It all started on an MMA forum.
Back in 2007, when the UFC was really started to take off, Sean Patrick Flanery had already fallen in love with the sport through Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The actor known for Boondock Saints and Dexter had practiced the martial art since 1999 under the tutelage of famed grappler Rickson Gracie.
A love for martial arts was ingrained in Flanery since childhood. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was almost like an awakening, though, and that obsession led to the famed Underground forum. As he scrolled one day, he came up with the idea that eventually became his new film, Born a Champion.