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Jim Genia

Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts Paperback – November 1, 2011

by Jim Genia (Author)

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They fight in decrepit boxing gyms in the Bronx and Brooklyn, or on mats in hidden martial arts schools in Midtown Manhattan and Queens, each of them warriors in the truest sense of the word. In New York, where ultimate fighting (a.k.a. "mixed martial arts" or "human cockfighting", depending on who you ask) is banned, there exists a culture of a combat, a secret society populated by saintly thugs, mean-spirited pugilists, college students, tough guy wannabes and borderline psychotics, and in surreptitious events like the Underground Combat League they assemble for battle. Then they wage war.

Superstars like Forrest Griffin and Georges St. Pierre fight in sold-out arenas in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and London, fight before thousands in the full, warm embrace of state sanctioning and earn enough to buy new houses and cars and gigantic flat-screen televisions. But the real heroes are those in the trenches, in places where mixed martial arts is vulgar like a curse word. Those men are fighting in gyms or in basements, in the worst neighborhoods imaginable, before at most a hundred spectators, doing the illegal for no money, for no reasons other than a moment of glory and the sheer love of the sport. RAW COMBAT is their story.

RAW COMBAT takes you deep within the underground world of mixed martial arts, providing access to a realm few ever see and insight into the modern gladiators that exist there. There's James, the aspiring fighter from Long Island on a collision course with Mike, an instructor under Tiger Schulmann. There's Kaream, the pro fighter fallen from grace. There's Kimbo Slice, the most successful underground fighter ever, and of course there's Peter Storm, the man behind New York City's illicit fight circuit. RAW COMBAT introduces you to them all, and gives you an unprecedented up-close and personal look at their lives and struggles - and the secret world they exist in.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Citadel
Publication date

November 1, 2011
Dimensions

6.13 x 0.68 x 9.04 inches
ISBN-10

0806535040
ISBN-13

978-0806535043
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Forget pay-per-view. Forget championship belts or sanctioning bodies. This is mixed martial arts combat in its purest, rawest form. Follow Jim Genia into the illicit world of vale tudo (anything goes). Locations are always changing and known only to a few, from run-down, shuttered gyms to speakeasy combat cages. The ruthless damage exacted on the human body leaves a trail of hard-won scars. The fighters battle for everything but a payday, risking it all for honor and pride. In a world of conformity, these are men of action who struggle against rules, selling out, and their own demons. Jim Genia offers on-the-mat access to a brutal arena and the men who spill their blood there.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Citadel; 0 edition (November 1, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0806535040
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0806535043
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 0.68 x 9.04 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,638,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #503 in Mixed Martial Arts
- #10,560 in Martial Arts (Books)
- #52,156 in Exercise & Fitness (Books)

Customer Reviews:
13 ratings

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Jim Genia

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Jim Genia is the author of the forthcoming nonfiction book "Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts", due out in October, 2011, from Citadel/Kensington.

He's also an assistant editor at MMAConvert.com. His MMA resume includes:

*A ten-year stint at Full Contact Fighter magazine as writer, cageside reporter, editor and eager slave.

*"A Fistful of Dollars: The Uncertain, But Inevitable Return of Sanctioned MMA in New York," which was the cover story of the March 24, 2010 New York Press.

*"Bloodsport: Inside New York's Underground Fight Clubs," which was the cover story of the May 31st, 2006 New York Press.

*Print and online content for Newsday, a Long Island-based newspaper and the tenth largest newspaper in the country.

*Regular articles on such websites at CagePotato.com, MMAWeekly.com, and MMADiehards.com, among others. His work has also appeared in the UK-based magazine "Fighters Only" and the Japanese magazine "Gong".

*Color commentary for the Ring of Combat pay-per-view broadcast (working alongside NBC Sports' Bruce Beck).

*Advising on a variety of media projects and articles pertaining to New York City's underground fight scene, including a National Geographic documentary and features in the New York Times, Newsday, the New York Daily News and the New York Post.

*Consulting for promoters, matchmakers and other industry insiders.

Jim maintains a snarky and irreverent blog at http://www.mmajournalist.blogspot.com, although you can follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/jim_genia) at your peril.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

13 global ratings

5 star		62%
4 star		9%
3 star		20%
2 star		9%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Good Read for MMA Fans

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 19, 2012

Verified Purchase

For any fan of MMA this book is a must read. Jim captures the blood, sweat and tears of a burgeoning scene ready to capture the mainstream. This in depth look at the underground fight scene is an eye opener and fascinating detail of MMA like you've never heard before. Awesome book, awesome insight. Went on my honeymoon with it and couldn't put it down.

One person found this helpful

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Martin R.

Good Historical Tour of MMA but Somewhat Disjointed Narrative

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it for anyone interested in the early history of MMA. But I have to say that I found the writing a bit disjointed - almost as if the final product was rushed, with little time spent on the editing process.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 6, 2015

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funny ass book. The stories of dudes getting their blocks knocked off for little else but guts glory and honor is great.

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bernard

A inside look into another World

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 26, 2013

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You feel like you have been let into a world that most wont or cant go to.I would recommend this book.

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Brian J. Oravetz

Great for old hand and new hand MMA folks alike

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 6, 2012

Verified Purchase

A really good read for anyone interested in MMA. Especially so if you're an old MMA guy like me.
Well worth the read.

One person found this helpful

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Greg

A look into underground NYC fighting

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2012

I live in NYC and didn't know of the existence of the Underground Combat League (UCL) until I happened to stumble upon this book.

On an informational level the book is really interesting, especially for someone like me who likes MMA and watches a fair amount of the major events but doesn't have the time / energy / motivation / awareness / mobility / work schedule to look for the smaller shows going on in neighboring states, pay much if any attention to the big MMA forums like sherdog where I'm sure I'd be kept more in the know of what is going on in the less visible areas of the sport or who knows very many other people who are interested (at all) in this unlikely thing that I keep getting more and more fascinated by. Except for some of the big fighters who have come out of the NYC area and that there are some top notch schools in the area, I didn't really know anything about the MMA world of New Jersey, and figured there were probably some fights going on below the radar in New York, but I had no knowledge at all about them.

My problem with the book is that it got confusing at times with the names of people. I had a hard time following who some of the people in the book were, most of the people were only given first names, which I understand because there are some difficulties that can arise for fighters who have taken part in UCL style events in New York (some promoters won't allow fighters who took part in underground fights to fight in their events). I suck at remembering names, so this is mostly my fault, but I would have liked to get little clues to help me recall who people were, especially when they hadn't been mentioned for a few chapters. Similarly, there was a weird vagueness to some other details, like the author would mention that a fighter went on to fight a former UFC champion at an event in some other state, but the UFC champion (or former UFC fighter) wouldn't be named, just referred to cryptically. I'm sure I could have easily googled to find out who the author was talking about but it confused me a little why names weren't given. I wondered if there was some strange UFC rule in place, I've heard that they are sort of controlling to an unusual degree when it comes to what gets written about the organization, but else where in the book names like Forrest Griffin and BJ Penn get used so I don't think that is it.

The names thing got me kind of distracted while reading but it wasn't a huge deal. I think if I had a better memory for names I wouldn't have had this problem at all.

MMA fans in New York are definitely the target audience for this book, it's fun to read about the fights taking place in the corners of the five Boroughs, but there is definitely plenty of material that will interest people who aren't from NYC and are interested in professional fighting in general. The book ends with an attempt to explain why the author is drawn to covering this sort of fighting and I think he does a great job here explaining what it is that is so great about watching an MMA fight, that is something I don't think I've ever succeeded in doing once, even though I've given it my best at least a few times.

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Nerd News Today

Raw Combat shows a side of MMA you have never seen before

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 25, 2011

Jim Genia, editor of the bible of MMA "Full Contact Fighter", has been a fixture in the MMA scene since the beginning and has seen some of the most pivotal moments in MMA history happen right in front of his eyes from cageside. In 2003, Jim found himself pulled into a side of the sport he did not know even existed - underground fighting in New York City. Soon, Jim was hooked on Peter Storm's "Underground Combat League" shows, and has become the authority on this promotion.

"At a New York City underground show, words like motley crew, varied assortment and wretched hive of scum and villainy barely scratch the surface."

This is how the author describes the kind of people that frequent the "Underground Combat League", or UCL. The UCL has been home to many fighters who made it big, like Frankie Edgar and Bryan Vetell. It is also home to local stars like James Funaro, and more dubious competitors like Lamont Tereyton Williams, who after a nyquil binge took a power saw on a subway and attempted to carve up a poor bystander. This book documents the life and times of the many combatants who have fought in closed-doors gyms and random martial arts schools with the only purse the winner takes home being pride.

Combined with the tales of UCL promoter Peter Storm and his stable of mainstay fighters, Jim also tells us about local fighters from the tri-state area whose efforts mirror the stories from the underground. A tale about twin brothers James and Joe Funaro spins off into a story about Louis Gaudinot from TSMMA fighting in a sanctioned amateur show in New Jersey. To top this off, the history of MMA in the US is also spread purposefully through the book.

The story of the UCL itself is quite impressive. Imagine prohibition times with speakeasy's and floating games of craps, then add fisticuffs and a ground game and you could sum up this underground organization. The author tells us about the owner of the company who fits the bill for his events, even if he rarely makes a profit (let alone break even), and stories of other men coming up in the league, including the tragic tale of Kaream, and the essentials like Shawn and Kirkland. You come to know these men well by the end of the book, and in spite of the violence they engage in, the writer humanizes them and shows you that behind the machismo is the code of bushido. Some readers may be unfamiliar at first with some of the names that Jim focuses on, but there is star power as you turn the pages, including discussions on Matt Serra, Lyman Good, Tom Gallicchio, and even referee Big Dan Miragliotta, all of whom somehow connect to the UG scene and with the growth of the sport as a whole.

The author writes in a bare-knuckled, no-holds-barred style that perfectly matches the raw world of underground MMA. Jim makes the experience as intimate as spending time with the actual fighters in person, inside and outside of the cage or ring (and sometimes gym mats). Imagine reading Hunter S. Thompson writing about MMA, subtract the insane amount of drugs he did but leave in the clever wordplay, and there is the experience you will be reading for the next 200 pages.

I have read plenty of books on MMA; biographies, travel stories, encyclopedias and instructional books to name a few varieties. None of them compare to Jim Genia's "Raw Combat: The Underground world of Mixed Martial Arts", check it out today! - Matthew Kaplowitz, The Fight Nerd

2 people found this helpful

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William C. Waggoner

The real story of NYC's underground fight scene

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 27, 2012

This book is the most in-depth view of NYC's MMA fight scene you can possibly get. I was a frequent attendee to these underground fight shows, and knew a lot of the fighters, promoters, and coaches involved. But even with this inside view, Jim's book revealed to me all kinds of hidden stories, background context, and insightful analysis that I'd never considered before. Jim traces the successes and failures of the extreme personalities out here on the combat sport fringe.
If you're interested in underground MMA as a grassroots movement, a legislative struggle, or the last stronghold of "real no holds barred", this book will show you the history, the highlights, and the humanity behind the (totally awesome) face punching.

One person found this helpful

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