Philo Beddoe is a truck driver living in the San Fernando Valley. He lives in a small house, with an orangutan named Clyde, behind that of his brother, Orville Boggs, and his mother. Philo makes money on the side as a bare-knuckle fighter; he is often compared to a legendary fighter named Tank Murdock.
Two years after throwing his fight with Tank Murdock, Philo Beddoe is still fighting in underground bare-knuckle boxing matches to make money on the side. Philo decides to retire when he realizes that he has started to enjoy the pain. Jack Wilson, a new breed of fighter from the east coast who Mixed martial arts is a dominant new fighter. He is so effective at maiming his opponents that his handlers cannot book fights for him.