MMA fans will have plenty of familiar faces to follow on the upcoming season of a Netflix reality competition.
The “Physical: 100” series will stream its third season in October. It premiered in early 2023 in South Korea with a format seeking a winner from 100 contestants chosen based on their reputations for strength and physiques.
In the third season, the format will be “Physical: Asia” and will feature eight national origin-based teams made up of six athletes each. Chief among them, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker heads up the Australia squad, former UFC fan favorite Yushin Okami leads the team from Japan, ONE Championship muay Thai standout Superbon captains Thailand, and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao leads the squad from the Philippines.
In addition, UFC standout Dong Hyun Kim is on the team from Korea and former Bellator women’s flyweight title challenger Kana Watanabe is on the team from Japan.
According to Netflix, the first nation-vs.-nation edition of the series will include Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines. The competition pits athletes in tests of “strength, strategy and teamwork for nothing less than national pride.”
Season 1 of the series featured former UFC fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama. Season 2 was won by crossfit social media influencer Amotti, who is part of Kim’s Korea squad in the new season.
According to Netflix, the competition “blends elite athleticism with cultural tradition, spotlighting disciplines from combat sports and ball games to track and field — alongside heritage events like Korean ssireum, Mongolian wrestling, Turkish oil wrestling and muay Thai. ‘Physical: Asia’ is more than a clash of athletes, it’s a showcase of heritage, pride and physical mastery on an unprecedented global stage.”
Check out the trailer for “Physical: 100” above.
