Every Martial Arts Star Who Should Join Undisputed 5
Martial #Martial
Undisputed 5 could bring aboard many great martial arts stars for Yuri Boyka’s return to the ring. The Undisputed franchise first introduced Yuri Boyka (Scott Adkins) in Isaac Florentine’s Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, with the highly formidable MMA fighter Boyka determined to prove himself worthy of the title of The Most Complete Fighter in the World. Though he was introduced as the antagonist of Undisputed 2, Boyka quickly became the Undisputed franchise’s central character, returning as the protagonist of Undisputed 3: Redemption and Boyka: Undisputed.
Though Scott Adkins says there is a script for Undisputed 5, the next chapter of the Undisputed series has not yet gotten off the ground. Naturally, in a martial arts franchise like the Undisputed movies, a cast of great martial artists is a must. While Undisputed 5 bringing back Michael Jai White, Marko Zaror, and other past stars of the series would be a fantastic concept, there are also many other martial art stars who could elevate Undisputed 5 just as much. Here are eight martial arts stars who would be great additions to Undisputed 5.
RELATED: Undisputed Theory Could Reveal Boyka’s Real Motivation For Fighting
Iko Uwais 
After making his film debut in 2009’s Merantau, Iko Uwais rose to major martial arts movie glory with 2012’s The Raid: Redemption and 2014’s The Raid 2 (both helmed by Merantau director Gareth Evans). Uwais has since gone on to be one of the premiere Silat exponents in modern action movies with hits like Beyond Skyline, The Night Comes for Us, and Triple Threat. Uwais and Adkins’s fight scene in Triple Threat also makes an Uwais-Adkins rematch perfect for an Undisputed movie. With Silat not having been featured in the Undisputed franchise, Iko Uwais could be just the man to bring it into Boyka’s next big fight in Undisputed 5.
Tony Jaa 
Thailand’s biggest action star Tony Jaa took the world by storm with his 2003 action hit Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. Jaa would amaze even more in Ong Bak 2: The Beginning and Ong Bak 3 along with the Tom Yum Goong films, and eventually brought his amazing physical skills to both Hong Kong and Hollywood with movies like SPL 2: A Time for Consequences and Skin Trade. Jaa was also part of Triple Threat’s martial arts ensemble, facing Adkins in the movie’s climactic battle. Like Iko Uwais, a Tony Jaa-Scott Adkins rematch would be a fantastic way to build up the ensemble of Undisputed 5.
JuJu Chan Szeto 
While a handful of female characters have appeared in the Undisputed franchise, the series has largely been a boy’s club, and JuJu Chan Szeto could be a great candidate for the franchise’s first female MMA competitor. Chan Szeto previously appeared in martial arts films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and Jiu Jitsu, and really broke out opposite Iko Uwais in Netflix’s supernatural martial arts series Wu Assassins and the follow-up movie Fistful of Vengeance as the villainous assassin Zan. Whether as an ally or an adversary of Boyka’s, JuJu Chan Szeto could really shine as the first female warrior of the Undisputed franchise.
Alain Moussi 
Stuntman Alain Moussi has brought his Van Damme-worthy spinning kicks to the modern day Kickboxer franchise and 2020’s Jiu Jitsu, and even brought Charlie Nash to life in the 2016 web-series Street Fighter: Resurrection. Moussi is an amazingly versatile martial artist and can pull off all the incredible kicking techniques and grappling maneuvers that an opponent facing Boyka would need. Moussi’s sharp features and talent for villainous sneering (seen in the bus fight of 2021’s Nobody) would also make him ideally suited to be one of Boyka’s next major villains and an enemy who could give him a run for his money.
RELATED: Yuri Boyka’s Fight Record In Undisputed (& Why He Won & Lost Each Match)
Bruce Khan 
Rising South Korean star Bruce Khan is living proof that an action movie lead barely needs to say a word if his fighting skills are appropriately astonishing, a feat Khan accomplishes in spades in his 2019 Netflix movie Revenger. Khan’s Tae Kwon Do kicks are a marvel of control, speed, and power, qualities he also brings to his role in the 2022’s South Korean action film The Killer. The sheer purity of Khan’s screen persona and martial arts ability both make him perfectly suited for the Undisputed martial arts movie franchise, Khan more than capable of embodying an enemy who can really keep Boyka on his toes.
Daniel Bernhardt 
After his role as leading man of the Bloodsport sequels, Daniel Bernhardt has had quite a career in primarily villainous roles like Agent Johnson in The Matrix Reloaded and Kirill in John Wick, and his talents make him another great contender to join Undisputed 5. In addition to his skills as a martial artist, Bernhardt also has an innate gift for giving a deceptively charming quality to the villains he has portrayed, as seen in his role as Owens in 2020’s Skylin3s. Boyka’s blood would undoubtedly boil at such an enemy, which makes Daniel Bernhardt dropping into Undisputed 5 for an MMA showdown that much more exciting of a concept.
Mark Dacascos 
Martial arts movie fans have known and loved Mark Dacascos for ages, with his action-packed body of work including Only the Strong, Mortal Kombat: Legacy season two, Blade of the 47 Ronin, the ’90s cult hit Drive, and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Dacascos also brings an amiable charm and likable charisma on-screen even in villain roles. There is no better proof of that than his performance as Zero in Parabellum, Dacascos masterfully portraying a John Wick fan tasked with killing him. Undisputed 5 bringing a similar dynamic of Dacascos as a grinning, likable villain who can match Boyka kick for kick would be quite the treat indeed.
Kane Kosugi 
The son of ’80s ninja movie legend Sho Kosugi, Kane Kosugi has brought his martial arts skills to many action movies. Kosugi’s performance in 2004’s Muscle Heat in particular brings the kind of ferocity an opponent of Boyka’s requires, while he and Adkins also previously appeared together in 2013’s Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear. One of Scott Adkins’s many collaborations with Isaac Florentine, Shadow of a Tear is among the best ninja movies ever made, with Adkins and Kosugi’s final showdown a ninja movie classic. Florentine, Adkins, and Kosugi working together again in Undisputed 5 would bring that same electric ninja movie energy into the Undisputed franchise.