Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts (Paperback)

by Kelly Crigger (Author)

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Product Description

In 2007, Army Officer Kelly Crigger embarked on a year-long journey into the shark tank of mixed martial arts competition. His quest was two-fold-to learn what drove fighters to put themselves through years of grueling training and into the cage, and to uncover the mainstream media's reason for focusing on the seedier side of the sport and its athletes. To dig for answers, he lived in five of the top MMA training camps in the United States, hung out at the toughest tournaments the sport had to offer, and spent time with the biggest names in the sport, including UFC President Dana White. Title Shot divulges the truths and personal stories he unearthed. Laced with sarcasm, humor and a touch of daredevil bravado, Crigger sheds a never-before-seen light on a misunderstood sport and its combatants. Whether you're a hardcore MMA junkie or a casual fan, Title Shot will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.

About the Author

Kelly Crigger is an officer in the US Army and was deployed in Afghanistan with the 3rd Special Forces out of Fort Bragg. He has orchestrated seminars for the troops with some of the top mixed martial arts fighters, and he is a freelance journalist for several MMA magazines, including Real Fighter.

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Product Details Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing (July 15, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 098150440X ISBN-13: 978-0981504407 Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,322 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #32 in  Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Mixed Martial Arts

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15 Reviews 5 star:  (10) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a true depiction of MMA, July 23, 2008 By  AlabasterDisaster (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews Author Kelly Crigger does a phenomenal job of depicting these athletes candidly and in their own environment. He captures the indomitable spirit it takes to compete in MMA, but also the manages to convey the various personalities of the fighters he meets. It is obvious Crigger is a fan of the sport but he doesn't get all starry-eyed and fanboyish about the MMA stars he comes across. Title Shot is funny and insightful and a must-read for any MMA fan. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome look into the personal side of MMA, July 23, 2008 By  G. Sierra (Fort Stewart, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    "Title Shot" is the rare book that combines the author's unique blend of humor and passion for MMA to deliver equally to the hardcore fans and the novice learning about the sport. Crigger wanted an inside look to see what makes MMA tick, so he devoted a year to gaining the answers. He traveled to five separate camps, the IFL Finals, the Modern Army Combatives Tournament and UFC 78. Each time he hung out with the fighters and trainers, even getting a two-hour interview with UFC President Dana White. Throughout the book, Crigger blends just enough history on the sport to educate the novice without overwhelming the expert. But the most unique facet of this book is his insight into the personal side of the sport. He spent his time in the camps really getting to know the fighters and what drives them. This insight, coupled with some of the funniest sarcasm I've ever read, makes "Title Shot" a superb read. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Irreverent Portrayal of MMA World .. With Some Flaws , August 20, 2008 By  Kevin Quinley "GeezerJock" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       Ex-Army Ranger Kelly Crigger produces an entertaining inside look at the growing world of MMA. MMA fans will likely find this book a delight. His approach is to visit and write about the top MMA training venues around the country, with some side trips to the US Army Combatives tournament, the IFL and UFC 79. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have only three criticisms, two quibbling, one more substantive. First, the omission of Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, IA is huge. So many elite fighters come from there, it's astonishing that one can tour the top training venues and skip over Bettendorf. It's like writing about Olympic highlights from Beijing and not mentioning Michael Phelps. Second, in the effort to be funny, Crigger over-uses some humor conventions. Someone is "as grim as an IRS agent on April 15th." He was out of it like a ... And on and on and on. Nearly every page has one of these would-be witticisms. Some are amusing but after a while it gets tiresome and repetitive, repetitive, repeti - oh, well, you get the idea. Third, at times Crigger - the ex Army guy - feels obliged to explain in asides how various ,members of the training dojo correspond to the hierarchy of the US Army. Ok, so...? Why should the reader care? He is shoehorning his Army experience into the book in a way that does nothing to add to the story. Don't get me wrong, though. This is a fun book and Crigger takes at once a respectful yet puckish approach to the world of MMA. He takes the sport seriously but not too seriously. Even with these reservations, I WOULD recommend "Title Shot"!!		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for MMA Excellent look into Mixed Martial Arts. Kelly Crigger does a great job of not only getting involved in MMA itself, but also the minds and philosophies of the fighters. Read more Published 19 days ago by Nico Salas 4.0 out of 5 stars See the side of MMA you can't get in UFC promos... In his book, Title Shot, Lieutenant Colonel Kelly Crigger documents his visits to some of the most prestigious camps and events in the mixed martial arts world in this... Read more Published 2 months ago by James Kirkland 4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good Nicely done. Written pretty well with an informal personal style that sometimes got too "forced". Quick read. Published 5 months ago by wrestler 5.0 out of 5 stars www.knucklepit.com TITLE SHOT Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts by Kelly Crigger (Victory Belt) © Marc Wickert November 19, 2008 www.knucklepit. Read more Published 7 months ago by Mr. Marc Wickert 2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing I expected more. The stories were trite and I closed the book with no greater understanding than before I opened the book. Not recommended. Sorry. Published 8 months ago by Louie MMA 5.0 out of 5 stars So easy to read, I couldn't put it down Provided defininte insight into why some of the current and up and coming fighters do what they do. Traveling to five of the top camps in the country LTC Crigger was able to get... Read more Published 9 months ago by D. A. Boling 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! My husband bought this book and I decided to give it a shot. It was fantastic!! I have a new love for this sport. The author made it very entertaining. Read more Published 10 months ago by C. Simon 5.0 out of 5 stars Title Shot: Into The Shark Tank Of Mixed Martial Arts Great book, very entertaining, informative, and humorous. I ended up finishing it in a few days. The author worked with A LOT of people in the MMA industry when writing this... Read more Published 10 months ago by Edward N. Watanabe 3.0 out of 5 stars It's OK! Lt.Col. Crigger did an ok job of going to the places MMA athletes train to interview them. His, adnauseum, accounts of sushi roles was a bit ridiculous. Read more Published 11 months ago by Rogue Iron Giant 5.0 out of 5 stars Great read on the world of MMA I was browsing books and saw it sticking out. I picked it up and started to flip through it. I saw all the names I like to read about, BJ Penn, Matt Lindland, Deigo Sanchez, The... Read more Published 11 months ago by Benjamin L. Bradley Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing (July 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098150440X
• ISBN-13: 978-0981504407
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,322 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #32 in

  Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Mixed Martial Arts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a true depiction of MMA, July 23, 2008

By	AlabasterDisaster (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

Author Kelly Crigger does a phenomenal job of depicting these athletes candidly and in their own environment. He captures the indomitable spirit it takes to compete in MMA, but also the manages to convey the various personalities of the fighters he meets. It is obvious Crigger is a fan of the sport but he doesn't get all starry-eyed and fanboyish about the MMA stars he comes across. Title Shot is funny and insightful and a must-read for any MMA fan.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome look into the personal side of MMA, July 23, 2008

By	G. Sierra (Fort Stewart, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Title Shot" is the rare book that combines the author's unique blend of humor and passion for MMA to deliver equally to the hardcore fans and the novice learning about the sport. Crigger wanted an inside look to see what makes MMA tick, so he devoted a year to gaining the answers. He traveled to five separate camps, the IFL Finals, the Modern Army Combatives Tournament and UFC 78. Each time he hung out with the fighters and trainers, even getting a two-hour interview with UFC President Dana White. Throughout the book, Crigger blends just enough history on the sport to educate the novice without overwhelming the expert. But the most unique facet of this book is his insight into the personal side of the sport. He spent his time in the camps really getting to know the fighters and what drives them. This insight, coupled with some of the funniest sarcasm I've ever read, makes "Title Shot" a superb read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Irreverent Portrayal of MMA World .. With Some Flaws , August 20, 2008

By	Kevin Quinley "GeezerJock" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ex-Army Ranger Kelly Crigger produces an entertaining inside look at the growing world of MMA. MMA fans will likely find this book a delight. His approach is to visit and write about the top MMA training venues around the country, with some side trips to the US Army Combatives tournament, the IFL and UFC 79.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have only three criticisms, two quibbling, one more substantive.

First, the omission of Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, IA is huge. So many elite fighters come from there, it's astonishing that one can tour the top training venues and skip over Bettendorf. It's like writing about Olympic highlights from Beijing and not mentioning Michael Phelps.

Second, in the effort to be funny, Crigger over-uses some humor conventions. Someone is "as grim as an IRS agent on April 15th." He was out of it like a ... And on and on and on. Nearly every page has one of these would-be witticisms. Some are amusing but after a while it gets tiresome and repetitive, repetitive, repeti - oh, well, you get the idea.

Third, at times Crigger - the ex Army guy - feels obliged to explain in asides how various ,members of the training dojo correspond to the hierarchy of the US Army. Ok, so...? Why should the reader care? He is shoehorning his Army experience into the book in a way that does nothing to add to the story.

Don't get me wrong, though. This is a fun book and Crigger takes at once a respectful yet puckish approach to the world of MMA. He takes the sport seriously but not too seriously.

Even with these reservations, I WOULD recommend "Title Shot"!!