Set against the action-packed world of Mixed Martial Arts, NEVER BACK DOWN is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris, is the new kid in town with a troubled past. He has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family who has relocated to support his younger brother's shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler.

Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious classmate, Baja (Amber Heard), Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America).

It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline, willingness and reason within him to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not just settle a score; it will define who he is.

We had the honor of sitting down with Sean Faris who plays Jake Tyler in the film, and here's what he had to say:

What was the physical preparation that you had to go through for this film?

We had three months leading up to it in Los Angeles. We trained for 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. It was pretty intense; my body actually went into shock after the first week. We had to see a chiropractor and a massage therapist to keep our bodies in tune so we could continue training. They would deliver 5,000 calories in meals to my door every day, and I had to eat it all so I would put on weight.

We would start out the day out with Muay Thai, Jujitsu, Taekwondo, and then we'd work on fight choreography for a little bit. After that we would have a break, either nap time or some chiropractor or massage time, and then we'd go off to Gold's Gym in Venice Beach and train with a weight trainer named Tito.

It was hard. It was probably the most physical thing I've ever done in my life.