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Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC
The first inside account of the sensational new sport of mixed martial arts, seen through the lens of its pioneer, Pat Miletich, s Heart, Blood in the Cage takes readers behind the scenes, right down to the mat, from a punch in the kidney to the ping of the cash register, as Wertheim brilliantly exposes the no-holds-barred reality of the blood sport for a new generation.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
January 15th 2009
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published January 1st 2009)
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This book tries to be an introduction to mixed martial arts for the general audience. As the subtitle says, this book is a bio of Pat Miletich spliced to an account of the early days of the UFC.
Miletich's story is an appealing one. Like many fighters, he comes from an ugly background. Like most (all?) successful fighters, he is a scrappy stubborn son of a bitch who doesn't know how to quit or back down.
I enjoyed the book. I liked learning about Miletich's background in martial arts in ...more
Miletich's story is an appealing one. Like many fighters, he comes from an ugly background. Like most (all?) successful fighters, he is a scrappy stubborn son of a bitch who doesn't know how to quit or back down.
I enjoyed the book. I liked learning about Miletich's background in martial arts in ...more
Hello. My name is Ellis, and I am a Mixed Martial Arts addict.
There I've said it. To any of you who didn't know this about me you do now. I'm currently indulging in an MMA-related reading binge. After I've read all the MMA-related books in my public library system (which will happen too soon, unfortunately) I'll give it up for a while (which is good for my long-overdue Black History Month reading series).
Now, more about the book and less about me. I liked this book...more
There I've said it. To any of you who didn't know this about me you do now. I'm currently indulging in an MMA-related reading binge. After I've read all the MMA-related books in my public library system (which will happen too soon, unfortunately) I'll give it up for a while (which is good for my long-overdue Black History Month reading series).
Now, more about the book and less about me. I liked this book...more
This is the first MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) book I've read that is written for people who aren't already fans. The author, a Sports Illustrated writer, sets out with the basic question is MMA a real sport or is it in the words of failed Presidential hopeful John McCain, "human cock-fighting"? (Or is it just merely a spectacle a la professional wrestling? Or is it a barbaric blood-sport?)
The author starts out not being a fan, or even terribly knowledgeable about the sport o...more
The author starts out not being a fan, or even terribly knowledgeable about the sport o...more
view all 22 comments
Good recap of the history of UFC and a biography of one MMA fighter (Pat Miletich) that generally paints the sport in a positive light. The writing style is mostly good, though the author's jumping between Miletich's life and the UFC in general is a bit uneven and he also jumps back and forth chronologically in places. The last couple chapters also sort of felt like they meandered on, hitting various remaining points left uncovered. It does have the advantage that the book is not a UFC-sancti...more
Awfully entertaining, I must admit. We each have our poison, and I guess martial arts happens to be mine. It's also a fascinating glimpse at the rise of MMA and the penetration of the UFC into mainstream culture -- in which lies a valuable business lesson: no matter how compelling your product, distribution (in this case by cable companies and network TV) is super important.
Beyond that, though, what I got most from this read was a sense of the personality of the American midwest, thr...more
Beyond that, though, what I got most from this read was a sense of the personality of the American midwest, thr...more
Nonfiction. A look inside mixed martial arts, focusing on the life of Pat Militech from his childhood to his legendary MMA career to his ultra-successful training school, and the correlating rise of the sport.
A really fascinating look into the mindset of an MMA champion and future star trainer. You get a sense of the level of dedication and willingness to accept pain as a constant in your life is needed to achieve success in this violent sport. I read an advance copy, which had nume...more
A really fascinating look into the mindset of an MMA champion and future star trainer. You get a sense of the level of dedication and willingness to accept pain as a constant in your life is needed to achieve success in this violent sport. I read an advance copy, which had nume...more
Bloated magazine feature that exaggerates the importance of Pat Miletich and misses one of the most intriguing thing about MMA, which is that its athletes have interior lives that don't fit comfortably into magazine feature tropes. Worth the read for MMA fans as it's one of the better books on the subject out there, but that's largely for want of competition. You get the idea that Wertheim wanted to be more gripped by the sport than he was.
This one surprised me. I only picked it up because I enjoyed Wertheim's book about the Federer-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon Final ("Strokes of Genius") so much. I've actually never sat through an MMA match (more of a boxing fan).
But while I was reading, the dual stories of the rise of the UFC league and the life of Pat Miletich really grabbed my attention. I look forward to more Wertheim books, because he's an excellent sportswriter. Well worth a read.
But while I was reading, the dual stories of the rise of the UFC league and the life of Pat Miletich really grabbed my attention. I look forward to more Wertheim books, because he's an excellent sportswriter. Well worth a read.
Miletich is an interesting character to choose as a vessel for explaining MMA. While he was an important character in its development, there are far more important characters, many (like Matt Hughes) from his own camp. Still, this book was informative and well-written, a good one if you are interested in the early days of new UFC, ie, the Hughes era, give or take a few years.
I grabbed this book off the shelf at the library on a lark and was pleasantly surprised. Wertheim does a tremendous job of bringing his main subject to life and exploring the rise of MMA from every angle. I enjoyed just about every part of this book, and I say that as someone who knows next to nothing about the sport.
Really good history and some fun inside stories from the early days of the UFC. At times the author goes a little over the top lionizing Pat Miletich, but overall it was an excellent read.
Good for people who don't know much about the sport... I'm a pretty old hand at this, so a lot of this was redundant, however it was well written overall.
Pretty good mind dump from a Sports Illustrated writer who spent a great deal of time hanging around MMA. Sure wish it had an index, however.
Good book on an intro to the rise of MMA and the UFC. It changed how I felt about Pat Miletich too.
Darby
added it
Had heard of Pat Milotich, but didnt know much about him...know i do!!
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Tailor made for the midwest born MMA fan.
different fighting stills
Entertaining book on the beginnings of the UFC and the some of the folks that get it to where it is now.
Decent overview of the history of MMA fighting. Primarily follows the fighting and training career of one guy that was around near the beginning of the UFC.
Enjoyable back story about Pat Millitech and interesting info about the rise of the UFC.
Pat Miletich is a boss. Good read.
Crazy stories about Pat Miletich, but loses points for generic chapters about the sport in general The sports writer author works his personal experiences into the book; snore.
Sal
marked it as to-read
Rylan Perrott
marked it as to-read
Ryan
marked it as to-read
Travis Bushaw
marked it as to-read
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