For the past couple of years, artificial intelligence has been pushing boundaries, especially in filmmaking, and the technology has now made another intriguing crossover into the MMA world. California-based AI company Higgsfield has produced a 110-minute AI-generated movie featuring UFC stars Israel Adesanya and Rampage Jackson, alongside social media personalities such as N3on. The reported budget? Only $2 million.

Taking to Instagram, Higgsfield shared the trailer for the movie Curry Hill Boys, announcing that the film premiered on August 5 and is available to watch on YouTube. The company also made the prompts and assets used to create the project publicly available, allowing aspiring AI filmmakers to learn from the process.

“For the first time in history, we turned fighters and influencers into movie stars: The Cully Hill Boys, on Higgsfield, for $2,000,000. Starring: @n3onsingh @stylebende @rampagejackson @mkiatipis,” Higgsfield posted on Instagram. “It’s 100% open-sourced on Higgsfield: all prompts and assets behind this movie are public now. You have access to $2,000,000 worth of AI filmmaking knowledge. Watch now on YouTube. Made with Seedance 2.5 on Higgsfield.”

The company added that the project was “100% open-sourced” on its platform, giving users access to the prompts and assets behind the production. AI-generated movies are hardly a new phenomenon.

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Back in 2024, around 50 AI artists created a movie called Our T2 Remake, which was a full-on parody of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator 2. After that, an action-fantasy movie named Hell Grind, directed by Aitor Zholdaskali using a team of 15 AI artists, attracted attention. Interestingly, Aitor also directed Curry Hill Boys. However, there’s a big difference between the previous films and this one.

The 110-minute film has become the first AI movie to feature licensed celebrity likenesses, using UFC fighters such as Israel Adesanya and Rampage Jackson. The previous two movies relied primarily on fictional characters or animated representations. However, it’s noteworthy that the movie isn’t intended to be a feature film marketed for commercial public consumption.

According to Variety, the makers of the movie intended the project as a demonstration of how AI can actually be used to produce quality movies. So, it most likely won’t be released in theaters or on other paid streaming platforms.

Still, the concept has generated plenty of attention online. The trailer for the film left many fans surprised by how convincingly the AI technology reproduced the appearance of the UFC stars. However, the reaction was far from unanimous, with some viewers impressed by the visuals while others criticized the artificial nature of the production.

Israel Adesanya, Rampage Jackson and fans react to UFC-based AI-Generated movie

Reacting to the movie, former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya wrote, “Chewsday innit bruv! 😂🛶” Following him, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson also shared his gratitude toward the makers, writing, “Honored to be a part of this! 🫡 Thanks for having me.”

Well, it seems the UFC stars are very pleased with the product Higgsfield has created using their personas. Fans also started sharing their surprised reactions to seeing some of their revered UFC stars acting in a movie, even if it was generated entirely through AI.

A fan wrote, “AI realism is developing 💯.” After that, a different fan wrote, “I literally can’t tell it’s AI anymore, dammmn.” Another user who apparently watched the movie shared their verdict, saying that the film might initially give off obvious AI vibes. But as the story starts rolling, that feeling fades away, and the movie gradually becomes more immersive.

“The film was good, it was weird for a couple minutes because you know it’s AI but that fades away and it was dope to watch,” the fan commented.

Now, although fans showered praise on Higgsfield for creating a solid AI UFC-based movie, not everyone was thrilled by its execution. One fan simply wrote, “This is so lame.” Another user followed by dismissing the film as nothing more than “AI Slop.” Meanwhile, world-famous director Christopher Nolan, who recently released The Odyssey, also got a shoutout from a fan who wrote, “There’s a reason people love Nolan for doing practical effects btw.”

To be fair, Christopher Nolan is one of the directors known for favoring practical effects over excessive reliance on CGI and digital techniques. So, it’s easy to imagine why a fan would invoke his name while criticizing a movie created almost entirely through artificial intelligence. However, the fans also expressed massive disdain toward the UFC for producing its fight promos with AI, something that previously drew a strong reaction from Dana White.

With AI filmmaking slowly making its way into the market, it might not be long before the technology becomes increasingly commercialized. And if it eventually starts generating significant profits, it remains to be seen just how dramatically it could reshape the world of filmmaking.