‘Bruised’ Halle Berry could have been a UFC fighter — ‘She has a lot of power’

Hollywood icon Halle Berry is a longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) fan and called upon some of the top names in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) when it came time to film “Bruised,” the upcoming sports drama on Netflix.

That includes reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, cast as “Lady Killer” opposite Berry’s “Jackie Justice.” Shevchenko also served as one of Berry’s primary trainers throughout production.

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“Bullet” had nothing but praise for the Oscar-winning actress.

“If you are speaking about training, she went not only like just a few months for this movie. She went all of this training for a couple of years,” Shevchenko told MMA Fighting. “She was training like three or four years. She was training muay Thai. She was training jiu-jitsu. She did a lot of preparation before the movie started.”

Included in those preparations was the decision to not cast former UFC featherweight Cat Zingano, who was dropped from the project after signing with Bellator MMA. The result could be a new fight for Berry, one that plays out inside the courtroom.

Fortunately for Berry, 55, she has everything it takes to be a fighter.

“That’s why about her toughness, I can say a lot,” Shevchenko continued. “We were working different combinations, striking, punching, everything. She was doing this same every month. No resting, no saying anything, just doing it. I’m honest, she has a lot of power. She has a lot of flexibility. She catches techniques very quick, very fast. She has everything. She has everything for being a fighter.”

Bruised drops Nov. 24 on Netflix.