keep going or not?
Apart from the bleeding, there's nothing saying you can't,
but I'd advise against it.
If Taylor doesn't resume the fight
and the referee declares the strike an illegal move,
Ibrahim could be disqualified, and it would mean that Taylor wins.
In all sincerity, as a fighter myself,
I think the wisest thing would be to leave the fight.
Because he's clearly diminished.
He was clearly affected by that knee strike.
So even if he resumes the fight,
he's still lost a few life points after a knee strike like that.
Taylor!
You can choose to stop if you want. He'll be disqualified. You've won.
How do you feel?
-I'll continue. -Okay.
-Okay, don't move. -Thank you, Doc.
-Come. -What's the matter?
I'm deducting a point.
What? I knocked him out.
-One point deduction. -Fuck! What the hell?
One penalty point for Ibrahim.
Clearly deserved.
That open cut will impair his performance.
Not only is he stunned, but he's injured.
A bleeding eyebrow means less visibility, so he's going to be hampered in his fight.
Taylor. Why are you doing this?
You won. It was done, you had the belt.
What more do you want?
I don't want to win like that.
I'm not here for the belt. I'm here to finish him off. Okay?
All he wants is to be able to say we stole the fight.
I can knock him out.
-Right. Shall we get back to it? -Yeah.
The fight can only resume if the bleeding stops.
He wants to fuck us up? He's dead.
-That's it. -I'll fuck him up.
He's out. Okay? You smashed his head with your knee.
Do you understand? He won't recover.
As soon as the next round starts, you finish him off.
-He can't finish. Look at him. -I'll wipe him out.
He'll fix me.
One minute. He'll fix me.
-Okay, it's all good. -All good?
Listen to me, Taylor.
Stay on your feet, protect your eye, and give him hell.
-You're the champ. Go get him! -Coaches, medic, out.
Okay.
Remember what he did to Boss.
Here we go. Come on!
Let's dive right into it, Taylor.
Ready? Ready?
-It was a close call with the knee strike. -Yeah.
They're exchanging blows. Ibrahim strikes again.
We were saying earlier that it had become personal.
…exchanging blow after blow.
If you came to do this, there's no point.
He's out, finish him now.
Taylor should try to limit the damage, because it'll be hard to keep going.
-Yeah, good sprawl on Taylor's part. -Good defense.
I know what you did to Boss. I know why you did it.
Very good jab.
-Ibrahim has such strength. -He hit him.
They're exchanging blows.
Come on, Taylor!
Nice kick!
Awesome. Finish him!
He needs to get up.
Kick. Now! Yes!
-Taylor's getting aggressive. -He's right. That's good.
Clinch!
I'll finish you off before I go to the cops.
-Come on, get it. -Body strike.
Okay, knee strike.
The counter!
Yeah! Good job. Finish him!
Put your guard up.
End of round.
Right on the bell. Unbelievable.
Unbelievable. Taylor's saved by the bell.
-I can't believe it. -Wow.
Taylor's corner must be breaking out in a cold sweat.
It isn't over. Come on.
Taylor!
-Taylor! -Come on!
Taylor!
Come on! Taylor!
Taylor!
The crowd is on fire.
Ready? Ready?
Round four is about to start, arms are heavy.
Hang in there, champ. Come on.
-He hit him with a front kick. -To the face.
Don't stay in front of him.
You can't stay there, Taylor.
Don't stand with your back against the cage.
-Taylor has lost his focus. -Yeah.
-He needs to come back into the game. -I wonder if he recovered.
-It doesn't look like it. -Don't let him come. Move!
Stay aggressive.
He's taking hits, he needs to raise his guard!
Come on, he needs a solid defense. He needs to hold out.
Come on, go for it.
-Taylor can do it. -Come on, Taylor.
-Move, get out! -He needs to do something.
Come on!
He needs to react now because he could be stopped.
Clinch! Yes, hold out, Taylor.
-He's doing a good job. -Yes!
Yes, hang in there, Taylor! Ten seconds!
Ibrahim is getting aggressive.
Don't let him go!
Come on!
Stop. End of round.
Such heart.
Such motivation and bravery on Taylor's part.
I'm not sure if he can regain the upper hand.
Hey, Taylor! We're losing the fight here.
But there's a solution.
Look at me, Taylor. He's tired too.
He's tired. It's not over.
Wait for him to make a mistake. Look for an opening.
Look for the crack.
Forget Ibrahim. You're fighting against yourself.
It's you against yourself, Taylor.
What are you doing, Ibrahim?
How can an amateur fight four rounds against you?
You should have knocked him out in the first round.
You're embarrassing us all! You're embarrassing me.
Your performance is shit. You're shit.
Look at me. You're shit.
What are you doing? Are you with me or against me?
-I'm your coach. -I don't give a fuck. Get out.
-The war isn't between us. -I don't give a fuck.
Get the fuck out of here.
Look! Ibrahim is yelling at his coach.
So much tension in their corner.
I don't know if it's good energy to do that
when you're competing in such an important fight.
You've got five minutes.
Five minutes to change your life, Taylor.
Look at me.
You're the strongest, Taylor. Say it. You're the strongest!
-I'm the strongest. -You're the strongest.
Yes!
It's war, Taylor. Hey, Taylor.
Send him to hell.
Coaches, medic, out.
You're the champion, Taylor.
The final round of this fight is about to start.
A fight that has blown our minds so far.
I don't know if you realize how much they've given over the last 20 minutes.
They've taken a lot of blows. I'm curious to see what they have left.
Come on, Taylor.
Fifth and final round.
Here we go, the final five minutes.
It all comes down to this.
Less than five minutes. It's now or never.
It's all a mental game now. They don't have any strength left.
It'll be whoever wants the win more.
Look, Taylor's kicking without much conviction.
It's the fatigue.
He's going to fall.
Ibrahim's arms are heavy too.
They're both exhausted.
Come on, Taylor.
Yeah, their tanks are empty.
Come on, Taylor!
That was a mistake!
Get out of there.
He's using all the strength he has left.
Get out!
He's defending but still taking hits.
-Ibrahim is pausing. -This is crazy.
He's out, finish him, for fuck's sake!
Action, gentlemen, action.
These men don't have any energy left to strike.
No energy left to fight. From either side.
They have to get back into it.
Ibrahim speeds up again.
-Taylor is still in defense. -Taylor is still standing.
Fight.
Taylor is holding out.
Gentlemen, fight.
Come on.
What we're seeing is crazy. This is the fifth and final round.
Taylor just took a hit.
A hard one too.
Come on, keep going.
-Fight, gentlemen. -Ibrahim can't keep up.
It's absolutely crazy.
It's now or never, Taylor. Come on.
They've given their all. They're both in the cage.
They've given so much that they don't have any energy left to finish this.
-Kick at full speed! -Taylor knocked Ibrahim to the ground.
-Unbelievable! He did it! -He did it!
He's the new ARES champion!
I can't believe it!
Completely unexpected, that came out of nowhere.
Out of nowhere, that's for sure. Exactly.
Ibrahim didn't see it coming and got hit in the face.
Look, he's on the ground.
You did it!
So cool. The public is going wild! We're going wild!
This fight will make history in the ARES arena.
What a performance, what a fight.
I'm so proud of you.
-Such self-sacrifice, such courage! -Yes!
-It's legendary what you did, bro! -Ladies and gentlemen!
Boss would be proud of you!
Ciryl Gane comes in with the champion's belt.
Good evening.
He'll hand the belt to the new category champ…
What's up?
…Taylor Keita.
Well done, guys.
Taylor!
Just a word with Taylor. It's beautiful.
And it's new for you. How does it feel?
I only have two things to say.
The first is that I'll never have to deal with him again.
We all saw what happened tonight.
The second is that you'll have to count on me,
and remember my name because this is just the beginning!
This fight and this win are for Boss.
And I'd like to thank my team and…
And tell you that I love you.
Taylor!
I'm so proud of you.
Congrats, bro.
Thanks, bro.
What you did is legendary, man.
-Thanks, bro. -Boss would be very proud of you.
-This is all for him. -Yes.
Did we hear the same thing?
I'm joining the UFC.
Champagne for everybody!
No, I'm good, thanks.
-I'll have some water, though. -I'll get you some.
-Come here. -You're the best.
Thanks, bro.
You're the champion.
Fantastic!
Thank you.
Incredible.
Is this Taylor Keita's locker room?
-What's this about? -Doping control.
Yes, it's over there.
Wait.
I'm sorry to ask, but could you give him some time?
He's with his friends. He just won a big fight.
They're celebrating.
You understand, it's his first belt.
Come on, guys. It's not every day you win a belt.
Alright, sure.
We'll start with the others.
Thank you very much on his behalf.
Oh, thanks, bro.
Please.
To Boss.
And cheers to you.
Thanks for everything.
No, thank you.
We're together, and we'll stay that way.
We're together, bro.
You'll see I was right about your brow.
I'm sure he'll get at least two stitches.
-And I say none. -Should we bet?
-Sure. -A kebab?
Hey, listen. I just bet against Taylor.
I say he'll get at least two stitches…
If he loses…
Subtitle translation by: Amaury Pinos