‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ Sneak Peek: See Graham McTavish in Bloody Fight (VIDEO)

Korris (Outlander‘s Graham McTavish) faces Ashur’s (Nick Tarabay) wrath and must prove himself worthy in Spartacus: House of Ashur Season 1 Episode 3. TV Insider is debuting an exclusive first look at the episode, titled “Unworthy.”

Having no memory of his downfall in Spartacus: Vengeance, Ashur wakes to find himself the owner of the former House of Batiatus, now known as the House of Ashur. Eager to earn the respect and power he’s always desired, Ashur must save face by presenting something novel and new to the arena. The first two episodes of the spinoff premiered on December 5 on Starz, and they introduced the franchise’s first woman gladiator, called a gladiatrix, into the fold. Korris trains Achillea (Tenika Davis) alongside the other gladiators in the ludus as Ashur’s doctore.

Korris is a former gladiator who has won his freedom in the arena. An imposing man deeply entrenched in the ideals of honor and loyalty, Korris is thoughtful, yet deadly. He proves just how deadly he is in the exclusive clip above, which shows him fighting tooth and nail against a string of foes. In true Spartacus form, it gets very violent.

McTavish did training bootcamps for Outlander and The Hobbit films, but he told TV Insider that the Spartacus bootcamp was “by far the hardest one because you just have to have a level of fitness and agility that is believable.”

Related

'Spartacus': Why Lucy Lawless Cameo Almost Didn't Happen in 'House of Ashur'

He shared a memory from filming, possibly Episode 3, where he was in disbelief over the difficulty of the fighting.

“I like the physical challenges. It keeps the old man out, as they say,” he teased, adding, “But there was a moment in one of the fights, I can’t remember which episode it is, but I’m fighting multiple assailants, and we were in between takes and I was lying on the ground, getting ready to do the next section of the fight, covered in dust, mud, whatever, blood. I’m lying there, and I literally thought to myself, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing? This is ridiculous.’ I was 63, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do this again.’ But it was great. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Clearly, the now 64-year-old can still hold his own with stunt work. See him battle it out in the Episode 3 sneak peek above.

Spartacus: House of Ashur, Fridays, 9/8c, Starz