New York, NY (June 15, 2012) – Mixed Martial Arts has fought its way to the forefront of American sports, and now FIGHTVILLE, the real-life story of the fighters striving to make it to the top – a movie that has audiences “on their feet cheering” (The Austin Chronicle) – comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from MPI Home Video on July 10, 2012, with SRPs, respectively, of $29.98 and $24.98.

Over the past decade, Mixed Martial Arts has grown from a controversial, no-holds-barred sideshow into a billion-dollar phenomenon eclipsing boxing as the dominant combat sport in the world. In fact, it’s now the sixth-most popular professional sport in America, after baseball, football, NASCAR, basketball and hockey.

The exciting, suspenseful and uplifiting FIGHTVILLE shows how MMA has taken hold in the American heartland, where modern-day gladiators battle with bare fists and feet in strip mall gyms and dusty rodeo arenas desperate for glory and a shot at the big time. In Lafayette, Louisiana, far from the glamorous and lucrative world of Las Vegas bouts, pro hopefuls Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier (currently the world’s No. 3 contender) and Albert Stainback fight tooth and nail for their shot at the American Dream.

This thrilling, unflinching and ultimately moving documentary offers a cage-side view of these passionate and powerful athletes as they put their bodies on the line in the quest for fame and fortune.

The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis described FIGHTVILLE as “spiked with energy and attitude.” The Toronto Star’s Linda Barnard said, “The process is bloody, raw and often emotional, and the fights themselves shocking in their brutality.” “An exhilarating sports documentary and a levelheaded, piercingly intelligent treatment of a touchy subject,” wrote Eugene Novikov of Cinematical.

FIGHTVILLE is the latest work from award-winning directors Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker (Gunner Palace, How to Fold a Flag). It premiered to acclaim at the prestigious South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, before going on to theatrical release in major markets through MPI Media Group.

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