Movies like The Philly Kid (2012)
The best movies like The Philly Kid (2012) are Beast (2026), Blood and Bone (2009) and Embattled (2020). If The Philly Kid hooked you with its drama and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedUndisputed III: Redemption (2010)7.6/10 from 1,087 votes
- NewestLion Fist (2026)Released 2026
Beast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlood and Bone (2009)
In Los Angeles, an ex-con takes the underground fighting world by storm in his quest to fulfill a promise to a dead friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNever Back Down 2: The Beatdown (2011)
Four fighters from different backgrounds come together to train under an ex MMA rising star and then ultimately have to fight each other and the traitor in their midst.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Hell (2003)
A man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the warden's entertainment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNever Back Down: No Surrender (2016)
Picking up after the events of Never Back Down 2, former MMA champion Case Walker is on the comeback trail to become champion once again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUndisputed (2002)
Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. Iceman Chambers is the heavyweight champion, who lost his title due to a rape conviction to ten years in Sweetwater. When these two giants collide in the same prison, they fight against each other disputing who is the real champion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJawbone (2017)
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner Bill corner man Eddie and promoter Joe. Back in training, years after anyone thought he was a contender, he risks his life, as he tries to stand tall and regain his place in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDamage (2009)
An ex-con battles it out in the cage to pay for the operation that would save the daughter of his victim. Along the way he finds fatherly love, and friendship, in the most unlikely of places.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorn a Champion (2021)
After a blood- soaked jujitsu match in Dubai, fighting legend Mickey Kelley falls to superstar Blaine. But years later, an online video proves that Blaine cheated, and the world demands a rematch. Can the aging underdog get back into shape in time to vanquish his foe, get revenge, and claim his prize?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Smashing Machine (2025)
In the late 1990s, up-and-coming mixed martial artist Mark Kerr aspires to become the greatest fighter in the world. However, he must also battle his opioid dependence and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend Dawn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUndisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
Heavyweight Champ George "Iceman" Chambers is sent to a Russian jail on trumped-up drug charges. In order to win his freedom he must fight against the jailhouse fighting champ Uri Boyka in a battle to the death. This time he is not fighting for a title, he is fighting for his life!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUndisputed III: Redemption (2010)
Russian inmate Boyka, now severely hobbled by the knee injury suffered at the end of Undisputed 2. No longer the feared prison fighter he was, he has declined so far that he is now good only for cleaning toilets. But when a new prison fight tournament begins - an international affair, matching the best fighters from prisons around the globe, enticing them with the promise of freedom for the winner - Boyka must reclaim his dignity and fight for his position in the tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLion Fist (2026)
Martial arts fighter Joe goes to prison for four years and takes his wife's blame for a drug bust. After his release, he learns that his son needs expensive surgery because of a life-threatening tumor. Joe's only chance to save him: a brutal all-styles tournament with a $100,000 prize.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHard Target 2 (2016)
Forced into a deadly cat-and-mouse game, a disgraced mixed martial arts fighter is hunted through the jungles of Southeast Asia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeath Warrant (1990)
Canadian policeman Louis Burke is assigned in a jail to investigate the murders of prisoners and jailors. While there, Louis, using his outstanding martial arts skills, is able to save his life and make himself respected in this violent world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsolution (2024)
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe System (2022)
When a young soldier, newly returned from war, gets caught up in a drug bust, he is recruited by the authorities to go undercover in a notoriously dangerous prison in order to figure out what is really going on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLights Out (2024)
A drifting ex-soldier turns underground fighter with the help of a just-released ex-con, pitting him against corrupt cops and hired killers now gunning for him and all those he cares about.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSalvable (2025)
When a battered boxer past his prime finds his dreams and his relationships on the ropes, he falls back in with a dangerous crowd and has to take the biggest swing of his life to reclaim his hope and his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Ride (2004)
After thirty years in prison, ex-con Ronnie recruits his grandson to exact revenge on Darryl, the cop who put him behind bars. Standing in their way is Ronnie's son, whom Darryl raised.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Winning (1969)
Frank Capua is a rising star on the race circuit who dreams of winning the big one - the Indianapolis 500. But to get there he runs the risk of losing his wife Elora to his rival, Luther Erding, and strains the relationship with his stepson.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHillsborough (1996)
Drama based on the real life events of April 1989, when ninety-six Liverpool supporters were crushed to death during an F.A. Cup Semi-Final match against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium. This movie follows three Liverpudlian families before the match, during the tragedy and at the ensuing court battles which tried to decide who was to blame and what went wrong.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Champ (1931)
A broken-down alcoholic prizefighter struggles to keep custody of his adoring son.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWorth (2018)
Ricky, a top contender in Muay Thai Kickboxing trains for the title belt, all the while dealing with new relationships, money problems, and family drama.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
UFC Fight Night 125: Machida vs. Anders (2018)
UFC Fight Night 125: Machida vs. Anders was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on February 3, 2018, at Arena Guilherme Paraense in Belém, Brazil. A middleweight bout between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida and Eryk Anders headlined this event.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
An Eye for an Eye (1981)
Sean Kane is forced to resign from the San Francisco Police Department's Narcotics Division when he goes berserk after his partner is murdered. He decides to fight alone and follows a trail of drug traffickers into unexpected high places.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisBy the Sword (1991)
An elderly man named Max comes to the famous fencing coach Villar and asks to take him on as a coach. But the coach does not like his weapon technique, and he only takes Max as a cleaner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
OKTAGON 88: Holzer vs. Taha (2026)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 (2025)
UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 19, 2025, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway put his symbolic "BMF" title on the line against former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier in a lightweight bout in the main event. This was their third meeting and Poirier's retirement fight.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Philly Kid?
The closest matches to The Philly Kid are Beast (2026), Blood and Bone (2009) and Embattled (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Philly Kid?
Start with Beast (2026), the closest match to The Philly Kid.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Philly Kid?
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010), rated 7.6/10 by 1,087 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Philly Kid?
Lion Fist (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Philly Kid?
Yes: Beast (2026), Blood and Bone (2009) and Embattled (2020).
How are movies similar to The Philly Kid chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Philly Kid, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.