Turbo fully knew he could not beat Boyka in Undisputed 3: Redemption, but he had admirable reasons for still wanting to fight him. Undisputed 3 brought Scott Adkins’s MMA warrior Yuri Boyka back into the ring for a prison tournament in which the winner would gain his freedom. With that being the prize of the competition, all eight competitors are equally determined.
Boyka quickly develops a friction with his fellow fighter in the tournament Turbo (Mykel Shannon Jenkins), the two even briefly fighting outside the ring before being broken up. As Boyka and Turbo develop an alliance against the corrupt structure of the tournament,
Boyka helping Dolor escape meant that their intended fight in the tournament never happened. However, after helping Boyka escape execution at the end of the movie, Turbo lets Boyka know he still wants it before they part ways.
Given Boyka’s extraordinary abilities as a martial artist, Turbo’s request might seem ill-advised, but the truth is, he has no desire or expectation of beating Boyka by the end of Undisputed 3. Instead, Turbo purely sees it as a friendly sparring match between two fighters who have come to respect each other. Turbo’s desire for the fight is also easy to understand in the context of what he and Boyka have experienced together.
Why Turbo Wanted To Fight Boyka Anyway
Turbo and Boyka’s initial stalemate when they begin to fight while doing hard labor paints of a picture of Turbo simply wanting to finish what he and Boyka started, but there is also more to it. Boyka and Turbo are also able to flip the corruption of tournament, which the organizers are trying to set up for Undisputed 3’s villain of the ring Dolor (Marko Zaror) to win for their own benefit. Turbo also provides Boyka with remedies to help his bad knee, with each saving the other from being executed.
Though they began as enemies, Boyka and Turbo come to see each other as friends, and Turbo’s drive to fight Boyka is completely re-framed through that. Boyka’s versatile skill level compared to Turbo’s less expansive fighting abilities makes him an opponent that Turbo cannot overcome, but the point of their fight is one of honor among two men who defeated much greater enemies working against them. Turbo simply wants the chance for his and Boyka’s fight meant for the tournament to finally happen, regardless of the outcome.
Boyka assures Turbo that the two will finally fight “Next time” as Turbo leaves with Boyka’s Russian mob associate Gaga (Mark Ivanir). Fans of the Undisputed franchise continue to anticipate Boyka and Turbo’s match, one that Liam O’Donnell’s conception of Undisputed 5 could possibly make happen. After Undisputed 3: Redemption, it is also clear that Turbo knows Boyka is the stronger fighter, and his desire for their fight comes from a very pure place of simply wanting the honor of sparring with The Most Complete Fighter in the World.