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“The book is informative and detailed with pages of references that provide Snowden a factual basis so you can be sure he is not writing fiction out of thin air... Every conceivable major fighter is covered so you can understand their role in the big picture of the sport and their impact in hindsight...the book is a must have for the clarity given towards the early growth of the sport.”
Since the MMA boom of 2005, several autobiographies have been published of popular fighters but the historical market is rather dry. Despite the fact the sport as we know it is usually traced back to Colorado in 1993 for the inaugural UFC event, the sport's beginnings can be traced to Brazil and Japan in the early 20th century. Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting, written by Jonathan Snowden, accomplishes its goal of telling the history of the sport in an easy-to-read and entertaining manner. Most important of all, the book is informative and detailed with pages of references that provide Snowden a factual basis so you can be sure he is not writing fiction out of thin air.
Snowden, a veteran of the U.S. Army began training Brazilian jiu-jtsu while in the military, became a fan of MMA and is now an editor of a publication on the sport in the United Kingdom. His style does not always regurgitate facts as he questions the Gracie Family myths and gives samples of pure propaganda and showmanship that were not exactly promoted by the proud family. The beginning of the book follows the development of judo and the education process experienced by such influential figures as judo champion Masahiko Kimura, Mitsuya Maeda and others. It was after Maeda trained with Carlos Gracie in Brazil that The Gracie Brothers began teaching their own version of jiu-jitsu.
"The lack of gloves seemed to be one of the main sticking points for critics. It made the sport seem more brutal, more like a bar fight than an athletic contest. Eventually, starting with Tank Abbott at UFC 6, the promotion bowed to the pressure and started allowing, and then mandating, the use of open-hand gloves. For whatever reason, critics were sure this was safer. And it was, just not for the man being hit. A glove actually protects the striker's hand, not the recipient's head."
A healthy portion of the book looks at, who Snowden correctly considers the original superstar of MMA, Ken Shamrock and his rocky career from pro wrestler to shoot fighter, then back and forth between the two. The famous and grueling Lion's Den team is examined with quotes from Vernon White, Mikey Burnett, Frank Shamrock and others. One of the more interesting stories dissected is the disintegration of the relationship between adopted brothers, Ken and Frank. Snowden's writing on the complex relationship is straight forward and in hindsight, seems obvious. At times, he does throw in opinions but never does it take away from the historical accounts. He smartly includes quotes from a variety of sources to paint the pictures of the periods he documents. You can read comments directly from the Shamrock's and decide for yourself whether either or both were as loony as most now depict them. If you are curious about the politics when Tito Ortiz dodged Chuck Liddell, you will get a complete picture of what was going on. How about one of the (many) times Royce Gracie was upset with referees? You will read Royce's own thoughts and other perspectives as Snowden shapes the situation to offer a complete picture. So while Snowden's personal viewpoint does enter the fray, it never detracts from the overall historic accounts.
"The Lion's Den had fallen apart when Ken left MMA to join Vince McMahon's traveling WWF circus. He had left things in the hands of Frank and his top student, Jerry Bohlander. Frank had been the lead instructor at the school for some time anyway, and was better than Ken at communicating the ideas they were trying to impart to young fighters. The problems started when Frank began questioning the techniques and training regime that Ken had installed years earlier."
Perhaps the biggest negative of the book is the fact that there is no major unknown history discovered by Snowden. If you are a hardcore fan who read all the literature available and followed the sport over the past decade, you may not learn as much as someone who missed out on the UFC pre-Zuffa. Regardless, Snowden paints a superb picture that shows the development of the sport in different areas of the world and how the sport has come to be. If nothing else, you can enjoy the trip down memory lane. Throughout the book, you will read all about the Gracie's, the early UFC, Extreme Fighting, Pancrase, UWFI, PRIDE, Elite-XC and even smaller promotions such as King of the Cage, IFL and others. Every conceivable major fighter is covered so you can understand their role in the big picture of the sport and their impact in hindsight.
Snowden's coverage of Pancrase and the development of fighters such as Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Joe DeLucia under the lead of Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki and Karl Gotch is another strong point of the book. After all, there is few if any sound literature on the topic of the promotion and its competitors. Unlike the UWFI which did not hide their predetermined outcomes, Pancrase was shoot-style, although there were times when outcomes were manipulated. As was the case with some early PRIDE fights, there is no debate that some fights were not as legitimate as others.
Obviously any book covering MMA and particularly in the United States, covering the Zuffa regime including Dana White and Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta is paramount. In fact, Snowden's research on the origins of the Fertitta family's wealth takes the reader back to organized crime in Las Vegas. Snowden knocks down mainstream media misconceptions and gives a detailed account of SEG's (the original owners of the UFC) quest (and then Zuffa's) to seek regulation so the sport could grow. The most controversial story of the period has always been claims by SEG head Bob Meyrowitz that then-Nevada State Athletic Commission member Lorenzo Fertitta voted against the UFC so he could purchase the promotion at a reduced price. Snowden gives an overview of the situation along with quotes from a variety of people to allow the reader to come to their own conclusion. Snowden did his homework and the book is a great source of information because of it.
The book was published at the end of 2008 and also covers several recent topics such as Randy Couture's last break-up with the UFC, Brock Lesnar's rise,the development and downfall of Kimbo Slice and Quinton Jackson's issues after his loss to Forrest Griffin.
"[Quinton] Jackson had developed a reputation around town as a street fighter, not only solving his own disputes, but also as a kind of a thug for hire. He was already wearing his trademark chain, already howling at the moon. None of that is a gimmick. It's Jackson personified. The school board didn't want Jackson, fearing it was too late to reach him. But [Peter] Bolgeo [a wrestling coach] took a chance on the young man and got him enrolled as a 17-year-old freshman [in high school]."
The concluding chapters examine issues facing MMA in the near future such as drug-testing, the necessity to create new stars and the potential for MMA on broadcast television in the wake of the demise of EXC. The issue of long-term fighters health is not covered although the recent line of fighter deaths away from competition were likely not covered due to timing issues. This issue is the biggest unknown facing the sport in some respects.
At the end of the day, Inside MMA is a great reference book for information on the "dark ages" of the UFC and all the happenings in Japan. Once you get through it, you can easily go back and retrieve any information on the sport. Despite the fact that for knowledgeable fans of the sport, they will feel they are being told information already known, the book is a must have for the clarity given towards the early growth of the sport. When you hit the time period you became a fan, it will be a pleasant trip down memory lane. Everyone will learn something previously unknown based on the totality of the coverage of the sport.
