Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts

TITLE SHOT Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts by Kelly Crigger (Victory Belt) © Marc Wickert November 19, 2008 www.knucklepit.com Title Shot is to mixed martial arts what Jack Kerouac's On the Road was to bebop, with author Kelly Crigger taking readers on an up-close tour of some of America's most successful MMA gyms, where they encounter very colorful coaches and competitors. Crigger is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army, and served in the 1st Special Forces Group and the 3rd Infantry Division as well as completing the Army's Ranger School. His military career has included trips to the holiday destination of Afghanistan. Knowing firsthand about action, Crigger takes a trek across the US on a quest to see what makes mixed martial artists tick. Title Shot opens with a visit from BJ Penn who "wants to do something for the troops" before he hooks up with Crigger. Of BJ, the author says, "He was gracious, humble, and genuinely happy to spend time with soldiers of Fort Lewis, Washington." Like Kerouac's Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady), Kelly Crigger then commences his yearlong journey across America, starting at Matt Lindland's Team Quest in Portland, Oregon, then travels to Cesar Gracie's, David Terrell's and Ivan Salaverry's gyms in Northern California, before cruising down to spend time with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque. Kelly leap-frogs up to Somerville, Massachusetts, to take in Mark DellaGrotte and his Sityodtong Muay Thai Academy, where Crigger plays some very amusing mind games with Mark using a stone dragon ornament that adds a lot of humor to the book. Readers get more firsthand experience of MMA when they're escorted to IFL finals in Florida, and Coconut Creek's American Top Team gym. But probably the highlight of Crigger's tour is his arrival at UFC 79 in Las Vegas, where there are cameo appearances from such names as Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. The experience is capped off with the author's interview of Dana White, which is both enjoyable and an extreme eye opener. There are encounters with too many big names of ultimate fighting to list them all, but I can say you won't be disappointed. This book is very satisfying reading and a must for all MMA fans.

"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.

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.

The book was fast paced, witty, humorous and frank in its treatment of the controversial and highly popular combative sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Mr. Crigger got deep into the inner workings of these world class athletes as well as their lives and motivations. His treatment of the athletes was candid and surprisingly humane. His time in the army as a high ranking officer and special forces operator makes his macho voice all the more astute due to his knowledge of the human behavior of tough guys. It was an informative and fun read. I have been involved with MMA from its inception back in 1994 and this is the first book I have read to honestly put a face on what is fast becoming a world wide venue filler. bill curry miami florida

THIS REVIEW WAS WRITTEN BY SEAN K. IT WAS MISTAKENLY CREDITED TO KELLY C. As the proud owner of a rare, advanced copy of "Title Shot", I feel compelled to write about this essential piece for the MMA fan. Not since George Plimpton has an author produced such an entertaining inside account of a professional sport. Kelly Crigger expertly recounts a tale of the grueling, unforgiving life of the career mixed martial artist, as he travels the country visiting the gyms that have produced some of the most successful fighters in the world. The pages are filled with detailed and unabashed descriptions of these venues (The gym was literally a basement...could have been a brothel for inner-city Hobbits and wrong-side-of-the-tracks Smurfs at one time); self-effacing confessions (I arrived sweaty and stinking like Bill Clinton after a box of Macanudo cigars); and irreverent quips about some of the most dangerous men on the planet [He (Kenny Florian) looked like a band camp geek who was only a horn-rimmed pair of glasses away from Louis Skolnik]. After working his way through these camps, Crigger goes behind the scenes at the IFL Finals, the Army's Modern Army Combatives Tournament, and UFC 78 to uncover and disclose the most sensitive issues of the day in MMA and provides the reader a peek into the future of the sport. A thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, and educational read for both the newcomer and the most rabid fan of the fastest growing sport in the world - Mixed Martial Arts.