10 years before the debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 1979, Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri dreamed up a contest pitting barroom bigmouths against wrestlers, martial artists, boxers, bouncers and brawlers, billed as no-holds-barred new type of competitive fighting. When the fights succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, they were swept up in a chain of events that ended in the first mixed-martial arts ban in the nation. “Tough Guys” chronicles the inception of Caliguri and Viola’s first bouts and the colorful, crazy cast of fighters who made them a hit as well as the politicians who brought it all crashing down. The film brings to life a moment when the national martial arts craze was building to a crescendo as the economies of Pennsylvania steel towns were plummeting to levels of unemployment never seen, breeding desperate men looking for a chance to prove their worth and make some money in the ring.
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| Release Date: | Sep 15, 2017 |
| Genres: | Documentary |
| Production Company: | Warrior Poets, Fictionless, MinusL Productions |
| Production Countries: | United States of America |
| Casts: | Bill Viola, Frank Caliguri, Dann Carr, Jacquet Bazemore, Jimmy Cvetic |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $0 |
| Revenue: | 0 |
