Jake Gyllenhaal's incredible physique and gritty fight sequences in Road House left little room to realize he wasn't a real fighter. The 45-year-old has now returned to the gym to prepare for its sequel, Road House 2. He rated the training regimen as 'terrifying.'

Gyllenhaal plays a banned UFC middleweight, Elwood Dalton, in the Road House franchise. To play an MMA fighter on the screen, Gyllenhaal teamed up with celebrity fitness trainer Jason Walsh and also trained in several MMA-specific drills, along with dropping from 205 lbs to 184 lbs with just 5% body fat.

However, a recent Instagram post from Men's Active revealed Gyllenhaal's confession about the training regimen for Road House 2 being "terrifying" for him, primarily due to his age. He told Stephen Colbert, "You don’t have the same body you had at 30, and the bar somehow keeps getting higher."

Here's a look at the specifics of Gyllenhaal's training regimen for the Road House franchise movies:

• Sled pushes
• Isometric holds
• Chain push-ups
• Offset bag drills
• Versaclimber sprints
• MMA sparring

The plot of Road House, released in 2024, revolves around how Gyllenhaal's character, Dalton, deals with the various threats faced by 'Road House,' a chaotic bar in the Florida Keys.

Notably, the famed UFC fighter, Conor McGregor, played the main anti-hero character, Knox, in it. But the cast of Road House 2 has changed significantly with former WWE star-turned actor, Dave Bautista's entry into the movie.

However, this is far from being the only distinction between the cast of the two movies of the franchise.

Road House 2 features multiple combat sports athletes, but not Conor McGregor

As of now, nothing can be said about the plot of Road House 2. But a look at the cast of the upcoming movie suggests that it might differ considerably from the storyline of Road House.

While Gyllenhaal is stated to play the same character, Elwood Dalton, most other members of the Road House cast, including McGregor, wouldn't be part of Road House 2.

Instead, the movie will feature a number of renowned combat sports athletes, with McGregor being replaced by his UFC nemesis, Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier.

Here's a look at the other combat sports athletes Road House 2 will feature:

• Rico Verhoeven (heavyweight kickboxer)
• Michael Chandler (UFC lightweight)
• Michael "Venom" Page (UFC middleweight)
• Stephen Thompson (UFC welterweight)
• Tyron Woodley (Former UFC welterweight champion)

The movie's director, Ilya Naishuller, gave fans a rough outline of its plot while speaking to Collider. He said, "There's a lot of bad dudes in the film. It's amplified from the first film… There's a lot more going on, a lot more fighters, a lot more b*******."

So, the cast and the director's comments about Road House 2 imply that it's going to be far more action-packed than its prequel.

However, are you happy with so many casting changes? Also, do you think that Road House 2 should have reprised the plot of the prequel instead of choosing a completely new storyline?

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Written by

Souvik Roy

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil