''Tough Guys'' is a 2017 documentary film that explores the development of
mixed martial arts as a mainstream sporting event in the United States from 1979-1983. The principal characters are
Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri, who founded
CV Productions together.
The film made its debut at the
AFI Film Festival of 2017. Its first network television showing premiered on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
, September 15, 2017.
Filming took place at 18 locations throughout
Pennsylvania,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and
Florida including
Allegheny Shotokan Karate and
Denny's restaurant.
Synopsis
In 1979, more than a decade before the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), CV Productions created a new sport that involved an anything-goes fight league that recruited street fighters, wrestlers, martial artists, boxers and brawlers. The film chronicles the Tough Guys' first bouts and the cast of fighters who stepped into the ring.
The film documents the
Tough Guy
The Tough Guy Competition was an endurance challenge that claims to be the world's most demanding one-day survival ordeal. First staged in 1987 and organised by Billy Wilson under the pseudonym of "Mr. Mouse", it is held on a 600-acre (2.42 sq ...
vs
Toughman
The Toughman Contest, founded in 1979 in Bay City, Michigan by late boxing promoter Art Dore (1936-2022), is a chance for the novice amateur boxers (those with no more than five sanctioned wins in the past five years) to test themselves in the ...
controversy.
In the documentary, CV Productions becomes subject to political scrutiny that sparked a chain of events ending in the passage of the
Tough Guy Law, Senate Bill 632, the first mixed martial arts ban in the nation. The sport then remained dormant until the UFC resurrected the concept in 1993.
Background
''Tough Guys'' was inspired by the book ''
Godfathers of MMA'' published by
Kumite Classic Entertainment
Kumite Classic Entertainment (KCE) is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based sports production company. It was established in 1999 by Bill Viola Jr. KCE specializes in fitness, martial arts, and multi-sport competitions.
The Kumite Classic
“ Kumite ...
and written by
Bill Viola Jr
William "Bill" Viola Jr. (born April 9, 1977) is an international martial arts champion, promoter and author. He is the producer and founder of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based Kumite Classic Entertainment, Kumite Classic.Kelly, Jack (April 16 ...
and Dr. Fred Adams. The book was featured in The Tough Guys exhibit at the
Heinz History Center, which recognized Viola and Califuri as the co-creators of MMA, and caught the attention of
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Robert Zullo.
After Zullo read the book, he connected Bill Viola with MinusL productions to produce a film about the history of MMA. Viola Jr. also re-released an updated version of his book re-titled and re-branded as “Tough Guys” to coincide with the film's release.
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 5023566
Tough Guys on Showtime
2017 documentary films
2017 films
American sports documentary films
Mixed martial arts documentaries
2010s English-language films
2010s American films