Episode list

Boyd Sharpe is an average guy in a major rut. On the cusp of 40, he decides to overcome his midlife crisis in an extreme way: become a mixed martial artist in one year. At the end of his training, he will face the ultimate physical test: a cage match against a pro. He enlists seasoned MMA trainer Peter Martell to help him. The two figure there must be more people like Boyd, and they're right: more than 250 hopefuls turn up for initial tryouts for the Cubicle to the Cage program Peter is developing. The "Cubes" come from all walks of life, including an overweight artist and call-center worker who looks more like a rock-bank front-man than fighter. We meet Rick, a former pro wrestler turned factory worker with a raging warrior inside; and Steve, a 42-year-old chartered accountant with a fire in his belly. The first session is grueling; the quitters are called out and sent home. Only 60 will make it to Round 2.

The 60 selected Cubes return for Round 2 tryouts. Trainer Peter Martell ups the intensity, weeding out the weak ones. Boyd is over-confident about his progress but Peter's grinding workout reminds him how far he has to go. We meet some of the Cubes who are going to make the cut. They come from vastly different backgrounds, but are united by one thing: none has ever seen such intense training. The seriousness of the program really hits home at a pro training session where a fighter is seriously hurt, and they see how quickly injury can sideline competitors. Peter gives them a tough talk about what it takes to be a pro fighter. He does not have great hopes for the group; he is convinced most will quit - and soon.

Boyd and the other Cubes attend their first live pro fight. They start to truly understand what they have signed up for. The brutality of the sport is inescapable up close - humbling, scary, exhilarating. We meet Jeanette, a Cube, and her fiancée, Mike, a former pro who goes into the ring again after suffering a serious head injury. Mike wins - giving the cubes a sense of the sport's unpredictability, as well as the letdown of loss, the high of winning. They also start to get a sense of the sport's camaraderie. We meet Sebastian, an English teacher, who has never fought before but wants to get out of his comfort zone. The final group of 30 Cubes starts their training. Peter tests their resolve with punishing sessions. United by pain and drive the group begins to bond. But then the first Cube quits.

Eight weeks into the program, 25 cubes remain. Peter is surprised - and impressed; he had thought more would quit. The Cubes are excited to get some gear - now they look like a team. Peter puts them through a trial weight-cut to drop as many pounds as possible in a day. For over 24 hours they don't eat, don't drink. Dressed in plastic bags and winter clothes, they work out, then sweat it out in the sauna. It is the worst mental and physical stress of the program. Boyd calls it the worst experience of his life. For many, it emphasizes the mental challenge of MMA. Rick skips the weight cut to party - and his lone-wolf approach does not jive with the team. The weight-cut is a turning point for the Cubes, who realize just how tough it is going to be, and not just on their bodies. Boyd realizes the strain on his family, too. The toll on their personal lives is beginning to show.

The Cubes are in the third month of intense, six-days-a-week training. Peter is pushing them harder than ever. They get a morale boost when Drako, a martial arts apparel company, gives them each a full fighting kit. They spar for the first time. One Cube, Morteza, is ready to go to the next level, his first professional fight. A kick boxer from Iran, Morteza is fit and technically skilled, but Peter worries about his focus, a concern the other Cubes share. Their fears are grounded when Morteza is late for weigh-in. UFC legend Jeremy Horn stops by the gym for a lesson. On fight night, Cubes Nickie and Ashley step into the ring for the first time for an exhibition match. Then it's Morteza's turn. He's quicker than his opponent, but smaller. It is anyone's match, but, whatever the outcome, the other Cubes are there to support him. Win or lose, Monday they will be back at the gym.

The Cubes are deflated by Morteza's defeat in his first pro fight. To cheer them up, Peter takes them on a field trip, and the Cubes bond over beers and share some laughs outside of the gym. Rick skips the group outing to train alone. He respects the others, but sees fighting as ultimately a solitary sport. Back at the gym, the intensity of the training steepens. The Cubes are nearing the halfway mark of the yearlong program, but are light years from ready for a real fight. Peter grows frustrated with their slow progress, and gives them an ultimatum: quit or step up. Many of the Cubes question the logic of continuing on what seems futile and perilous journey. As the training intensifies and the injuries pile up, more Cubes quit, while others, like Rick, Boyd and Steve, embrace the grind and redouble their commitment to the program, whatever the cost.

Seven months into the program, 25 Cubes remain. Peter wants to cut that number by half, to those who have a fighting chance of a pro match. He arranges one-on-one meetings to give them frank assessments of their. He expects many will quit when they learn where they stand. Rick and Peter discuss their mutual surprise that Rick has stuck it out. It has been the journey of his life, Rick says. Peter tells Rick he's as tough as anyone he has ever met. Steve is struggling physically, but his spirit is strong. He tells Peter he will have his fight - one way or another. Peter tells Boyd he needs to find his killer instincts if he ever hopes to fight. At the five-month mark, 13 Cubes remain. They begin training with pros, and the intensity amps up exponentially. The Cubes discuss the strain the program is taking on their personal and professional lives, and also reflect on the bonds developing between them. Boyd's dream of making it to the cage is threatened by injury, but he refuses to let the sacrifices he has made so far amount to nothing.

Eight months in, and 13 Cubes remain. They have made great progress, but Peter still wonders if any will actually be ready to fight in just four months. Boyd is in constant pain but after more than a year since getting the program going he is not walking away. Rick is hurting badly, too: Peter gives he and Boyd each a week off to rest. The fun of the early days is gone - training is nothing but grind now. Peter takes the Cubes to the beach for a change of scenery from the gym. The Cubes go on a rafting field trip, too, for some time together away from the gym. Jock wants to see the year through but the arrival of his first child changes his outlook. Two other Cubes drop out. Ten weeks from fight time, and 10 Cubes remain. They go for their professional licenses. Boyd worries he won't pass, that all the training was for nothing. Robin Black, a 40-something fighter, is to be Boyd's first pro opponent. Peter ups the training ante again, taking the Cubes to the legendary Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City. Two months till fight night.

Renzo Gracie Academy is one of the top ju-jitsu clubs in North America - if not the world. Peter earned his belts there, and wants the Cubes to to see first-hand how elite fighters train, and to learn from them. With eight weeks to go, six of them make the trip. Boyd mulls his impending first fight during the 15-hour drive. His opponent, Robin Black, a pro with 9 fights to his name, is trying to get into Boyd's head with bullying blog posts. Rick is rejuvenated by the trip to New York, calling it a highlight of his life. Steve can't make the trip, but he is top of mind after he sends the Cubes a funny gift in the Big Apple. On a stroll through Times Square, Rick, Boyd and Sebastian reflect on how the program has upset their prior complacency, and changed them deeply. The three-day training session with some of Renzo Gracie's best coaches is a confidence booster. Back in Halifax, Boyd demonstrates a new level of focus that is blurred somewhat during an extra-tough training session in which Peter hits him with a barrage of shark-baiting sparring opponents. He must keep in mind Igor Gracie's advice: Train hard, fight easy.

One month left, and only Boyd has a fight lined up at the end of the program. The other Cubes hope Peter will deem them ready - and find them opponents. Boyd and Steve do a few rounds exhibition sparring at a fight to get a feel for getting in the cage. Steve remarks on the transformation he has seen in Boyd, who seems to have found a new seriousness, and killer instincts, to boot. Rick goes to see the match, his first live MMA experience, and is exhilarated. When a 49-year-old former boxer wins his match later that night, it inspires the older Cubes to keep going. Boyd gets some bad news: his opponent has had to pull out for medical reasons. Luckily, Peter is able to find a replacement. One week till his fight, and Boyd is in intense preparation. Peter is busy trying to fill the fight card, dealing with a series of medical dropouts and other logistical challenges. Rick is infuriated when he is sent to a specialist about his hip condition to get medical clearance. If he gets the OK, Peter has an opponent for him. He is eager to fight, but first he faces a grueling weight cut: 15 pounds in 36 hours.

Then there were three: only Rick, Steve and Boyd remain in the program, with fights lined up at the end of the year of punishing mental and physical conditioning. From the original pack of more than 250 contestants, it is down to a trio of 40-something men with incredible drive and commitment who prevailed over younger, stronger and faster competitors. Their fights looming, it is time to cut weight. Rick suffers so badly after the first day, and is putting his health in such danger, Peter considers cancelling his fight. But the other Cubes help Rick through. It is a breakthrough for the former lone wolf, who always shunned the team aspect of the program. Rick is humbled by the support of his teammates, and rallies physically. He drops 16 pounds, enough to make weight. Rick, Boyd and Steve will face opponents half their age. Steve goes first. His opponent is nearly 6 pounds overweight, a huge advantage. He takes the fight anyhow, and it does not end well: he is knocked out cold in the first round. Next up, Boyd and Rick will each have their day in the cage.

Steve has a concussion, but is otherwise OK after suffering a brutal knockout in his first pro fight. Rick looks back on the year, and what it has meant to him. Then it is his turn in the cage: he brings the drama of his wrestling days to a grand entrance. He fights hard, but loses in the second round to his much more experienced opponent. No matter - he is exhilarated, and keen to go it again, and soon. Then it is Boyd's turn - at long last. More than a year after he came up with what many though was a crazy plan his dream is coming true, and his whole family is there to see it, including his brothers who fly in from Newfoundland to cheer him on. In the cage, Boyd transforms from a mild-mannered office worker and loving family man to steely fighting machine. He channels all of the physical and emotional stress of the last year into his match. Boyd dominates his 20-year-old opponent - so much so the referee almost stops the fight because his opponent cannot properly defend himself. The other fighter finds his feet, coming back with a few clean shots that force the ref to stop the fight. Boyd is exhausted, but triumphant. Peter is overwhelmed. Everyone is awed by Boyd's performance, especially when they find out he broke him arm early on and kept fighting. A few weeks later, Boyd, Steve and Rick meets for beers to reflect on the amazing journey they have taken together, and the deep friendships they have forged.