Mixed martial athletes gear up for documentary

By Gregg Goldstein

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The bone-crunching sport of mixed martial arts is coming to the big screen.

The feature, now in production, will follow six to eight top athletes from the EliteXC league, which has appeared on Showtime, in pay-per-view events and live via streaming on ProElite.com. ProElite is producing with Bombo Sports & Entertainment.

Mixed martial arts, a less violent and more complex version of ultimate fighting, combines judo, karate, tae kwon do, jujitsu, wrestling, boxing and other established fighting techniques. MMA is still controversial, and events have been approved in fewer than half of U.S states.

Among the EliteXC athletes who will be profiled in the documentary is Gina Carano, a successful fighter who recently transitioned from Muay Thai fighting to MMA and was a big hit on the Showtime card in February.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter