The MMA Documentary 3

3 is a cutting edge documentary focussing on the sport of MMA and giving a brief insight into the lives of three of the UK's most promising fighters. This film is so significant because of its quality and craftsmanship; presenting an intimate portrait of these athletes and exploring what drew them into the sport. Starring UCMMA Light Heavyweight Champion, Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa, UCMMA Featherweight Champion, “Capcom” Cory Tait and BAMMA British Middleweight Champion, Jack “Hammer” Marshman, the documentary is directed by British Filmmaker Demetrio Marquez and produced by UK journalist Aundre Jacobs . Promoted by Izzy Carnwath of Halo PR it was released in November 2011 on MTV's The Wrap Up.

Demetrio Marquez

What is 3 all about?

I hate to use the terms, all access and exclusive, they get thrown about far too often these days, but '3' is an exclusive look into the lives of some of the hottest prospects and most talked about fighters in UK MMA today. We spotlight Jack Marshman's title winning performance at BAMMA 7 and the conflicts of fighting in the army and being a professional mixed martial artist. Cory Tait, a champion five fights into his career gives us a very candid insight into what it's like to be in his shoes and how his fights have turned out. And finally, we go beyond where anyone has seen Jimi Manuwa before, given unparalleled access, as we're a fly on the wall in his locker room before his much anticipated final fight at Cage Rage.

What inspired you to write this documentary?

About a year ago I was saying to a friend that I wanted to create portraits of fighters, I have a background in documentary filmmaking, where I've been successful making character based films in the past, so I've always wanted to combine the two. Anyone who worked on the film with me will tell you that I was going on about making sure each fighter's story was presented and told in a different style. I see the same style of filmmaking adopted to completely different characters all the time in MMA videos and I can't figure out why that is or attribute it to anything, but I respect that every person is an individual and has their own story, so from day one I intended to show off three different portraits of fighters. We've got three very different characters in the film and that's something I'm really happy about as I fed off that when producing the film.

Who has worked with you in creating this and is there anyone you couldn’t have done without?

I worked together with Aundre Jacobs and Izzy Carnwath to get the project off the ground and both were great to work with. Anything I needed help with during the course of production they helped arranged and were great to bounce ideas off of and help break things down. No better support. Obviously my end was to create the film, but they worked very very hard to get it out there and I know from promoting my own films in the past, that getting people to watch your work no matter if it’s good or bad is the hardest part. Aundre's also good friends with Cory Tait so he was instrumental in making that happen and generally producing the best Cory Tait on film and I think that shows in how comfortable Cory was infront of the camera in speaking to a friend. We also both put together the list of fighters we wanted to feature in the documentary. There were a couple of other fighters we were looking to include but due to the deadline and schedule we weren't able to get around to film them all.

Do you have any previous experiences of MMA yourself? If so, what?

I haven't got any experience in MMA, but I'm definitely looking to join a gym and start training soon.

I believe that MTV are going to air this; how did that come about and who approached who?

Back in July I made a feature on Paul Daley for MTV which was set up by Halo PR. MTV were really happy with what was done at the time and were keen on more MMA content. So Izzy Carnwath's to thank for all of this coming together.

When and in what countries will this be aired?

The film's available to anyone and everyone no matter where they are. It's available online at the MTV UK Wrap Up site, but the best thing to do is to search for 'MTV UK MMA Documentary' on Google. A link for it will pop up straight away as there's quite a few MMA sites promoting it.

Tell us a little bit about each fighter in the documentary and why you choose them?

It works best sometimes to think like a fan, who am I keen to find out about? That guy that was in that amazing fight at BAMMA for the British title, got pounded on like a goafer in the arcades, but then comes back zombified to finish the guy, aggressive, more heart than his body has room for.. what's his name?.. Jack Marshman? People need to know about that fight.

Who's that guy who fights above his weight class, super quick and athletic, can't be kept down, too slick and did a front kick KO even before Anderson Silva did it, can cut a promo too… Cory Tait? We need Cory Silva!

Who's that stone cold Light Heavyweight, great composure, finishes everyone, great technique, doesn't say much though, a bit of a mystery.. Jimi Manuwa? Wouldn't it be great to find out a little bit more about him.

This is a massive media breakthrough for UK MMA; how do you think the scene will benefit from this and what are you hoping to achieve?

I don't want to speculate on how this will benefit or affect UK MMA. To have broadcasters like MTV covering the sport, who appeal and reach out to such a wide audience is fantastic, but I hope it convinces other broadcasters or media platforms to follow suit and get involved. If you do see MMA content popping up on other platforms, people need to realise that they need to support these initiatives. Just because we as fans of this sport are already convinced of how amazing it is, doesn't mean everyone else is and if broadcasters are pumping money into it and committing themselves, they need a response and there needs to be collective support from fans to show they want this material, we can't just sit there and expect these things to pitch up in front of us. We've been fortunate to have had amazing feedback for '3', but we've also made good use of contacts and working relationships to make this as accessible as possible to people. Nothing's been by luck.

Do you have any other MMA projects in the pipeline or on the drawing board and if so can you give us a teaser?

I would love to say I've got X amount of features coming out in 2012, but at the moment nothings concrete. I'd like to do more, but everything needs to be under the right terms.

Aundre Jacobs

How did you first find out about the UK MMA documentary '3' and why did you get involved?

I got to know Dem when he was working with Michael Morgan from WhoaTV! He mentioned that there could be a chance for us to do something with MTV, and he asked me if I wanted to be involved. I'm pretty much the biggest opportunist the World has ever seen, so I jumped at the chance. I've been around this sport for two years and I have certain goals that I want to achieve. Being a part of a documentary on the fighters that I see is something that I wanted I have on my list. So far I've been involved in two MMA related documentaries.

My first one was "Daley Operation" with WhoaTV! and I had a great time helping out with that, but I definitely had a closer hand in this one. I'm very proud of it.

What has been your involvement and how did you help get the production started?

I was a film studies and journalism student at Kingston University, but I'm absolutely useless with a camera. I left the technical stuff to Dem who is absolutely World class with what he does. I feel like I brought a lot of knowledge to this documentary. I had a hand in picking the fighters that we were going to showcase and what we wanted to portray.

I'd definitely say that I was the Yin to Dem's, Yang. He'd bounce ideas off me, I would give him my honest opinion and we'd debate about it for a bit. Eventually, we'd come up with something and go for it.

What effect do you think this will have on UK MMA and the public perception?

The last few months haven't been great for UK MMA, with the entire "kids cage-fighting" story. I had my friends from university asking me all about the sport, and whether it was safe etc. It shined a horrific and less than accurate light on something I hold incredibly dear to me. With this film, I wanted to show people that they have misconceptions of fighters. I hope that people see that these fighters are real people and that outside of the cage; they're incredibly normal and incredibly humble.

How important was it for it to be shown via mainstream media, like MTV, and why?

I think it's very important. Every day that goes by, this sport becomes even more mainstream. You look at what the UFC has done and they're on FOX. That's not a huge deal to us as English people, but in the US they're in over 100 million homes. How much more mainstream can they get? It's time that UK MMA gets it dues. Fighters like Jimi Manuwa, Cory Tait and Jack Marshman are the new wave of British fighters that are going to be huge in this sport. I believe that MTV UK is the best platform for them to do that.

What do you think about the final product and why should people watch it?

I love the final product. I really do. I'll be the first to criticize myself and anyone else's work, but I'm so happy that I was a part of this project. I've worked with an awesome filmmaker and helped produced a fantastic film. What more can I ask for. As for why people should watch. Well, I believe that everyone wants to know about the next big thing. The next big footballer or the next big musician. Well, we're showing you the next big three fighters.

Izzy Carnwath

"Any professional athlete has to live and breathe their sport, but I think there are few sports that people sacrifice as much for. The passion, discipline and commitment of MMA fighters isn't properly honoured by a lot of the mainstream media and there are a lot of people who look down on the sport. I fell in love with Demetrio's film work because he captures the spirit and values and sweat that goes into making a fighter, which hopefully helps explain MMA to people who don't see that side of it. That's why I wanted to get behind the project; and also to work with Dem and MTV.co.uk to hopefully create a commercial media outlet for beautifully filmed MMA"

Jimi Manuwa

"It's great being a part of this documentary and good to see UK fighters showing their skills. We've got a strong core of fighters coming through the ranks and I'm going to lead from the front. Hopefully this documentary will give people a chance to see my talents and show what goes on behind the scenes. It's a tough sport to be in but lions always eat first."

Cory Tait

“It’s a great way to show people in the UK and around the world how hard working the UK MMA scene is, the following it has and the fighters it produces. I’m excited to be a part of this project.”

Jack Marshman

"It's fantastic to be seen as a rising star in UKMMA and I'll do my best to meet those expectations. I've been overwhelmed by the support of UK fans, and the boys from 3 Para are always very vocal at my fights. It's good for people to see behind the scenes a bit and get to know me better. I'm learning and growing all the time as I'm hungry for more belts and tough opponents."

MMA Prospects UK would like to thank Demetrio Marquez, Aundre Jacobs and Izzy Carnwath for taking part in this interview. The hard work and effort they have put in to making the documentary, promoting it and taking UK MMA into the mainstream media is very commendable. MTV is a massive platform to air this indepth and personal insight into '3' of the UK's most promising fighters. You can find the link to watch the documentary below:

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