The Fighter Within: Everyone Has A Fight-Insights into the Minds and Souls of True Champions

by Christopher Olech, Bas Rutten (Foreword by)

Overview

Enter the minds of some of the martial arts world's most respected fighters and trainers.

The Fighter Within is an inspirational book for Mixed Martial Arts fans which brings insider stories, heartfelt moments and the human element to what's perceived as a savage sport. It reveals thoughtful, encouraging and even lighthearted insights into the minds and souls of true champions. It describes the attributes that lead to success in a sport that demands dedication, forethought and intellect—traits which are applicable to all of life's challenges.

A foreword by Bas Rutten—UFC Heavyweight Champion and three-time King of Pancrase World Champion—sets the tone for this book, which features an impressive array of interviews with a veritable who's-who of elite MMA fighters and martial artists:

• Fedor Emelianenko (Former MMA Heavyweight Champion and FIAS World Combat Sambo Heavyweight Champion)
• Rashad Evans (Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2/Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
• Rich Franklin (Former UFC Middleweight Champion)
• Rory MacDonald (Former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion)
• Sean Sherk (Former UFC Lightweight Champion)
• Tomasz Adamek (Boxing Champion)
• Firas Zahabi (Tri-Star Elite Coach)
• Bruno Fernandes (Founder of Gracie Barra Montreal BJJ school/President of GB Wear)
• John Danaher (BJJ Black Belt Elite Coach)
• Ajarn Phil Nurse (Muay Thai Champion/Elite Coach)
• Alain Moussi (Actor/Stuntman)
• Rafal Chwalek (Polish Kickboxing and Savate Champion)
• Scott Ramsdell (API Head Instructor)
• Matthew Olson (API Head Instructor)

**Winner of the Canada Book Award**
**Winner of the Readers' Favorite Gold Award for Non-Fiction Sports**

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804845953
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Edition description:	1st Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Born in Toronto, Canada to immigrant parents, Christopher Olech's immersion into the world of martial arts began after the UFC Welterweight Champion, Matt Hughes, came to town for a seminar. Christopher began training in the Mixed Martial Arts, eventually putting his skills to the test in the ring, where he won a Grapplers Quest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament Gold Finish, and was the IBBA Hall of Fame Competitor of the Year in 2010. He helped organize one of the biggest MMA seminars to come to Toronto Canada, The Paradise Warrior Retreat, which featured eight internationally-known competitors. Olech is a certified Athletic Performance Inc. Caveman Training Instructor. As a freelance journalist, he covers fighting events in all fields of martial arts and boxing, and he's contributed to various MMA and boxing websites as well as print media.

Table of Contents

Foreword Bas Rutten 6

Chapter 1 The Meat Grinder 7

Chapter 2 Love Me or Hate Me 10

Chapter 3 The Dog Days of Suffering 18

Chapter 4 Got Caveman Training? 34

Chapter 5 The Muscle Shark 48

Chapter 6 Canada's First Paradise Warrior Retreat 58

Chapter 7 A Piece of Me in Poland 66

Chapter 8 Paradise in Montreal 74

Chapter 9 The Intellect 80

Chapter 10 More "Sugar" Please 87

Chapter 11 The Professor 101

Chapter 12 Journey for Gold 108

Chapter 13 A Throwback to Rocky! 115

Chapter 14 Welcome to The WAT 127

Chapter 15 "Ace," The Definition of Willpower 137

Chapter 16 The Last Emperor 145

Chapter 17 The God of War is the Red King 154

Chapter 18 The Cerebral Lion Tamer 161

Chapter 19 Jiu-jitsu Principles Firas Zahabi 173

Chapter 20 The Paradoxical Life Needs The Fighter Within 177

Acknowledgments 190

Editorial Reviews

"Olech brings the average reader into the world of Mixed Martial Arts that few, outside of the realm of its elite participants, will ever experience. A truly uplifting memoir, with a brawler's backbone." —Conner Cordova, MMA journalist

"Why do we fight? What is it that draws us to something that can hurt us? What makes us different from so many others? If you practice martial arts, you have certainly heard these questions echoing from some deep corner of your mind. These questions hounded Christopher Olech until he made the decision that would change his life: instead of waiting for answers, he decided to find them himself...Read this book cover to cover, without giving up, and start becoming that better version of yourself right now." —Marcelo Dunlop, editor of GracieMag magazine

"This book helps people understand the new game of martial arts. Mixed Martial Arts is still in its infancy, and Christopher is one of the people helping to develop MMA for the future." —Grandmaster Toddy, UFC trainer and coach on Oxygen's Fight Girls reality television show

"Just like any great fighter, this book is about all heart. Christopher's view of the fight game is both romantic and realistic. This book is the journey of his love of the sport and its ability to force you into self acceptance." —Phoenix Carnevale, producer of everything martial arts, fight commentator, wise-cracking nerd

"The Fighter Within is a wonderful collection of essays on the personal journeys of several world class athletes and inspiring individuals. Chris Olech interweaves his own experiences training, competing and progressing to make the story much more compelling. In a world of hard knocks, Olech brings out the best in himself by answering the challenges thrown down in front of him. A must-read for any serious MMA fan." —Brian J D' Souza, author of Pound for Pound: The Modern Gladiators of Mixed Martial Arts

"Christopher takes you on a personal journey through life as he uses his martial arts training to maneuver through his obstacles. Coupled with the best fighters in their respective areas, this is a knockout book for everyone looking to succeed in business, life and fighting." —Tom DeBlass, UFC veteran, Bellator fighter and BJJ Black Belt

"A great book for MMA/UFC fans and also for martial artists!" —Mike Smith (Blacksmith), Kyokushin Karate black belt and world class boxing trainer

"Journey alongside Christopher as he takes you deep into the heart of MMA where you will discover a personal and meaningful place of which many do not speak. Through his positive and inquisitive nature, Christopher puts his subjects at ease and as such, reading this book makes you feel as if you are right next to these icons of the sport, getting to know them through their stories and lessons. Whether you are a fighter, a sports fan or just interested in understanding the human condition, this is a great read, and I am honored to be a part of it." —Jeff Phillips, owner of Beardo Wear

"Get Christopher Olech's great new book, The Fighter Within! It has a really nice foreword, written by a very good-looking guy; Bas Rutten! It's an enjoyable read because it's about a guy who is looking for something missing from his life. His search leads him to mixed martial arts and martial arts in general, and he meets a lot of wonderful people along the way. —Bas Rutten, UFC Heavyweight Champion, MMA legend, actor, author and television personality

"There have been a lot of books written about combat sports by journalists and just as many written by fighters. Christopher Olech's The Fighter Within is the rare book by an author who is both, and you will gain more insight on the fight game and those in it from this book than anything I've read in a long time. I recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn what it truly takes to fight—in the ring, Octagon, or life." —Thomas Gerbasi, Editorial Director for the UFC

"Candid, inspiring and eye-opening. A deep look into the real life of fighters" —Michael Schiavello, sports commentator for AXS TV, K-1, Dream, Maximum Fighting Championship, King of the Cage and The Contender Asia

"A wonderful ride that encompasses the true essence of martial arts. Olech beautifully relates the common man with the teachings and spirit of many of the sport's masters." —Joe Ferraro, host of UFC Central radio

"If you are fascinated by the MMA lifestyle and want to find out what makes good fighters tick, then read this book!" —Donovan Craig, Founding editor of Fight! magazine

"By telling his life story, Chris Olech demonstrates the powerful possibilities that martial arts training can open up for one's life. By training hard and competing in martial arts like Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA, Chris reframed the perspective from which he viewed himself and his life. As a result, he's been able to transform his life from one where he was stuck doing uninspiring menial work to make ends meet, to one where—though struggles persist—he now seeks out adventure as a healthier and more driven person who regularly spends time with, and learns from, his heroes." —Elias Cepeda, MMA & Boxing writer for Yahoo! Sports

"From MMA to Nazi's to Muay Thai, Chris Olech covers it all in this sometimes funny, sometimes moving but oftentimes motivating tome. I struggled with deciding whether to continue reading or heading to Renzo Gracie Academy to train. Great stuff Olech. Congrats on a great book." —Mike Straka, bestselling author of Fighting Words

"Chris Olech is proof positive that everyone does indeed have a fight. He went from combat sports fan and spectator to activate participant. He shares many of his personal experiences throughout his journey, as well as stories from many of the sport's elite athletes. It's clear he put his heart and soul into this project—it's a book not to be missed." —Tony Reid, owner of Rattling the Cage, monthly contributor to Fighters Only magazine, host of ESPN 92.3 WVSL

From the Publisher