Hey, Jenny. That was awonderful share, tonight.
"Chapter 36, The Quarter-Deck.
"Enter Ahab. Then, all.
"It was not a great while after the affair of the pipe,
"that one morning, shortly after breakfast, Ahab, as was his wont,
"ascended the cabin-gangway to the deck.
"'It's a white whale, I say, ' resumed Ahab, as he threw down the top-maul.
"'A white whale. Skin your eyes for him, men,
"'look sharp for white water, if ye see but a bubble, sing out. "'
Tommy?
Jesus!
What are you doing here?
Well, I was just passing through
and I figured why not have a belt with the old man.
Yeah.
She looks good.
Yeah, she's hanging in there.
Well, you always did take good care of her.
Paddy Conlon.
Man of priorities.
I got a little something foryou.
Mom always said, "Never go anywhere empty-handed."
She did.
That's not for me anymore, Tommy.
What? You changed brands?
Let's go inside, huh?
Tommy!
Come on, let's go inside.
I like what you've done with the place.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
There's not much of awoman's touch around here.
Yeah, well...
And no more women for me, Tommy.
Yeah.
It must be hard to find a girl who can take a punch nowadays.
Here you go.
Coffee?
You haven't seen a guy in 14years and you're not gonna have a drinkwith him?
-Come on. -I told you, I'm off it, Tommy.
I'm coming up on 1,000 days.
-Come on, it's just a drink. -No.
He's a school teacher down in Philly.
Remember Tess?
They had two beautiful little girls.
So, you found God, huh? That's awesome.
I think Mom kept calling out for him, but he wasn't around.
I guess Jesus was down at the mill forgiving all the drunks, huh?
Who knew?
So, you gonna ask about her,
oryou just gonna sit there all sober?
-I know. -You know? What do you know? Huh?
Do you know it wasn't enough to drive west to get away from you,
that once we hit the water, we drove north, too?
When I got sober, I hired a man to find you.
And is that one ofthe 12 steps?
Or does a guy like you get 24?
Just 12.
Did your guytell you what you needed to know?
Just that your mother died in Tacoma.
But you were in the Marines.
That was all.
That was enough.
Well, that's too bad,
'cause you could've gotten some good details.
You could've heard about her coughing up blood on her knees
in a shit boxwith no heat.
Having me rub her down with holywater, because, well, she didn't have no insurance.
All the time waiting foryour pal, Jesus, to save her.
Did your man tell you that?
I'm sorry, Tommy.
Well, it's good to know that you're sorry, Pop.
It goes a long way.
I think I liked you better when you were a drunk.
All right, then. All right, all right, all right.
You say I can, but you say I can't.
-What about ifwe all get a unicorn? -No.
-Don't you want a unicorn? -No.
What's going on up here?
-Oh, my goodness. -Well, I'm not sure,
but I think Daddy is now a princess.
-Daddy, you look so handsome. -Do l?
-He's avery pretty princess. -We're painting Daddy's face.
Yeah, you are.
Okay. Yeah. Em, you wanna open your presents?
-Yeah? You wanna do present time? Okay. -Yeah. All right, come on. Ready?
-All right! It's time for presents! -I have to put this down.
-Here. You wanna put it down? -Presents time!
-Everybody, come bring your presents! -What is it? What is it?
Let's start with this one. How about that, Emily?
-All right. -Happy birthday, Emily.
-What did you get? What did you get? -Babe?
It's an awfully big box.
It's her birthday. Come on.
I know, babe, but that's why you call it a budget.
You set it and you don't budge.
-This one's mine. -Hey, open the big box!
It's okay.
-I love you. Be good, okay? -Bye, Mommy.
Daddy's gonna give you a bath.
-Hey, babe. I'm late. -Hey.
Mom's saying goodbye to the girls, she's got to get on the road.
-They've been fed, they just need a bath. -I'm on it.
Okay, can you get them to bed at a reasonable time tonight?
Because, after the party, they're just exhausted.
Where's the rest ofthat skirt?
Babe.
Listen, if any guys give you a hassle in that joint tonight,
you give me a call, okay?
Yeah, just like you gave me a call when those Temple frat boys
decided to smash up your face.
I told you, most nights, I sit on the stool and grade papers,
but, every now and then, I need some action.
All right. Well, wait up for me tonight. I'll see what I can do about that.
Promises, promises.
And we return here on MMA Live,
Jon Anik, alongside the billionaire fighting promoter, J.J. Riley,
the Tapout crew is here, Punk and Skrape are in the building.
Now, J.J., what led to this project
that is really redefining mixed martial arts here in the States?
Well, mixed martial arts is a sport I've been incredibly passionate about,
and as far as where the idea for Sparta came from,
I've always really dug the Grand Prix format, so I tracked these guys down.
And when J.J. came to us, he said he wanted to create
the Super Bowl of mixed martial arts.
And he decided to put up the $5 million purse, too.
Well, there you have it, it shall be done. Hedge fund king, J.J. Riley,
going from the lions' den of Wall Street to the cage,
and promoting the biggest winner-take-all tournament in MMA history. Sparta...
Doing good. One more time.
Fitzy still own this?
I don't know no Fitzy. Colt Boyd owns this gym.
Can I help you with something?
How does it work?
Thirty-five a month with locker.
We're open at 7:00, lights out at 11:00.
So you want to join?
Sure.
Put your name and contact info on the card.
Thankyou.
All right. There's a lesson in this, too, okay?
Hold on, Tito.
So, we have a body at rest,
and you have the bat which needs...
-Acceleration. -Acceleration, okay.
Ifyou have enough acceleration,
you might have a chance of breaking the body at rest.
-Okay. All right. You ready? -Piece of cake.
Everybody got the glasses on? Okay, go! Piece of cake!
Come on, man!
Come on, son!
All right! All right. There we go. Well done, Tito. Well done.
Remind me not to mess with you.
Sit down, everybody. Dial it down.
So, have we got it?
Force equals mass times acceleration, we got it.
All right. Has everybody else got it?
-Yeah. -Yes? Okay, good. All right.
The third law...
How many laws this dude got?
-The dude? -Yes, the dude.
The dude has three, all right?
Newton, the dude, says that for every action,
there is an equal and opposite reaction.
For example,
if K.C. does not stop the action of sending texts in class
and tell her posse outside to beat it,
then my reaction might be to send her down to Principal Zito's office.
Thus setting the world back in proper balance.
Mr. C, I put it away.
All right, before you go, I have yourtests from last week.
Just work it out.
Stop clowning.
Pick up the hands.
Tighten it up!
Use your right.
Seal his hands, come on.
Seal his hands. Keep your hands up!
Go light!
I said, go light!
God damn it!
Where do you find these girls?
We got atournament coming up, you're gonna play every guy in the 'Burgh?
Oh, jeez.
Fenroy, get me some ice.
And call that Puerto Rican kid, the one that fights out ofthe bottoms.
If he's here in 20 minutes, he gets 200 bucks.
Yo, I'll fight him.
Do me a favor, guy, go backto your bag.
We don't need anybody else getting hurt. Take awalk.
Let's go. Watch his neck.
Yo, Rock, what did you do,
did you leave Mick and Paulie at home today?
His phone's disconnected.
Then go through the list. Find me somebody. Get me Joe Bones.
All I'm saying is that ifyou need somebodyto help you,
I'm happyto keep your boywarm foryou.
You ever fought before?
Yeah.
Hey, this guy signed awaiver?
All good.
-What's your name? -Tommy.
-You get tuned up in here, it's on you, Tom. -Sure, no problem. No problem.
Come on in.
Let's go. All right, let's go.
Hey. Watch that teeth.
Are you gonna be a hero? All right.
Come on. Checkthat kick.
Easy.
Come on, Dog, you can do it. Let's go, come on.
-Good jab. Good jab! -There we go!
No, he won't. Don't let him take your back. Don't let him take your back!
-Dog, get up. -Get up!
Cover up, cover up!
Don't give him your back. Don't give him your back!
-Cover up! -Come on, Dog!
Cover up, damn it!
You owe me 200 bucks.
This one here. See, this is the new appraisal figures
-that came in. -Yeah.
And this is how it affects the monthly, it turns into that.
And the total value ofthe loan, overthe life ofthe loan, is that.
As you can see, that's just the way it is.
It puts you upside down, that's the problem.
It's the countythat did the assessment, not the bank.
So, the numbers are what they are, Mr. Conlon...
-Brendan. -The numbers are what they are, Brendan.
I mean, you're a math teacher, right? You can appreciate that.
I'm a physics teacher. I teach physics.
Physics, okay. But the bank has got to go by the new appraisal figures.
And, according to these figures, you're upside down on your mortgage,
-you understand? -God, you said that like three times.
I'm sorry, but I get that.
I am asking you, is there something else you can do?
Not the bank, you. Can you shift things around, restructure?
You refinanced twice already.
'Cause you advised us to do that.
-You told me. -Well, I presented you with that option,
but that was your choice.
I'm also showing that you netted a substantial payout with the refi.
We had that conversation.
I was paying medical bills.
Oh, right. Sorry. Your daughter's kidney?
-Heart. -Heart. Right, sorry.
A lot of stories.
All right, so, ifthat's my option, I have no options.
You're not even gonnatry and help me. You're not even gonnatry.
No, I'm trying. Look, Brendan, I can get you 90 days to get even.
Ninety days is not enough.
Mywife and l, we have three jobs between us.
And that doesn't cut it.
So, what do you suggest?
Well, let me askyou a question? Have you thought about bankruptcy?
It's aviable option.
There's no shame in this these days.
That's not how I do things.
Okay, well, then you're looking at foreclosure.
Utter domination by Tommy Conlon, the undefeated freshman from Pittsburgh.
The prodigy has yet to yield a single point in the entire tournament.
Tommy, trained by his father since the age of five.
-Talking about Paddy Conlon? -The controversial Paddy Conlon.
Say what you will about the methods of the former Marine,
but he's led his son to six straight Junior Olympic titles
and nowjust moments away from a High School State Championship.
And there it is! Wow!
There's just no limit to what the future holds for this kid.
Tommy told me that he's chasing the record of Theogenes,
apparently, a mythical Greek fighter said to be undefeated in over 1,400 bouts.
Hi, how're you doing, sir? I'm looking for Tommy Riordan.
-Who? -Tommy Riordan.
My name is Colt Boyd.
What business you got with Tommy?
Well, none yet, that's why I'm here. I manage fighters.
So, Tommy's been working out at my gym,
and he put a beating on the number one middleweight contender in the world today.
So, I want to know a little bit more about the guy.
Maybe help him out.
I have a lot of contacts, Mr. Riordan.
Conlon. The name is Conlon.
And anything you wanna know about Tommy,
you gotta ask him yourself.
Look, I'm just asking for some general information here.
Like I said, anything you wanna know about Tommy,
you gotta ask him yourself.
Look, I don't mean to interrupt your night, okay?
He just put this address down when he signed up at the gym.
He doesn't live here.
-All right, then. -Okay. Good night.
All right, listen, kiddo. I need you to put Mommy back on, okay?
I love you.
Hey. Hey, listen, I'm just pulling in, I'm gonna have to go.
No, they got an open mic night thing on, it's gonna be a quiet one.
All right, sleep well.
You, too. All right, bye.
It's about time foryournext contest.
Introducing first, in the red corner, he fights out of Ripley, West Virginia.
Please welcome Mike "The Mutilator" Moore.
Say, "Uncle!"
Go, Mike. Go!
And his opponent in the blue corner, he fights out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Please welcome "Irish" Brendan Conlon.
This bout is scheduled for three, five-minute rounds,
and when the action begins, your referee is Mr. Rick Fike.
Fighters to the center.
Come on, gentlemen.
I want you to obey my commands at all times.
I want you to protect yourselves at all times.
If you have no questions, touch gloves, back up.
And on my signal, let's come out fighting.
Fighter, are you ready?
Are you ready?
Do it!
Come on, Mike, let's go!
You gotta move with that one.
Come on, Mike!
Don't let him do that to you, Mike!
Get up, Mike, get up!
-First five minutes, out. -Another 15? Great.
Hey! Hey, kid!
Nice fight. Two more wins, you take home the bacon.
Hey, good job...
Hey, babe.
Hey.
Howwas work?
Oh, my God!
What happened?
You said it was gonna be a slow night.
I'm not bouncing at a club.
What do you mean you're not bouncing?
You've been lying to me?
I went in to apply
and theywere paying nine bucks an hour.
Then I saw a sign forthis otherthing.
They're putting us out ofthe house in three months.
We're running out of options.
Then they put us out ofthe house in three months.
I'd rather go backto the old apartment
than see you in the back of an ambulance again.
I thought we agreed that we weren't gonna raise our children
in a familywhere their father gets beat up for a living.
We're not giving up the house.
It's our home.
We're not going backwards.
We'll figure it out.
This is what we're not going backto.
You wanted to talk?
Yeah.
I'm gonna start fighting.
Is that right?
Don't play babe in the woods with me.
I knowthat guy from the gym came to see you.
Colt Boyd.
Yeah. I didn't tell him anything, Tommy.
I wouldn't be sitting here with you now ifyou did.
-Paddy, can I get you more coffee? -No. Thankyou. I'm fine.
-Hon, would you like a cup of coffee? Okay. -Sure. Thankyou.
All right.
There's this tournament,
it's a big tournament.
Top 16 middleweights in the world. Single elimination.
Winnertakes all. It's a lot of money.
-Okay. -I'm gonna dothat.
But ifI'm doing it,
then I'm gonna need atrainer.
Now, that much, you were good at.
What?
No, no, no. This doesn't mean anything, okay?
I'm serious.
We train. That's it.
I don't want to hear aword about anything but training.
You understand?
You want to tell yourwar stories, you can take them down to the VFW.
Oryou can take it to a meeting, orto church,
orwhateverthe hell it is that you do nowadays.
What about Colt Boyd?
What about him? I told him I don't train with people that I don't know.
-The devil you know. -Excuse me?
The devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
There's your coffee, hon.
-Thankyou. -You're welcome.
Chasing Theogenes. It'll be kind of like the old times.
I just told you, this doesn't mean anything.
Now, get that through your skull right now or I'm walking.
All right. All right.
But you get something through your skull, too.
You called me, so don't go threatening to walk every five minutes.
And since this is about training,
you dump whatever it is you need to dump as far as those pills are concerned.
I don't wanna see them.
In fact, hand them over right now.
I knowthey're on you, Tommy.
You sounded like a goddamn maraca coming through the door.
That's not gonna do.
When you came through that door, it was...
Three.
That'a boy.
And anotherthing. You don't eat crap like this.
This is for losers and old men.
And we're gonna have to bunk up.
Ifwe're gonna do this right, you're gonna stay at the house.
I watch your diet. We followthe old regimen.
You copy?
All right.
Copy.
Your brother's a liar.
-...went in the middle ofthe night... -Yeah.
...and hewent to a strip club, and he said he saw Mr. C...
-Noway. -Front and center.
-Like MMAtype stuff. -You weren't there, so you don't know.
What's MMA?
-Mixed martial arts. -Like, fighting.
Like, different styles of fighting.
He was just, like, dropped him on the floor...
It's true?
Take your seats.
Now, please.
Hey, yo, Mr. C.
Hey, my brotherwas at the titty bar last night,
and he said you was choking brothers out. I mean, what's up, is it true?
Yeah, Mr. C. I mean, like, is it true?
Did you reallywork on some fools or something?
-You have to tell us. -Yeah.
All right. I want examples of forms of energy.
Come on. It's not as bad as it looks.
Are you being literal or figurative? Because, literally, it looks bad.
And figuratively, it looks even worse.
The superintendent's coming by. Few minutes.
Oh, man.
So, come on, Brendan. Give me a little help here.
I mean, could you explain to me what the hell you were doing?
I need the money, Joe.
Yeah, but this is...
We can't have this.
This isn't moonlighting at Applebee's, for Christ's sake.
Shit, Brendan.
Leaving everything else aside, which we can't,
are you out ofyour mind?
You're gonna get yourself killed.
I mean, you're a goddamn teacher.
You got no business in the ring with those animals.
Actually, I used to be one ofthose animals.
I fought for a living.
Guess I forgot to put that down on my application.
Yeah, I guess you did.
Look, I'm sorry, Joe. It's just...
Look, look, the school district is not gonnatolerate
teachers cockfighting in strip clubs.
It was a parking lot of a strip club.
Wherever it was, you can't be doing it.
All right? I mean, this is a serious... Shit, he's here.
This is a serious problem.
Guy hasn't been inside a school since 9/11.
What are we gonna do?
You say, "Yes, sir," and you say, "No, sir,"
and you say, "lt will never happen again, sir."
And then we just prayto God that he's in a good mood.
UFC?
Yeah.
Son of a bitch.
-Superintendent Yorn. Good to see you, sir. -Principal Zito.
What are you doing?
Well,
the girls have an important piano recital in the morning.
And we have an equipment malfunction.
How'd it go?
They're gonna reviewyour case at the end ofthe semester.
But until then, you're suspended without pay.
Joe gave me the number of his attorney.
Howthe hell are we gonna pay for an attorney?
He talked to me for free as a favorto Joe.
That's nice.
He said there's no precedent forthis.
You'll be back by next semester.
The next semester?
Tess,
they have these smoker fights all over.
There's one in Lancaster next week, there's two in Dover the week after.
Wilmington, Camden, Baltimore.
That could keep us afloat.
You're gonna put yourselfthrough this over and over for 500 bucks a pop?
Some ofthem pay a lot more than that.
I wouldt have to bounce for a month to make what I made in two hours last night.
Yeah.
And these guys, they're not real fighters.
They're just guys that have seen too much UFC on TV.
Now, ifyou have a better solution,
I'm all ears, but...
And what are we gonnatell the girls?
It'll be fine.
I'll just leave the house as usual,
except, onlythis time, I'll be going to the gym.
The duck goes quack, quack, quack, quack
And the cow goes moo, moo, moo!
But that rooster That rooster, he knew everything
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Let's go, kiddo. Let's get moving.
Look what I found
in that disaster of a...
...basement.
What do you say we sit down
and update this?
And you can fill me in on how close you got to that record.
Did you continue wrestling afteryou left with your mother?
Come on, Tommy. Tell me something.
Yeah, I'll tell you something.
You can take that back to where you found it,
you can leave the coffee in the pot.
I can pourthat myself.
And I can wake myself up, too.
Hurt my knees coming up and down those stairs.
Yeah?
I'll leave the coffee pot on until 0500, then I dump it.
I give command dismiss. You'll wash your nasty bodies.
You can square your gear away.
Corporal Bradford, take this to CSC, let them knowwe're back.
Roger, sir.
Detail, a-ten-hut!
7-3-4, this is Gealer Base. Sitrep, over.
What's up, Mark?
Here, sir. William's Company's back in.
Damn, dude! That's brutal.
-Did you see that? Oh, my God. -What?
What's that?
Dude, Mad Dog Grimes is getting tuned up by some dude at a gym in Pittsburgh.
Who is Mad Dog Grimes?
Shit, Bradford, the stuffyou don't know amazes me.
-Dude. Oh, my God, did you see that? -Wow. Oh, my God.
-Wait. Rewind that. -Okay.
Right there, pause, pause, pause.
What's up, man?
Dude, what's his deal?
You're not gonna get your 11.
-AV, I need to see the tape. -What tape?
-The tape!
Hoolihan, fill in for me?
Get the camera.
That's him.
Let the music sink into you. This is Beethoven.
I want you to breathe. I don't want you boxing like this. No more stiff, right?
You listen to the music. You relax, you breathe. One, two...
Again. One, two. One, two. One, two.
Good.
Good, good, good. Yos.
You're gonna get it, you're gonna get it. All right? Two more rounds.
Do I knowyou?
-Oh, man! -Wow.
-Long time, brother. Too long. -Howyou doing?
-Too long. -Look at your place.
-You like? -Yeah.
You see this beast? Marco Santos.
-He's training for Sparta. -Yeah, right.
Not bad, right?
It's amazing, man.
Onlythe best. Move! Move! Move! Move or die!
-You look good, brother. -Thanks.
How are the girls?
Good. Yeah. I had another little one, Rosie.
I know. I know because Johnny C. told me that she was in the hospital for a bit.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
You know,
I was gonna call you and then time went by and...
I'm a piece of shit. I should've called you. I'm sorry.
-No. Come on. -No.
Brendan, I'm sorry.
It's all good. She's good now.
-She's okay? -So beautiful.
It's good to see you, man. So everything's going great, huh?
Yeah.
Well, I've got a little problem.
The guys at the bank want to take my house away.
-What? -Yeah.
That's kind ofwhy I came to see you, actually.
You know, I got most of my dough tied up in this joint,
but how much do you need?
I didn't come here for a loan, Frank.
I mean, I was hoping that
you would train me.
Train you forwhat?
I wanna get back in the cage.
Are you serious?
Come on, Brendan.
I won an event the other night.
You won an event. That's what this is.
Let me guess. It was in a parking lot? DJ from a local radio station,
a couple of ring card girls you wouldn't bang on a dare? Am I right?
-lsh. -lsh.
Brendan. I love you.
Why am I gonnatrain you?
When you were on the right side of 30, you were barely a.500 fighter.
You never listened to me.
You don't listen to anyone. These guys are animals.
You're ateacher, right? What are you gonna do?
You're gonna come down here a couple of days aweek after detention?
You're gonna skip out ofthe girls' volleyball game early?
I've got loads oftime. Time's not an issue.
Parking lot thing kind of got me suspended.
I need to keep working the smokers.
Tess know about this?
Yeah?
'Cause the last time you fought, I got read the riot act,
sitting in a hospital waiting room. You rememberthat?
I was unconscious.
-You were more than unconscious. -I was.
She's not gonna come down here with the two puppies, screaming at Frank?
It's not gonna happen.
What do you say, Frank?
What do I say? What am I gonna sayto you? "No"?
I mean, all mytime is wrapped up with Marco.
You know, you come down, I throwyou in a rotation, you sparwith these guys.
But I can't promise you much more than that, Brendan.
That's all I need.
Great. All right.
Yeah.
-I appreciate it. -What, are you kidding me?
-You need anything, you call me. -I will.
Let me knowwhen you're coming down.
Well, I'm just gonna get my stuff from the car.
Now?
Hey, Brendan.
Brendan, it's me, Pop.
What are you doing here?
I have some news foryou.
Something wrong with your hands?
-No. -lfthere's nothing wrong with your hands,
there's no reason foryou not to phone.
-That's the deal. -Yeah. I forgot.
The phone or mail, Pop. Non negotiable.
Hey, Brendan. You ever seen my hands so steady?
Ever seen that?
I'm going inside.
I got 1,000 days, Brendan.
Thousand days sober, today.
Well, that's great, Pop, but it doesn't change anything.
What do you mean, doesn't change anything?
Have a heart, Brendan.
You listen to me.
You take your "have a heart" bullshit and you run it down the road.
Yeah, run it out with someone that doesn't knowyou like I do.
All right, listen to me. I thought maybe we could break bread.
You know, just open some lines of communication.
You got two lines of communication. You got the telephone and the post office.
God! Just 'cause you decide it's a special day,
it doesn't make it one for me.
I've got awife and kids inside, and they're waiting for me,
so I don't have time forwhateverthis is.
I knowyou got awife and kid in there. I've got a granddaughter in there
I haven't seen in three years.
And another one I haven't even ever met.
Yeah. Why is that, Pop?
Why is that?
Do you remember having anything to do with that?
-Yeah. -Yeah.
That shit you pulled.
Never again.
And all that shit I saw growing up,
-that doesn't happen here. -Look...
Take care ofyourself.
Tommy's back.
He's in the 'Burgh.
You say Tommy's in Pittsburgh?
Yeah, he came to see me.
He came to see you?
Yeah. He's over at the house.
We're doing a little training at Fitzy's.
You remember Fitzy's?
It ain't Fitzy's anymore.
You and Tommy are training together?
Yeah.
-Tommy Conlon? -Riordan.
-He's using your mother's maiden name. -Yeah, I knowwhat her name is.
Well, I thought you'd wanna know he's back. So that's why I drove all the way over here.
I thought you came to break bread over 1,000 days.
No, I did, Brendan, that's most important.
That, too.
All right. Did he say if he wants to see me?
He doesn't say much, Brendan.
He's just not that happy kid he was, you know?
-Wow. Look at you. -What?
Mr. Inside Man.
Inside? What?
You and Tommytraining together like nothing ever happened. It's unbelievable.
-Look... -Now I knowwhat you're really doing here.
-What's that? -You came to gloat.
I did not come to gloat. I came to get my son back.
Wow. There you go. Yeah, you got your son back.
-No, I'm talking about you, Brendan. You. -You got your son back.
You know...
Forget it.
Yeah, I'll tell you. Part ofthe reason... Part ofthe reason I stuck around,
'cause I thought I'd finally get you all to myself.
But you didn't have any interest in training me.
-You thought Tommywas the one. -Brendan, I was a drunk.
I mean, you know, Brendan, I'm sorry.
Forget it.
You were always a frontrunner. Never had any interest in the underdogs.
-But I was your son. -You are my son, Brendan.
-Am l? -Yeah, you are.
I'm just asking you ifyou can find...
Find a little bit of space in your heart to forgive me a little bit.
Yeah? All right, I forgive you.
-Okay. -But I do not trust you.
Listen, tell Tommy, if he wants to see me, this is where I am.
-Okay. But they're not different things. -All right?
You gottatrust to forgive.
Night, Pop.
My God.
Is that Emily? Jeez, she's grown, Brendan.
-ls that Rosie? -Daddy, who is that?
It's just a nice, old man. Come on. Let's go.
How about a cup of coffee?
Huge news just broken here at ESPN
that Koba is coming to America and will fight at Sparta.
Universally considered the greatest pound-for-pound fighter
who ever lived, the mighty, mythical Russian has never fought
on US soil in his legendary career.
Slow to half guard. Slow to half guard, hammer fist.
Now start on the other side. And slip back in, there you go.
Tommy,
I got some news for you.
I got you into Sparta.
It took some doing,
but I made it happen.
You know thank you and 10% is customary?
Pilar? Hey, it's Tommy.
Tommy?
Okay. Sorry.
Good. I'm good. How are you doing?
Okay. You know me, Tommy.
I was getting really worried about you.
How's things? How are the kids? The kids good?
Yeah, they're good.
-Maria's getting so big. -Yeah?
She looks more and more like Manny every day.
-How's little man? -He's good. He's a good kid, Tommy.
He's a real good boy. He takes care of his sister.
-He's a great kid. Everyone's good. -Good.
-We're good. -Good.
You know...
Pilar, I haven't forgotten for one minute
what I promised you.
What I promised Manny. I got opportunities coming up, so...
Whatever you can do, Tommy.
Help you guys out. I'm gonna take care of you guys.
I know. Manny would really appreciate it.
-I wanna help you. -You know what? You worry too much.
You worry so much about us. It's okay.
You know what? We're hanging in there.
"Captain Pollard once more sailed for the Pacific in command of another ship,
"but the gods shipwrecked him again upon unknown rocks and breakers.
"For the second time, his ship was utterly lost,
"and forthwith forswearing the sea, he has never tempted it since. "
Stop for a second. Listen to the music. This is Beethoven.
Could you do another thing? Or are you gonna do the same thing?
I need you to relax and listen. Forget about how to lose the fight.
And two, and three.
With eight weeks left to Sparta,
J.J. Riley and the Tapout crew
take time out from their international press tour to join us.
J.J., we've never seen this kind of Grand Prix tournament
in this country before. Tell us, why the unique format?
Well, look, Jon, you know as well as anyone that in mixed martial arts,
anyone can beat anyone on a given night.
But with this type of format,
it's gonna be tough to deny who the champion is.
You got four fights in two nights, 16 fighters down to one,
winner's gonna be the last man standing.
Thirty-one. Thirty-two!
Breathe, breathe. Keep your eyes open.
You gotta keep moving. You gotta keep moving. Keep moving.
Good! And listen to the music. You breathe. He's getting it. He's getting it.
You see? You feel it? Feel the music.
-Come on! -Nice.
Come on, baby!
...with Rashad Evans and Stephan Bonnar andjust five weeks left until Sparta,
as the hype continues for the war on the shore this Fourth of July weekend
in Atlantic City. You know what that means.
The great Koba bringing his act stateside.
But I gotta ask you about the other guys.
What are they thinking, entering a winner-take-all tournament
against a guy that seemingly can't be beaten?
They're thinking $5 million and $5 million seems a lot of money,
but they gotta remember one thing. They're going against Koba.
Mission impossible, game over, go home.
Well, the winner takes home $5 million.
You can be sure this will dominate the sports landscape
Fourth of July weekend in Atlantic City.
The great Koba making his presence felt in the United States.
Two... Come on, Tommy.
Hits you soft, right? Flow like water.
Get on your arm, watch what's gonna happen.
There it is. Look, look, look. He's going to sleep.
You train with the best to be the best, Brendan.
Pittsburgh Beatdown has become one ofthe most watched videos
on YouTube this year.
Nowjoining us, via satellite, is the victim of the infamous incident,
Mad Dog Grimes.
Mad Dog, what is your response to all the hoopla surrounding the video
and Tommy Riordan?
This guy's a nobody. It's a sparring session.
It is what it is, and he's gonna pay for it next month
in Atlantic City.
Good. Always move. Always move.
I don't know, Marco. You're getting a good game here from a physics teacher.
Good! Good.
You see? You see? Beautiful.
Top ofthe food chain. He's the next champ, right here.
So, with Sparta now just two short weeks away,
J.J. Riley and the Tapout crew return to the US
after a world tour that saw them visit 10 fighters in 10 different countries.
They stopped in Philadelphia today to check in on renowned trainer,
Frank Campana,
and top contender, Marco Santos.
You gotta relax and stay calm in there.
The cage is your home.
You set the pace.
You set the rhythm.
Feel the Beethoven.
Be smarter than him, more patient. Wait for him to make a mistake.
And when he does, that's your moment.
I see it. I see it. I see it.
No, he did not tap you!
Physics teacher! That's the best in the business, son.
You can do this, Son!
Smoother. There's more in you! You got more in you!
We're not done yet!
He's beating you! He's beating you!
You better push harder, Marco! Brendan's running away!
And the winner by tap out
"Irish" Brendan Conlon.
"...to each and every man in turn but mirrors back his own mysterious self.
"Great pains, small gains for those who ask the world to solve them.
"It cannot solve itself. "
-Are you gonna be okay? -Yeah.
-You wanna grab a bite? -No. I'm gonna head home.
I gotta call the boys and break the news.
-I'll call you tomorrow. -Okay.
Coach!
Hey, I knowthis is not a really great time,
and it's too bad about Marco.
But how about me?
Are you talking about Sparta?
Yeah.
Brendan, you've got a better shot at starting a boy band.
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
It's a Grand Prix tournament.
Which means anything could happen. You knowthat as well as I do.
Yeah.
Come on. They'd have to kill me to get me out ofthe cage.
That's what I'm afraid of.
Frank, I need this.
You're real tight with these guys. You could call them.
You're the guy. Theytrust you.
Brendan.
You realize what you're asking me to do here?
-Yeah. -Yeah.
We go down to AC, you get tapped out in five seconds.
How does that benefit either one of us?
-It's not gonna happen. -Not gonna happen?
Wish I had a nickel for everytime somebodytold me that.
It's not gonna happen.
I'll make a call.
I love my coach!
Yeah, they're good. The girls are good. They're good.
Yeah, he should.
I mean, you've been spending so much time with Brendan these days,
it's like you're part ofthe family or something.
Yeah, he's right here. It's your boyfriend.
Frank. Hey, man.
That's unbelievable.
Wow! Wow, Frank, I can't thankyou enough. I don't knowwhat to say.
All right, listen, I gotta call you back, okay?
All right. Bye.
I'm in.
-I'm going. -Really?
That's your decision? You decided?
'Cause I really enjoyed the conversation we just had
about making that decision together.
You told me you were gonna fight guys that watched too much UFC.
I sawthe Koba dude on the television,
and he's the guythey're watching.
It's a lot of money, Tess.
I don't give a shit about the money, Brendan. I told you that.
We're gonna end up cashing in your life insurance policy
before we pick up that prize money.
You don't think I can do it, right?
I thinkyou could get killed.
-I'm not gonna get killed. -You're not gonna get killed,
but you promised me you're not gonna get hurt.
You're not gonna end up in the hospital. You're not gonna end up paralyzed.
We have no prize money, we have no house.
-We have payments for hospital bills. -Tess! Listen, I'll promise you this.
If I don't try in three weeks, they're gonnatake the house.
How's that for a promise?
So, I'm gonna go, okay?
But I'd really love it ifyou'd be with me on this.
I'm not gonnawatch you fight again, I'm not.
I'm gonna get the girls breakfast.
Fourth of Julyweekend doesn't officially getstarted until tomorrow,
but fight fans are already descending on Atlantic City
for the Super Bowl of mixed martial arts, Sparta!
We've got the dancing girls, we've got the paparazzi,
we've got the red carpet!
And here comes J.J. Riley, the man who started it all.
J.J., you've made a fortune with your hedge funds.
You turned your back on Wall Street
and dedicated your life to making Sparta happen.
Tell us why this tournament is so important to you?
Growing up, we all wanted to know
who the toughest kid in the neighborhood was, right?
I wanna know who the toughest man on the planet is.
And that's why I put this thing together.
That's what all these people are here to see, come Saturday night.
-That's what we're gonna find out. -Thank you, J.J.
And here's something fans never thought they'd see. Koba is here.
The legend arriving to fight on US soil for the very first time.
-Koba! Koba! -Koba! Koba!
Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, world Sambo champion,
undefeated in his mixed martial arts career.
Nobody's survived a round with the Russian in five years.
He is the greatest fighter...
I mean, you've seen our logos.
No, yeah, I've seen your stuff. It looks good.
I mean, is he fighting after Sparta?
I mean, we're trying to find some info on him.
No, I'm not sure.
Hey, where'd you go? Where'd you go?
You can't leave me like that. Theywant to talkto you, not me.
-Frank Campana? -Yeah.
Hi. Julia, J.J. Riley's assistant.
-Julia, how are you? -Brendan Conlon?
-Yeah, hi. Hey. -Hi. Julia, J.J. Riley's assistant.
-Right, hi. Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.
A fewthings I want to let you guys know.
-Press conference will start in 20 minutes. -Okay.
Brendan, you're gonna be sitting up on the stage.
Tommy!
Hey, Tommy! Where you going?
Can we stand with J.J.?
"Hearing the tremendous rush of the sea-crashing boat,
"the whale wheeled round to present his blank forehead at bay.
"But in that evolution, catching sight of the nearing black hull of the ship,
"seemingly seeing in it the source of all his persecutions,
"bethinking it, it may be a larger and nobler foe.
"Of a sudden, he bore down upon its advancing prow,
"smiting his jaws amid fiery showers of foam.
"Ahab staggered, his hand smote his forehead.
"'I grow blind... "'
Now, the only person missing from the event
was dark horse entry, Tommy Riordan.
Recent revelations that Riordan was not only a United States Marine,
but a hero in the Iraq War, has cast an even wider spotlight
on a fighter who seems to have come out of nowhere.
Lance Corporal Mark Bradford's Web testimony to Riordan,
who saved his life earlier this year in Iraq,
is now spreading like wildfire throughout the media.
Tommy!
And the bridge just crumbled.
Tommy, come here. Come on. You got to see this.
The amtrac was upside down and water was coming in from everywhere.
And the water pressure was too much. We couldn't get the back hatch open.
We were all drowning, man.
It was a death trap.
I couldn't have had more than another minute.
Then suddenly, the back ramp gets ripped off.
There he was.
And before I could get out and thank him, he was gone.
-He just vanished like a ghost. -Tommy?
-Tommy, did you... Where you going? -Taking a walk.
Tommy!
I reallyjust wanted to say thank you.
You saved my life, brother.
And anyone seeing this at Sparta, anybody out in Pittsburgh,
you reach out to Tommy Riordan and tell him Mark said, "Thank you. "
Footage taken from a helmet cam on the ground in Iraq
captured the heroic incident.
Hello?
Brendan?
Been looking all over for you.
How's it going?
It's going.
I was thinking we should go grab a coffee.
I don't drink coffee, man. What do you want?
You don't wanna go sit down somewhere?
I'm good right here.
Okay.
Shit, Tommy, howwas I supposed to know I was never gonna see you guys again?
Yeah, well, you were briefed.
You had the information.
You chose the old man and the girl.
She wasn't just some girl.
I married her.
She's mywife.
See?
That's Tess.
That's Emily and Rosie.
They're your nieces, Tommy.
I don't knowthem.
I knowyou don't knowthem. Of course you don't knowthem.
So why am I looking at pictures of people I don't know?
'Cause that's my family.
And who are you exactly?
I'm your brother, man.
You were in the Corps?
What?
-I said I didn't knowyou were in the Corps. -I wasn't in the Corps.
Then you ain't no brotherto me.
My brotherwas in the Corps.
Jesus, Tommy. Tommy.
I was a 16-year-old kid. What the hell did I know?
I don't knowwhat you know.
Why don't you go askyour girlfriend about it?
She's mywife, Tommy.
So, that's it? I staywith Tess, I never get to see you guys again?
Not a single phone call? Nothing?
God, man, I don't understand this.
What? You...
So, you won't forgive me, but you forgave Pop?
No, he's just some old vet that I train with, you know? He means nothing to me.
And what I hear, he means nothing to you, either.
You got balls talking about forgiveness.
That has nothing to do with forgiveness.
I got children, man. I got a familyto protect.
Everything I do is forthem.
I forgave Pop.
Just like I forgave you and Mom.
You forgave us?
Yeah.
Well, I'm not surprised you made the tournament, Brendan.
You got some stones, man.
I fell in love. What the hell was I supposed to do?
You were supposed to stickto the plan. You were supposed to come with us.
Mom needed you, I needed you. You're my big brother. You bailed on me.
Hey, you know, I'm glad you stayed. Everything worked out foryou.
God.
You leave, you get the opposite. Okay?
You leave, you get to bury people.
You're not the only one that suffered, Tommy.
I didn't even know she was sick.
I never even got the chance to say goodbye to my own mother.
You had no right to keep that from me. That was not your decision to make!
You know what?
You walk around with your pictures ofyourwife,
and you're all, "l forgive you.
"l forgive Pop.
"l forgive everyone."
Brendan, you know,
you're full of shit.
Are we done, Brendan? Are we finished?
You realize you're supposed to seek mywise counsel
while school's actually in session, right?
-Yes, Principal Z. -Tell him.
Okay, we wanna use the auditorium this weekend
to watch Mr. C in Sparta.
What do you say?
So, you want to use the auditorium
to watch a suspended teacher engage in the activity that he was suspended for?
-Right. -Am I hearing this correct?
Right. Okay, we thought you would say that,
so it could turn into a fundraiser, you know?
You know, I thinkyou need to talk to your parents,
because you guys might need to be in summer school.
-Everybodywants this. -Come on, Mr. Zito.
We've been telling everybody about it already.
-Exactly. -And the gym's the only place
-that's big enough to fit everyone. -Look, it's never gonna happen.
-What ifwe get a petition signed? -We'll get the whole school to sign it.
-The power of democracy. -What are they gonna do about that?
Mr. Z, please?
Look, look, you guys. I appreciate the fact that you love your teacher, I really do,
but there is nothing I can do for you.
The roof is about to blow clean off Boardwalk Hall Arena.
It might be Fourth of July weekend, but this is Christmas Eve for fight fans.
This is Atlantic City. This is the War on the Shore,
and this is what everyone's been waiting for.
Sixteen of the baddest men on the planet duking it out over a 24-hour period
for the largest purse in mixed martial arts history.
In the town everyone knows from the game of Monopoly,
we got ourselves a winner-take-all affair.
Buckle your seatbelts, roll the dice, and take a ride on the Reading.
Sparta is here!
Welcome, I'm Bryan Callen,
along with bestselling fight author, Sam Sheridan.
Sam, when J.J. Riley conceived Sparta,
he wanted to create, quite simply,
the biggest mixed martial arts spectacle in history.
$5 million, Bryan. $5 million.
J.J. Riley put his moneywhere his mouth is
and put up the biggest purse the sport has ever seen.
It's unprecedented, Sam.
As is the hoopla surrounding one Tommy Riordan, the war hero,
who has become an overnight sensation
and captured the imagination and attention...
...Jujitsu black belt Francisco Barbosa,
who has a 19 to four record in his mixed martial arts' career.
Our rules of the cage are brought to you by Tapout.
-Five minutes, Paddy. -Okay.
It looks as though the moment of truth has arrived,
-because here comes Tommy Riordan. -Wow!
Tommy Riordan's captured the media's attention,
but the question still remains.
Who is this guy?
And more importantly,
can he compete in this talent pool? Can he win?
I wish I knew. I wish I knew who he was.
And I say the fact that I don't know is very strange.
In an lnternet age where there are no secrets,
this guy's a complete mystery.
I can't find out anything about him.
Tommy Riordan is officially Google-proof.
Get your hands off me.
Okay, let's go.
You gotta love this guy, Sam.
No walk-out music, no sponsors, no interviews.
He skipped the press conference,
wouldn't have his picture taken forthe program.
He's breaking every rule.
The only reason, really, that Tommy Riordan is in this tournament
is an MMAvideo making the rounds of him beating up Mad Dog Grimes in the gym.
But the reason that a lot of his fans are in the stands
is because of anothervideo.
It's even more stunning than the Mad Dog Grimes video.
This guy... Let me describe it to you, folks,
forthe fewthat haven't seen it, and I don't know anybodywho hasn't,
but Tommy Riordan ripped the door off atank
in the heat of battle, saving lives in the process,
and then walked away without claiming a medal.
-Listen... -He ripped the door off atank.
Tommy Riordan is a genuine war hero.
I'm not taking anything away from the guy, he's avery, verytough guy,
-but the tank don't hit back, you know. -Sam...
We've seen YouTube sensations fail on a big stage before.
Sam, he ripped the door off atank!
Tommy Riordan, he has definitely got his hands full
in his first opponent, Francisco Barbosa.
-Francisco Barbosa... -He's nothing to scoff at.
Yeah, he's the octopus. He's the real deal.
He's a very, very tough guy, a very high-caliber fighter.
Now, Tommy Riordan came out of nowhere,
and I'd imagine he's gonna disappear just as quickly.
It's a great story,
but I think your boy is gonna be exposed here
-as a YouTube sensation. -Well, well,
a lot of fans here in Boardwalk Hall hope you're wrong, Sam.
All right, gentlemen, you've been given your instructions.
I expect a clean fight.
Obey my command at all times,
defend yourselves at all times.
Touch gloves, go back, let's do this.
Tommy, cut offthe corners, feel this guy out,
just like we know. Just like we know.
We're about to get the big answer to the big question.
Is Tommy Riordan for real?
-Gentlemen, you ready? -They are both game fighters.
-And here we go. -You ready?
Let's go to war!
Keep your focus, Tom.
And here we go. We're gonna see this.
Barbosa's gonna be looking for atakedown.
He's definitely looking for atakedown here.
Barbosa is down! Barbosa has been knocked out!
Tommy Riordan is most definitely for real.
And now he's walking out ofthe cage. He's leaving the cage.
Hey, Tommy!
There goes another rule, out the window!
Where you going?
Francisco Barbosa is out cold,
and he is out ofthis tournament, Bryan.
-A huge left hook, launching... -Good. Nice and easy. Nice and easy.
-...Tommy Riordan into the second round. -One, two. Good, good. One, two, three.
Good. Two, three.
Good. Good, good, good.
-Good. Come on. Good. One, two. -Tommy Riordan is the real deal.
-Showtime. -All right. Come on, give me eight.
Yes! That's my boy.
Let's go, move your head around.
You ready?
Look at me.
You can do this.
I wanna hearyou say it.
I can do this.
Let's go do this.
Yeah.
J.J. Riley only had 48 hours, less than 48 hours, to fill the spot.
And basically, he had to go on the road to Frank Campana.
Well, then he chose Brendan Conlon,
which is really something I don't understand.
I just... I'm shocked.
Hey, Brendan. Brendan, go get him.
Go. Good luck.
Let's go, Brendan.
You go get him, Son!
You know, I can understand coming out to no music,
but why in the world would you choose classical music as your entrance?
This is Beethoven. This is Ode to Joy, Bryan.
My apologies, Mr. Renaissance Man.
Go get him, Son.
Ifyou wannatalk about Renaissance men, you gottatalk about Frank Campana.
Very unorthodoxtrainer, but one ofthe best trainers in the game,
and he's well known for using classical musicto teach his fighters to remain calm,
to remain patient, and to remain composed under pressure.
You know, I'll tell you, classical music is about as fitting to this setting
as Brendan Conlon is to this tournament.
-Come on. -ln fact, let me showyou something.
Right here. Let me tell you...
-What? -You see that, right there?
That, right there... That, my friend, is Brendan Conlon.
Okay? Brendan Conlon's about to be dropped into a sharktank.
He's a feeder fish.
Come on, give the guy a break.
You know, the guy... At least we've seen him fight.
I mean, he's fought real guys. He's been in the UFC.
-We remember him from that. -I remember him, too.
I remember him being very unmemorable.