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Trailers, release date revealed for ‘Born a Champion,’ movie starring UFC fighter Edson Barboza

UFC veteran Edson Barboza will be on the big screen on Jan. 22, 2021, when Born A Champion premieres.

Barboza, who has competed in the UFC since 2010, plays Marco Blaine in the movie. He’s “the bad guy” in the story, as he explained in an interview with MMA Fighting back in 2019, and fights Mickey (Flanery). The cast also includes Dennis Quaid and Katrina Bowden as well as Renzo Gracie and Mickey Gall.

With the trailers out, Barboza reflects on the “incredible experience” of being in a film for the first time.

“When Sean invited to do the film, I kind of had my doubts, didn’t know it right,” Barboza said in a statement provided to MMA Fighting. “But then I saw how big this movie was. He explained the script, my lines, that it would be a movie about a champion and a rematch. It would be shot in Hollywood, California, and I thought it was super interesting.

“It was completely different for me even though I was playing a fighter because I was the villain, I had to be a super bad boy, super ambitious and powerful and do a bunch of crap, completely different of who I am. But spending 15 days there was an incredible experience.

“The actors made me feel super comfortable. The shooting took a long time, we had to do the same scene over and over again from different angles. It really was an incredible experience for me. I was sure happy with how it came out and I hope you all enjoy it, too. The story is super inspiring.”

Barboza’s most recent appearance in the octagon took place in Oct. 10, when he defeated Makwan Amirkhani via decision in Abu Dhabi. Victorious in 21 of 30 professional MMA bouts, Barboza told MMA Fighting days after his first win as a featherweight that he plans on fighting out of his UFC contract and is “open to offers” from other MMA promotions.

This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts


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