- ISBN13: 9781550228465
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
From the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) meager beginnings to its present-day glory, this in-depth chronology reveals all the information needed to understand the contemporary world of mixed martial arts, where the backroom deal-making is as fierce as the fighting. Between the UFC’s controversial president, Dana White, the political persecution that the sport has suffered from politicians like John McCain, and the tumultuous careers of its greatest stars, m… More >>
Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Total MMA basically only cover Pride and UFC in any detail. It is like a history book which covers the two organizations with small little asides mentioning other organizations when it relates to one of the big two. As a life long fan of MMA most of this info was known to me with a few tiny bits of new stuff. For me the book read like a giant wikkipedia pages. It is well written and the facts are backed up, but there was nothing truly inside that hasn’t been printed before. There are no fighter interviews, only brief quotes taken from other interviews to back up stories. This isn’t a bad book, it just isn’t right for a knowledgeable fan already.
Rating: 3 / 5
Once called “human cockfighting” by former Republican presidential nominee John McCain, and baned in most states, MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts, has made a stunning comeback, with huge bouts, pay-per-view matches, reality TV shows and tens of thousands of new martial arts students. /Total MMA/ is probably the most complete story of the UFC, the fighters that started it and made it famous, the deal-makers, the promoters and the hucksters. The book is not organized in a linear fashion, but jumps from one subject to another, which is a lot less irritating than you might think.
The rise of MMA in Japan, the creation of Pride and the chance Spike TV took when picking up coverage of the UFC are all covered, with hundreds of interviews, footnotes and quotes from the people involved from the beginning. There are two sets of color photograph plates, but the primary thrust of the book is the narrative. Snowden balances between journalism, and fan interest, keeping enough wide-eyed enthusiasm in his writing without letting it lessen his objectivity. Highly recommended for fans of the UFC or MMA in general.
Rating: 4 / 5
Waaooww…!! that’s the first impression when I read this book for its first couple pages. Then I can’t stop reading it although it has almost 400 pages!! This book is a total package of the history of MMA in the world, even it goes back to early 19th century, from any part of the world! Jonathan Snowden, the writer has a lot of credibility in his life. And the way he tells us the history and his opinions are awesome. He’s very detail in explaining the events, feeling and histories and also he always gives us the pros and cons of every thing and character (which is very true in this life, there’s always two sides of a coin).
From the fierce competition inside and outside the arena or even the feeling of each chareacter. He doesn’t just tell the story in a chronological time, but he goes a little bit back and forth without too much confusion involved. That way he makes us all think , memorize something or even looking for that particular reference in the earlier ares of hte book to double check the fact or the real zone for that particular event or character.
I have two thumbs up from my hands and if it counts, I give an extra two thumbs from my toes when I jump up and down getting excited reading this book ;p
Thanks
Rating: 5 / 5
I really enjoyed Total MMA. It’s a quick read with lots of broad ranging detail. I especially appreciated how Snowden covered a lot of history, but didn’t bog it down with detail far too minute to hold a UFC fan’s attention.
I cannot say I knew much about mid 90′s Japanese MMA/Shoot fighting or about the Gracie legacy pre-Royce, so this book got me up to speed and allowed me to seek out more detail elsewhere if I chose.
The book takes a fairly 3rd part perspective as to not choose sides, though at times, Snowden definitely nudges you in one direction. Nonetheless I was satisfied with everything overall.
So this is a great book if you want a general background on how MMA came to be the International success it is without having to feel like you’re studying for a mid-term out of a text book.
Rating: 5 / 5
As the sport of Mixed Martial Arts grows, as does the public’s interest with the fighters, the personalities and the history of the sport. Of course, to meet that demand that means that publishers are going to start to demand books on the subject are available. With that being said, Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting by Jonathan Snowden sets itself away from the rest of the pack by doing what nobody else has done; present a thorough history of Mixed Martial Arts dating back to the inception of Judo and everything else leading up to modern Mixed Martial Arts. Not only is it the information that sets Total MMA apart, but the narrative style and passion the writer has for the sport of MMA.
Total MMA is written in a way that is both engaging and informative; to not only appeal to a newer fan of the sport who might not know much of the storied history behind the sport, but to the avid fan who has heard many of the tall tales and third-hand accounts of stories recounted in this book. As opposed to a simply linear presenation, Total MMA moves back and forth, jumping between countries, promotions and personalities. One chapter will present what was happening in the United States with the Ultimate Fighting Championships, while the next chapter will tell of the events unfolding at the same time in Japan’s PRIDE Fighting Championship. No stone remains unturned in the major history of MMA, as everything from Antonio Inoki’s appeal in Japan as a martial arts champion to the Fertitas and their links to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and organized crime.
A lot of fans of the sport will easy recognize many of the stories told in Total MMA, but the painstaking research that has gone into this book to not only retell these stories, but to find as many sources as possible for each story and tell the most accurate account of the event possible. From interviews with fighters, people behind the scenes to sourcing other publications, Total MMA reached into the heart of the sport, from insiders to fighters to fans, to retell the story of Mixed Martial Arts. It not only looks at the obvious, such as the formation of the UFC, its rise to power or the rise of PRIDE, but also looks at some of the individuals and their cultural significance and impact on the sport. It looks at fighters like Ken Shamrock, his younger adopted brother Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson and how they affected the sport as well as helped it grow in the United States. On the other side of the ocean, it looks at stars like Nobuhiko Takada, Masakatsu Funaki, Akira Maeda, Antonio Inoki, Kazushi Sakuraba right up until the cultural phenom Bob Sapp and how each one has affected modern MMA in Japan.
Total MMA is easily the most complete history of Mixed Martial Arts available today and was written by a writer who is a passionate fan of the sport in a style that can appeal to both fan and non fan, the hardcore or the novice. Buy this book, devour it and enjoy it.
Rating: 5 / 5
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