Not sure how many of you guys are into reading the history of MMA, but if you are, check this one out.
It's called Total MMA, by Jonathan Snowden.
http://www.amazon.com/Tot...-Fighting/dp/1550228463/
It's a comprehensive look at the rise of modern MMA, warts and all. It covers the UFC from inception up to Jackson/Griffin and just short of Couture-Lesnar. It discusses PRIDE, Pancrase, a bit of Rings and K-1, and even SHOOTO gets a mention, yay! There are sections guys like Sakuraba, Matt Hughes, Bob Sapp, etc....it's impressively broad and deep. It's a pretty fast read even though it's so thick. No technique stuff, no kissing up to Dana White to avoid his wrath...just history. It even mentions stuff like the yakuza involvement in Japanese MMA and the various steroid scandals.
Actually one really cool bit is the section on the 12/31/2005 PRIDE Shockwave event. They talk about this fight between Yoshida and Ogawa. It was cool to read about it. I watched that event live on TV there, at my coach's house. I still didn't know anyone in Japan, really, and despite New Years being "family day" he invited me over to watch PRIDE with him. That Ogawa-Yoshida fight was a big deal to everyone there, so it was nice to read about it. Most of the MMA history books I've found pretty much say "The Gracies founded it, then Dana White came and rescued the UFC. Nothing else really happened."
The book is pretty excellent. Oh yeah, and it's got end notes for all the quotes, so you can go look up the stuff if you want to whole interview. I'd lend it out to people but I borrowed mine from the library.
It's called Total MMA, by Jonathan Snowden.
http://www.amazon.com/Tot...-Fighting/dp/1550228463/
It's a comprehensive look at the rise of modern MMA, warts and all. It covers the UFC from inception up to Jackson/Griffin and just short of Couture-Lesnar. It discusses PRIDE, Pancrase, a bit of Rings and K-1, and even SHOOTO gets a mention, yay! There are sections guys like Sakuraba, Matt Hughes, Bob Sapp, etc....it's impressively broad and deep. It's a pretty fast read even though it's so thick. No technique stuff, no kissing up to Dana White to avoid his wrath...just history. It even mentions stuff like the yakuza involvement in Japanese MMA and the various steroid scandals.
Actually one really cool bit is the section on the 12/31/2005 PRIDE Shockwave event. They talk about this fight between Yoshida and Ogawa. It was cool to read about it. I watched that event live on TV there, at my coach's house. I still didn't know anyone in Japan, really, and despite New Years being "family day" he invited me over to watch PRIDE with him. That Ogawa-Yoshida fight was a big deal to everyone there, so it was nice to read about it. Most of the MMA history books I've found pretty much say "The Gracies founded it, then Dana White came and rescued the UFC. Nothing else really happened."
The book is pretty excellent. Oh yeah, and it's got end notes for all the quotes, so you can go look up the stuff if you want to whole interview. I'd lend it out to people but I borrowed mine from the library.
