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Knucklepit’s Book & DVD Reviews Knucklepit only publishes reviews of books it strongly recommends.
TITLE
SHOT Into
the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts by
Kelly Crigger (Victory Belt) available through www.budovideos.com
©
Marc Wickert
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.
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