Aahana Swrup
Also titled ‘La Cage,’ ‘The Cage’ is a French sports drama show that follows the story of an underdog’s tumultuous yet overwhelming rise to glory and triumph. Created by Sylvain Caron and Franck Gastambide, the narrative revolves around Taylor Keita, a young aspiring MMA fighter who wants to go down in history like his UFC heroes. Nonetheless, he continues to struggle on the road to success—that is, until a chance encounter with Ibrahim, a dangerous name in the world of professional fighting, earns him a window of attention. Consequently, Taylor takes the opportunity in both hands and runs for the stars.
Yet, complications of Taylor’s own past and a feud with Ibrahim chart a complicated path for the fighter and his coach, Boss. The tale of Taylor’s athletic career remains ripe with dramatic twists, emotional reckonings, and brief arrivals of recognizable professional fighters. As a result, his inspiring journey leads the way to fertile ground for authentic storytelling that highlights themes of ambition, sportsmanship, and struggle.
The Cage Puts Real Fighters in a Fictional Narrative
‘The Cage’ brings a stirring premise about an unlikely hero who takes the world of professional fighting by storm after being in the right place at the right time. However, in order to tell this underdog tale, the show equips a fictitious narrative revolving around an entirely fictional character. The story’s central building block, Taylor Keita, isn’t based on a real MMA fighter. Instead, he’s a conception of the collaborative creative imagination of creators Sylvain Caron and Franck Gastambide and their team of screenwriters, including Nicolas Laquerriere, Alain Moreau, and Elsa Vasseur.
Likewise, much of the narrative surrounding Taylor, including other primary characters and events, has been fictitiously fabricated. Nonetheless, an exciting aspect of reality is still retained within the show. While central athletes like Taylor, Ibrahim, Elena, and their various opponents are fictionalized, the story also includes notable real-life fighters. As such, fans of the sport will find many familiar faces peppered throughout the protagonist’s hero’s journey. For instance, Georges St-Pierre, the legendary Canadian MMA fighter who becomes Taylor’s coach after he first challenges Ibrahim, is an actual star in the world of MMA fighting.
In real life, Georges St-Pierre — or GSP — is regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists in history. As such, his significant inclusion in Taylor’s training naturally adds a thrilling and realistic detail to the character’s journey. Similarly, other fighters—from Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane to coaches Six Gun Gibson and Firas Zahabu—who become instrumental, if brief, checkpoints in Taylor’s story remain real-life celebrities of the world of fighting. Consequently, the addition of these familiar MMA faces — in the flesh — adds an effortless sense of realism to the narrative. Thus, even though Taylor and his storyline remain fictitious, the show creates an authentic and recognizable world for the character.
The Cage Depicts MMA in a Realistic Light
One of the defining aspects of ‘The Cage,’ which helps it retain realism despite the fictionality of its central storyline, comes from the authentic framework that surrounds Taylor’s character. Since Taylor — and by association, his friends, coach Boss, and rival Ibrahim — are fictional, the show relies on secondary elements for authenticity. While the inclusion of real-life MMA fighter celebrities contributes significantly to this, the faithful depiction of the sport also works toward the same goal.
As a result, elements such as the UFC and SFW tournaments, the ARES championship, and the mechanism of these events further accentuate the show’s ties to reality. Moreover, the depiction of the culture around MMA sports also mirrors the reality of the sport’s following. Thus, nods to online feuds, crucial podcasts, and the internet’s part in bringing athletes to fame all highlight the real community fostered around the sport. In order to achieve this, the creators reportedly worked with industry professionals, such as sports journalist Antoine Simon and MMA fighter Taylor Lapilus.
This allows the narrative to attract actual MMA and professional fighting fans by offering their demographic a story that feels immersed in reality. Alternatively, ‘The Cage’ also succeeds in catering to people who aren’t as familiar with the sport. The on-screen tale employs a familiar archetype of a hero’s slow but steady path to succession—an arc that is common in sport-driven storytelling. As such, viewers will naturally draw parallels between this show and classic sports stories before it, including the ‘Rocky‘ and ‘Creed’ series. As such, various elements work toward fueling realism. Nevertheless, since the central storyline isn’t one of these elements, it ultimately remains a work of fiction.
