Photo: Charlie Cox Starts MMA Training for Daredevil Disney+ Reboot

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Updated:
Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Disney+ logo

Daredevil: Born Again is set to feature a brand-new story for Charlie Cox's titular hero. The upcoming Disney+ series is set to make history with its 18-episode count, meaning that it has more room to showcase Daredevil's fighting skills and cameos from other MCU characters. 

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law revealed a glimpse of the new fighting style of Cox's hero, with him leaning on more acrobatics. The actor even shared his hopes for "a tiny bit more CGI" in the Disney+ series that would improve the "action sequences" but only to emphasize the character's "gymnastic abilities."

Now, as filming for Born Again is expected to commence in early 2023, an exciting update about Cox's preparation has been revealed.

Charlie Cox Prepares for Daredevil Return with Intense MMA Training 

Chris Fields, owner and founder of Team KF Martial Arts, posted a new photo on Instagram alongside Daredevil actor Charlie Cox to share how the Marvel actor has been training with an MMA fighter to prepare for Daredevil: Born Again

Charlie Cox, Team KF Martial Arts
Instagram

In the post, Fields, who is a former fighter himself, noted that Cox "wanted to train exactly like a fighter," pointing out that he's "blown away by his work ethic and willingness to learn:"

"It has been great working with Charlie over the last while, helping him prepare for his next role. 

I was a little hesitant when I was first asked, as my expertise is being a coach to fighters. But after meeting Charlie, I quickly realized he wanted to train exactly like a fighter. He returned to the gym after each tough session I put him through and I was blown away by his work ethic and willingness to learn - the same characteristics needed to be an elite fighter."

Fields continued to reveal that the Marvel star "fit in straight away with the team," noting that his improvement "has been insane to see:"

"He fit in straight away with the team and his improvement from day one to now has been insane to see. I’m really excited to see some of this come through on the show. Videos of what myself and Charlie have been working on, dropping shortly."

Speaking with Marvel Entertainment, Cox was asked if some of the fight scenes are muscle memory for him, to which the actor responded with "yes and no."

The Daredevil star explained that he has "done enough of them" to say yes while saying no meant that he "did feel quite rusty."

"Yes and no. Yes in so far as I’ve done enough of them now that I can do quite a lot of the stuff. At the same time, I did feel quite rusty. Knowing that we’re gearing up for Daredevil: Born Again now, I have started kind of doing some MMA training again."

When talking about his MMA training, Cox noted that it's something that he would "like to be more familiar with," sharing that he wants to portray Daredevil as someone 

"That’s something that I would like to be more familiar with when we get into this other show so that when we do see him in combat, we are able to at times recognize rather than just someone who’s like a bit of a brawler, someone that has had training in various disciplines and is able to employ certain techniques depending on who he’s fighting.

Charlie Cox is Going All-Out for His Daredevil Return

It goes without saying that Chris Fields' comments about Cox's intense passion during training are an exciting update. Charlie Cox's dedication to his Daredevil return is clearly unmatched, and his MMA training further solidifies that. 

It is unknown how the fight scenes in Daredevil: Born Again will compare to Netflix's Daredevil, but Cox's new training could hint at a major improvement. 

In Netflix's Daredevil Season 3, Cox worked with his stunt double Chris Brewster to bring the series' action sequences to life. While a stunt double is expected to be present alongside Cox in Born Again, it's possible that the actor will be more willing to execute more action scenes on his own, mainly due to his MMA training. 

All in all, Daredevil's fighting style might still preserve its brutal nature while also amplifying it by adding acrobatics to the mix. 

Daredevil: Born Again is expected to premiere on Disney+ in the Spring of 2024.

- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.