Customer Reviews

Brawl: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Mixed Martial Arts Competition

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a tough time putting this FACTUAL account of MMA history down, and didn't get enough sleep over the two day period it took me to read it. An enthralling volume which for the first time offers specific details about the early years of the new Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitions--including the "behind the scenes" maneuvering between politicians, promoters, crooks, and media profiteers. Erich Krauss and Bret Aita offer a bout-by-bout description of the first Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) in 1993 to 1995. We can also read about the first several International Fighting Championships (IFC) from Kiev and the dangers promotors faced by the Ukranian criminal syndicate! Perhaps most interesting though, between descriptions of MMA events taking place at the time, are Krauss and Aida's blow-by-blow analysis of what was going on in the political arena as Senator John McCain, an ardent supporter of boxing (go figure) led the push to ban the "barbaric" sport of MMA.

The battle moves from the ring, where skilled athletes contest one another, to the halls of state athletic comissions and congress as MMA fighters and promoters battle to save their sport. Here for the first time we can read a clear account of the events which led to a decline in the availability of MMA events on cable for a time. I'll paraphrase the opening paragraphs of Chapter 12 (pg 147): Leo Hindley, Jr., friend of Sen. John McCain, dropped all MMA events from the roster of cable giant TCI--to shield children from violent t.v. content (they still aired boxing, pro wrestling, and violent movies!!). TCI, Time Warner, Request, Cablevision Systems, and Viewer's Choice/On Demand followed TCI's lead. Through it all, fighters kept training, promotors found other countries in which to host MMA competition, and we are treated to match-by-match reviews of later MMA contests, the gruelling training regimins the MMA fighter endured, and MMA survived. Want to know the dope on Frank and Ken Shamrock, what makes the Gracies so great, how did a kickboxer (Maurice Smith) take MMA by storm, and who the future of MMA rests with (arts, athletes & promotion companies)? This book will answer your questions. There is waaay too much info for me to even begin with all the names and events this volume covers. Very worth the $, a long-awaited gem for the literary martial arts world.

Awesome book! I'm really hard to please, especially when it comes to MMA competition, but this book was by far the most pleasing read I've had in a long, long time. Although the beginning of the book covered some information I aleady knew--how the first UFC came to be--it went far, far beyond that in later chapters. The most pleasing part of this book for me was the author's coverage of the Pride Fighiting Championsips. How he got an interview with Igor Vovchanchan, I have no idea, seeing that he speaks Russian. But you will not be dissapointed.

Nothing is left out in this read. You get thrown from the courtroom with promoters trying to keep their events from being shut down by police, into fighting cages around the world, and finally into the minds of the fighters themselves. The author talks not only the glory of the sport, but all the chaos that goes on behind the scene. I read the whole thing in less than two days--I couldn't seem to be able to put the thing down.

If you are at all interested in the sport of MMA, I highly suggest reading this book. I subscribe to many of the MMA magazines, but none of them get into the sport quite like this book does.

I have been watching MMA since i was about 6 yrs old. My first expeirence was watching Royce Gracie sweep threw the competition. Everyone thought that the muscle laden Ken Shamrock would win, but Gracie went threw him like nothing.
My favorite part of the book had to be the descriptions of Igor Vovchanchyn. He is by far my favorite fighter, and the way they say he won his matches with such powerful striking.
I give this book 5 stars because im a die hard fan of MMA and even a novie or beginer to the sport would understand this book well.

Just finished reading the excellent "Brawl" by Erich Krauss, and as introductions to the world of MMA go, I haven't seen any better than this one. Going beyond just the usual controversy about the UFC in the early years, the book actually goes to great lengths to introduce the fighters and show them as personalities, rather than faceless warriors. It also takes an approach that I also use in my own upcoming book about the wWF/E -- building up the personalities of two of the fighters and then showcasing the actual match between them. The book starts in 1993 and earlier, detailing the story of the Gracies and how the Ultimate Fighting Championship was started as a way to showcase the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu schools, and working up through the years to the problems with Sen. John McCain, the cable bans, the rival promotions, the sudden trip underground for the sport, and the re-emergence under Zuffa Sports Entertainment in recent years. For someone such as myself who watched the early shows intently and then lost interest once the cable ban went into effect, this is fascinating information on the "lost years" of MMA and what the various proponents were doing in between the glory days of the Gracies and Don Fryes and the new age of Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock. Most of all, the book is about teaching those unfamiliar with the workings of the sport about respect, and how respect between (and for) the fighters is all-important to keeping things going in a way where everyone involved can prosper. As someone who's gotten back into the MMA world recently, now that it's readily available on PPV again via Pride and the UFC, this book was an invaluable reference material on backgrounds and styles of the fighters involved, and the stories told therein were really interesting to read on their own. Whether longtime and hardcore fans of MMA will take the same things from this book that I did, I can't say, but "Brawl" gave me insight into the workings of MMA that I didn't have before, and left me wanting to know more, and I think that's all it was intending to do. And if so, it succeeded with flying colors. Highly recommended for those curious about what the big deal with MMA is, or those who already know and just want to read more about it.

This is a phenomenal read. Heres what i like about this book: the book is so eloquently written that it doesn't need any pictures (i.e the authors do a great job of describing the fights.)
The stories are exceptionally interesting as well as inspiring for soon to be mixed martial arts fighters.
My favorite of the book was the description of Igor vovchanchin's early years, "vovchanchin grew up in a small village. Altough his early youth was relatively eneventful, during his teens he developed an insatiable apetite for brawling."I enjoyed street fights and got tremendously excited" he says " sometimes i became really aggresive, which was dangerous for my fellow villagers." AS igor grew older, his aggressive streak prompted villagers to hang a metal rail from the tree in the center of town; whenever young igor would fly into one of his rages, someone would bang on the rail. hearing the alarm, the villagers would drop what they were doing, hurry home, lock their doors, and remain inside until the hot headed teen cooled down and it was once agian safe to venture outside.
At age seventeen igor gave his fearful village a break and moved to kharkov ( the second largest city in Ukraine after Kiev)""... Conclusively this a great read for Anyone that loves fighting. Oh and this book was written in 2000 so it doesn't give any info on nog, mirko, fedor, or jackson.

Up until six months ago, I had never even seen an MMA bout. However, since my recent introduction, my curiosity and respect for the sport has taken off in a way that surprised even me. And this volume has been a terrific resource in furthering my understanding and appreciation of the sport.

The behind-the-scenes tales and historical anecdotes may--as one reviewer noted--be information that could be garnered by simply surfing through MMA WebPages. Yet, nevertheless, it's an appreciated convenience to have the information in one compact, chronologically-ordered volume at your fingertips for about the price of a meal at Denny's. Added treats are exclusive, albeit short, interviews with a handful of well-known MMA fighters.

Beginning with a very brief overview of ancient hand-to-hand combat and the emergence of 20th century Japanese fighting organizations, the book then moves into UFC territory while also taking a slight detour into the history of Gracie jiu-jitsu as it was developed in Brazil, and its subsequent reign over early MMA. The evolution of MMA styles after Gracie jiu-jitsu, the advent of various post-UFC fighting organizations (including Pride), as well as the political battles the sport has had to endure in America, make up the bulk of the text. Included along the way are some highlights and brief bios of the fights and fighters who've had a considerable impact on the sport. Many of these notable fights and tournaments are discussed in a play-by-play manner, in which Krauss--as is expected with any editorial author--shares his personal take on the bouts. Krauss is also not shy about sharing his views on MMA in contrast to other combat sports. This is not an encyclopedia; this is a personal insight into the history of a sport. More than just facts are put forth. It's not gospel--you're welcome to disagree with the conclusions, but like any good history book, it is more than just dates and numbers.

Having thus far only watched the UFC, Pride, and King of the Cage events, it was nice to learn of other lesser-known organizations, such as the IFC, Superbrawl, RINGS, etc. It was also compelling to learn what happened off-camera at some of the events I have watched, e.g., "UFC 19," when the camera panned away from the octagon after Ortiz's rematch with Mezger.

Other than one editorial oversight on page 261, where Bustamante is cited as having defeated Liddell in UFC 33, everything--as far as I can tell--appears to be in order. And despite other reviewers' assertions of horrendous grammar and spelling, the prose of Kraus and Aita works just fine.

All around, this is an adequately accomplished history of a sport still in its developmental infancy.

I've been involved in MMA for 7 years and read most of the stuff out there, this is by far the most complete and entertaining work to date. No other book out there focuses on the current fighters and organizations as completely as this one. By far the best aspect of this book is reading from the perspective of the fighters and learning what makes them tick. If you want to experience the true MMA, this is the book to read!

I've been a huge fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship since it first came out in 1994, and this book answered all my questions as to how the sport got started and why it was banned for a few years from cable. But along with describing the history of this contraversial sport, BRAWL also got deep into the lives of all my favorite fighters, such as Ken Samrock and Dan Severn. I always thought these guys were crazy for doing what they do, but after reading this book I realize there is much more behind the sport than just beating the tar out of each other: There is honor, pride, and tons of glory. This book is a must read for anyone who ever watched the UFC or wondered what went on behind the scenes of this brutal sport.

I got this book for X-mas, but then my bro stole it! So I decided to jump online and get it again. I read all the rags and keep up on the sites too, and this is a great addition to my MMA knowledge. I'm learning to fight too, and this book has been very inspirational for me. I especially like reading about the current fighters and how they came up. All the fight scenes are off the hook, and getting the scoop from the fighters themselves was especially motivating. Whenever I want to get pumped up to train, I watch some DVDs, and read the stories of guys like Tito and Barnett.

Get this book, and for that matter, get every book you can, and watch as many fights as you can get your hands on. MMA is on the move, and speaking as part of the new generation of fans and fighters BRAWL IS TIGHT!

Brawl: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at MMA Competition is a nicely streamlined look at the up-and-coming sport of Mixed Martial Arts. This 300 page work contains factual informaiton about not only the UFC, but IFC, Pride and various other combat organizations. The authors do a solid job of keeping with the timeline of MMA- from its early days to the present.
Where this book falters from its competition- No Holds Barred Evolution by Clyde Gentry III, is in the overabundance of match discriptions and reliance on quoting the same person (such as Bob Shamrock). Obviously, the authors of the book have some sort of relationship with Bob Sharock, as they go to the well one too many times with several quotes. Also, countless matches are recapped in text, which is useless for those of us who have seen the actual version on a TV screen. Although Clyde Gentry only covers the first half of the MMA explosion, his book does a much better job by going in-depth into the scene. Brawl only scratches the surface and offers a few things "I didn't know" about MMA.
For a newbie to the MMA movement, Brawl is perfect. It will give you a background of information that will help you better understand this often misunderstood sport. If you are a long time fan (such as myself-since UFC III), you are better off getting Gentry's book. True MMA fans will want to pick up both books, and make their own comparison. Support the sport!