American Fighter (2021)

When the film American Fighter (2019) begins, times are tough for former college wrestling superstar Ali Jahani (George Kosturos), the protagonist of the 2016 film American Wrestler: The Wizard. Ali's mother, who has stood by and supported her son as he became an elite athlete, is facing down a life-saving surgery that is far beyond their reach financially. Desperate to save the most important person in his world, Ali makes a fateful decision to get into the lucrative but dangerous world of underground fighting. He shows some early promise and clearly has plenty of skill, but without the proper training, he ends up getting beaten to a bloody pulp every time he steps in the ring. Under the tutelage of legendary fighter turned coach Duke (Sean Patrick Flanery), he looks to turn his fortunes around and sure enough, he'll start amassing the fortune he'll need to save his mother's life. Duke ends up making Ali a much better fighter, but of course he eventually ends up staring down the biggest fight of his life against the undisputed king of the underground fighting scene, Tank (Guy A. Grundy). Throw in some back room politicking with a crooked promoter named McClellan (Tommy Flanagan) and you've got the making of a showdown for the ages! Sadly there's no skin to speak of in this flick as they never follow any of the boys into the locker room! George Kosturos naturally spends a substantial portion of his time on-screen sans shirt and faces down other shirtless opponents like Eddie Davenport and the aforementioned Guy A. Grundy! American Fighter will have you punching below your belt!