Tamara Rothschild’s MMA Cop is the kind of movie that’s fully aware of its limitations and charges forward anyway—shirtless, sweaty, and full of absurd swagger. At a lean 90 minutes, this low-budget action thriller manages to deliver enough chaos and conviction to keep its head above water, even as it veers wildly between tones and genres.
The plot is as trashy and pulpy as you'd expect: a rogue detective named Tyson Shabazz (played with full-throttle bravado by Farid Jamal Khan) teams up with a journalist (Belle O’Hara) to uncover a child trafficking conspiracy, facing off against cartoonishly evil villains and their hired assassins. There’s corruption, crime rings, snuff films, endless sex scenes, and at least one heart-ripping fatality. There’s also Eric Roberts, who appears in four brief hotel-room scenes that could have been filmed in a single afternoon—likely via Cameo—and somehow still gets top billing.
And yet… MMA Cop is not without charm. For all its technical flaws—sloppy ADR, nonsensical editing, and what may be the worst wig in cinematic history—there’s an undeniable earnestness to it. The filmmakers clearly poured their hearts into this oddball concoction. It doesn’t feel cynical; it feels homemade. The country ballad about Instagram and Winnie the Pooh playing over a sex montage is laugh-out-loud bizarre, but it’s so unique you can’t help but admire the audacity.
There are highlights, too. Belle O’Hara brings some stability to the chaos with a surprisingly grounded performance. A few of the jokes land (some even intentionally), and the ridiculous sound effects in the fight scenes add a comedic flair. Despite its title, the MMA content is minimal and mostly created through clever (if clunky) editing rather than choreography. Still, Shabazz flexes and quips with such confidence that it's hard not to be entertained, especially when he stares down villains in total silence after pummeling them.
But the movie is also tonally confused—jumping from grim themes like child exploitation to broad action-comedy gags, sometimes in the same scene. One moment the film wants to be Taken, the next it wants to be The Room with roundhouse kicks. This imbalance will be a turnoff for some, especially when the subject matter gets a bit too uncomfortable to laugh at.
Still, MMA Cop deserves credit where it’s due. It may not be a good movie in the traditional sense, but it’s a memorable one. And for fans of "so-bad-it’s-good" cinema, this is a goldmine—perfect for a rowdy watch party or a midnight screening with friends. Yes, it’s a mess, but it’s a mess with heart… and a sequel already in development.
Jessie Hobson