Cape Town - Covering everything from MotoGP to MMA, the sports documentaries you can stream on Showmax and Netflix this weekend will boost your fan levels to the extreme.
Find out what goes on off-field between the multimillionaire celebs who are our favourite football heroes, in their personal lives and professional rivalries. Expect lashings of drama and proof of their luxe, lavish lifestyles.
2. Total Combat Presents One Championship
With a hand-picked fight card in every episode, long-time Mixed Martial Arts rivals settle their differences the only way they know how: With their fists, feet and brute force. Get your fix with these full-length MMA fights.
There are few greater spectacles on TV than the gathering of the world’s top extreme athletes into a single, programme offering – The Xtreme Collxtion. Every episode is loaded to the max with awe-inspiring events, stunts, challenges and projects from the snow, water, air and street. The Xtreme Collxtion focuses on the personalities involved, telling exceptional stories about extraordinary sports people, who live life on the edge.
Watch an extract here:
4. Fastest
In this hair-raising documentary, we watch MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi chasing his 10th World Champ title. After a horrifying crash in his home race left him with a severely broken leg, it looked unlikely that he would be able to take to the track for the championship. But a staggering 40 days later, there he was, ready to face his opponents – a fine crop of young, talented drivers who displayed exceptional speed and agility. The film was shot around the world in 2010 and 2011, and is narrated by Ewan McGregor.
Watch the trailer here:
5. 9 Dives: A Journey Through Body and Mind
With stunning slow-mo footage, director Mario Kreuzer introduces us to cliff-diving legend Orlando Dugue. This one-of-a-kind athlete demonstrates that extreme sport and adrenalin highs can bring one closer to the spiritual realm than pretty much anything on the planet.
Watch the trailer here:
John E Du Pont was heir to a massive family fortune - and a wrestling enthusiast. He set up the million-dollar Foxcatcher Wrestling Facility on his enormous estate to encourage the growth and development of the sport. He recruited champions from around the country and installed them on the estate, paying them to be on Team Foxcatcher. But Du Pont’s dark side quickly started showing itself. This is the story of his descent from philanthropist to murderer.
Watch the trailer here:
East Mississippi Community College is a place you’ve probably never heard of. It’s an infamous “rehab” facility for Division 1 college football players who have been in some kind of trouble - such as failed a drug test, or flunked out of school. It’s known as “Last Chance U” because it’s the last opportunity they’ll have to shape up enough to be recruited into a big-time programme. This six-part series provides a fascinating insight into the training, triumphs and traumas experienced by these troubled football players.
Watch the trailer here: