Never Say Never

The film opens with a video clip showing two young boys fighting in an MMA bout, setting up the theme of children drawn into the sport. This quiet scene hints at a future where fighters' destinies are shaped by hardship and ambition.

Xiang Tenghui's lorry is attacked by a gang of boys on a remote road near Longshan. The assault convinces him that the mining venture is precarious, and Wang Feng suggests selling the operation to rival Li Sancai as a safer option.

Xiang seeks financial backing from local entrepreneur Wang Jingfu to build a children's fight club that could produce champions and provide a future for the impoverished kids. If successful, the venture would also boost Wang Jingfu’s profile and products.

Xiang and Wang round up the gang that attacked them and offer joining the club in exchange for food and lodging. The two oldest members identified are Ma Hu and Su Mu, who become central figures in the group's early days.

Wang Jingfu is arrested for peddling fake goods, cutting off funding for the club. Xiang is reluctant to continue without money, but the club members insist on training and performing.

Xiang decides to teach stage combat, not real fighting, and negotiates a deal with a local bar owner, Li, to stage fights inside a steel cage as an attraction. The plan is to use performance as a stepping stone for the kids’ development.

Ma and Su perform in the cage, but the crowd quickly notices the fighters are faking it. After Xiang demands more effort, the staged event devolves into a real brawl that draws in more spectators and proves the boys' fighting ability.

The club’s performances grow in popularity, attracting larger crowds and attention. An offer arrives for the troupe to perform in the provincial capital, signaling a major step toward real recognition.

Some thugs disrupt a fight between Ma and Su, accusing it of being fake, and a real brawl erupts. Ma nearly stabs one of the aggressors, while Wang helps Xiang and the boys escape, though Wang is injured and later arrested.

Xiang helps Wang avoid a harsher fate by bailing him out, but he is told to train the boys for real so they can become true champions. Xiang weighs the cost and the potential of turning the club into a legitimate training ground.

Xiang visits his family home and learns of his past as a provincial MMA champion who was stripped of his gold after a coach tricked him into taking PEDs. He attacks his coach in a rage and is sentenced for assault, a turning point that pushes him to reconsider his approach to the sport.

After coming to terms with his past, Xiang decides to transform the club into a real-training program, focusing on genuine competition rather than staged exhibitions. The goal becomes producing legitimate fighters with real sparring and discipline.

In 2011, the club is thriving and educating its members, but a video showing Ma and Su as children goes viral, leading to suspensions from a national tournament. The incident brings national attention to Xiang and the club’s practices, creating tension with the broader MMA community.

Two years after the viral controversy, Su fights for the FGP world Lightweight title and wins in a dramatic finish. In the epilogue, the government allows the club to operate again, and Ma—now released from prison—returns to competition, marking a full circle for the club's mission.