Customer Reviews

Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As one sign that MMA is now mainstream, there is a growing bookshelf dedicated to the sport and its luminaries. In 2008, we saw the autobiographies of Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. Kelly Criger's "Title Shot" is excellent in offering profiles of various elite MMA training centers around the country. That fine book has one glaring omission, though, in that it did not profile Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, Iowa.

Author and Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim fills that void with a vivid, fascinating and entertaining "Blood in the Cage." "Blood' tracks the parallel emergence and transformation of Pat Miletich with the burgeoning sport of mixed martial arts. The fact that a writer for SI was paid to write an entire book about MMA is another sign that the sport has arrived.

Wertheim offers a flattering but not fawning portrayal of Miletich, a hardscrabble kid who went from tough guy punk to brawler to MMA champ to a trainer of the elite. Miletich and his stable of fighters mirror their Midwest location: hard working, conservative, methodical. The Croation Sensation reached his peak before the UFC hit the big time, but now Miletich trains some of the top competitors in MMA. He is the Yoda or Mr. Miyagi of MMA.

Until someone better comes along, Wertheim has written perhaps the best book yet on MMA and the rise of the UFC. Nor does he idolize the latter, noting the issue of performance enhancing drugs, the closed financial deals and the heavy-handedness of it bald F-bomb dictator, Dana White. Still, reading Wertheim you can almost feel yourself in the octagon, as the book brims with authenticity. (The only blooper I spotted was a point where Wertheim said the Miletich fighters trained with Russian kettle drums. I imagined the fighters auditioning on the percussion with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra ..) You are there on the mats, at least vicariously, without the inconvenience of having to sweat, bleed or barf.

If you are a fan or the MMA or UFC, you may have a hard time putting down "Blood in the Cage." I don't put it down, but instead give it five stars out of five!!

I certainly started the New Year off with the proverbial BANG, by finding this book on New Year's Day at one of my local big bookstores. I hadn't expected this book to be out for another two weeks yet, so imagine my surprise at finding it on the shelf in the martial arts section staring up at me.

Now I fully intended on buying the book, and did so about an hour later, after I had actually read the first 30+ pages while standing there in front of the shelf where I first found it. This book is simply that good.

From the very first line in the introduction, "LEMME BREAK YOUR NOSE" to the very last page, I was captivated by not only the story the author was telling, but also the way in which he told it. The writing style is quite gripping and compelling as I literally hung on every word and couldn't seem to be able to read it fast enough, to which my girlfriend can attest as she had been wandering around the store wondering where I had disappeared to for almost an hour. I had no idea that I had been standing there reading it for that long.

The author takes you on a dual journey of sorts as he details the life of Pat Miletich and the rise of the UFC, which although they started their respective lives at different times, they were destined to come together with the results being not only favorable for each, but also inevitable. Can one truly say that either one would be what they are today without the other? I don't think so.

This book, like Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting by Jonathan Snowden, gives you an unprecedented and unbiased look at the inside world of MMA that most aren't fortunate, or privileged, enough to get the opportunity to see, let alone experience.

I would highly recommend this book not only to all UFC and MMA fans, but also to the average uninformed person who may only have a faint knowledge of what MMA is all about, or maybe even no real knowledge at all, just what they may have heard from one source or another. I read this book straight through, with a small break to purchase it and drive home where I finished reading it, in about 4 hours and thoroughly enjoyed every moment I spent reading each and every word on every page.

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK!

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

Another interesting book on MMA. Much more well written than all of the fighter autobiographies out there. Miletech went the right direction by allowing a real author to tell his story.

Good and well researched book about Pat Miletich and the early days of MMA including the UFC. The book seems to evenly divide time between being a biography of Pat Miletich and a history of early MMA. Most of the MMA stuff is really information as it pertains to Pat and his involvement as a fighter and mentor. I could not find any inaccuracies in the author's information. I have closely followed all MMA since UFC 1 so I consider myself fairly well informed. The problem with the author is that he is not a long time fan and seems rather new to the sport. He writes well and puts the correct information on the paper, but not with the passion of a fan. I did enjoy the book however, though the ending felt a bit anti climatic.

Very well written book that has a lot of momentum until about 3/4 of the way through, at which point the reader needs to force himself through the finish. Still an excellent read for anyone even moderately interested in the sport.

Excellent book and excellent read... Just ahead on the curve in terms of MMA's mainstream popularity, Pat Militech never got the fame or wealth he deserved. He is a true warrior and fighter.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in MMA, wrestling, jiu jitsu, high level athletes or the machine that is the UFC... Even if you have no intention of stepping into a ring and getting punched in the face, this is a well written biography and will not disappoint.

I place this book next to Sam Sheriden's A Fighter's Heart... Buy it, read it and pass it on...

I'm a late comer to MAA and Blood in the Cage is an excellent, well written and researched book on the history of the of the sport. L. Jon Wertheim pulls no punches (ah heh!) showing the dysfunctional side of the sport and the business. It's all done with a critic's eye and a fan's heart.

Very good book if you have even a small interest in MMA. It gives an interesting account of Pat Miletich's life, but it also sheds light on many other aspects of the UFC, and the origins of MMA. Lots of stories about other fighters (not just Pat and his crew). Also tells the story of Dana White and the Fertitta brothers and how they became involved with the UFC, and eventually changed the MMA world. I highly suggest this book, best I have read in a long time.

As someone not familiar with the sport of MMA, I bought this book because I have enjoyed the author's previous work. And boy, am I glad I picked this one up! Terrific writing illuminates the world of UFC and the fastest growing sport in the world; MMA.

Anyone currently a fan of Pat Miletich and his bloody yet thrilling escapades would do well to read "Blood", but the real winners are sports fans like myself who, until now, had turned up their noses at MMA. After reading the book and watching some highlights on YouTube, I am thoroughly impressed with the athleticism, dedication, and sportsmanship of the competitors.

Though it appears that UFC CEO Dana White is now in over his head in terms of controlling a billion dollar business, I see nothing but good things for the sport. Best to Miletich, the competitors of MMA, and, certainly, author L Jon Wertheim for their fine work.

Highly recommended to all sports fans!

I picked this up at an airport bookstore because I was getting board with my other book, and because I'm sort of a fight nerd. I felt that the Miletich story would be an interesting one and was hoping to read more about behind the scenes of running a training camp and training fighters and how that all comes together.

Pat's story is interesting and he was very influential during a time that isn't well covered in other books/docs I've read/seen, but this author doesn't seem terribly familiar with the fight game and worst of all comes off as too apologetic for Miletich and anyone associated with him. A more objective point of view would have been refreshing as some of the fights were boring and some of the business decisions were bad. Also, if Miletich can do no wrong in this guys account, then how can we take his word regarding the things that aren't well documented?

The author also has an infuriating tendency to repeat the same anecdotes while repeating the context and background of the story. It's as if he and his editor failed to read the book all the way through.

If you're die hard then you might want to check this out for some pretty great Miletich stories, but if you want a great book on MMA I would keep looking.