No Holds Barred: The Complete History of Mixed Martial Arts in America

by Clyde Gentry III

Overview

Called the bible for MMA, No Holds Barred is the definitive American history of MMA and its rapid rise in the sports and entertainment world. Armed with a recorder and a press pass to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, author Clyde Gentry III set out to tell the story of MMA in the late 1990s when the sport was barely treading water due to the political backlash that threatened to relegate the sport to smoky bars and venues typically reserved for tough-man competitions and low-level professional wrestling matches. Instead, MMA has become a billion-dollar business and has changed martial arts forever. This book takes readers from the controversial event that spawned it all in 1993 to the breakout reality show The Ultimate Fighter and beyond. An unprecedented 125 interviews, along with boxes of rare documents and notes collected over 10 years, serve as the backbone for the ultimate tome on the ultimate sport. The phrase no holds barred may be a misnomer for MMA, but it aptly describes the true, compelling story of how the sport evolved in America. This is the most definitive, in-depth and thoroughly researched book on the history of the sport ever written and a must-have book for every mixed martial arts fan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781600785450
Publisher:	Triumph Books
Publication date:	05/01/2011
Pages:	430
Sales rank:	763,097
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Clyde Gentry III has spent more than 10 years in the mixed martial arts field. After publishing the first edition of No Holds Barred in 2001, he became editor in chief of Ultimate Athlete, the first feature magazine on the sport. Over the years Gentry has worked behind the scenes in fight promotion, and regularly contributes to both TapouT and MMA Worldwide magazines. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

Table of Contents

Preface v

Acknowledgments ix

MMA Glossary xi

1 Genesis of the Warrior 1

2 The Origin of Groundfighting 13

3 The Gracie Challenge 29

4 Recruiting an Ultimate Fighter 43

5 Showtime 57

6 Battle of the Styles 67

7 "The Sport of the Nineties" 81

8 Changing of the Guard 93

9 Clash of the Titans 109

10 The Age of the Wrestler 123

11 Extreme Competition 139

12 Quest for the Big Apple 153

13 The IFC Story 169

14 Revenge and Redemption 181

15 Tournament of Champions 193

16 A Striker's Vengeance 205

17 From One Extreme to Another 217

18 Growing Pains 231

19 Ultimate Betrayal 247

20 Dark Ages 257

21 2001: A Zuffa Odyssey 271

22 Fighting the 800-Pound Gorilla 289

23 Real Fighting versus Martial Arts 311

24 Life as a Fighter 325

25 Fighting for a Mainstream Sport 345

26 Japanese MMA: History and Beyond 361

27 MMA Around the World 373

Appendix I The Best of Tank Abbott 391

Appendix II Bas Rutten: The Flying Dutchman 395

Appendix III Mixed Martial Arts: An Illustrated Look at Basic Positions and Submissions 401

References and Interviews 411

Index 417