Blood in the Cage worth a read

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim has a pretty good book out called "Blood in the Cage", which is well written for sure--he uses his SI writing pedigree to fine use in this work.

I had the chance to speak with Jon once and he was a good guy with some interesting insight into the world of fighting which he displays by following a good portion of MMA legend Pat Miletich's career. He gets inside the head of the MMA pioneer in the Quad Cities, and also looks into the dramatic rise of the sport of mixed martial arts in North American culture. It's rather amazing how far the sport has come in terms of popularity, yet it doesn't garner much regular mainstream coverage.

It's a very interesting thing to contemplate, not just for the writer, but for fans who have been watching the sport pre-Ultimate Fighter days. Just walking through a mall the other day I had to stop and pause for a moment to absorb the fact that I just walked by another athletic apparel company adorning its storefront with MMA garment lines from Tapout, to One More Round, Silverstar and even Ecko. It was more like plastering it well over half their windowed and display area.

A few years back I remember having to explain some people what exactly I was going to be watching at a bar on Saturday night as I showed them a poster of UFC 44, which prominently showcased a caged octagon and larger than life images of Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Gan McGee and Tim Sylvia. This left many scratching their head. And to look now and see this MMA craze that has been imprinted into the American consciousness, and far beyond North America as well, is quite an amazing thing. Not too shabby considering MMA was one of the most highly endangered species on the sporting landscape at one point.

Wertheim gives us a glimpse and isnight into this craze gets into some of the interesting aspects of how the UFC fought for their lives and in turn help keep the sport afloat long enough to finally break into the mainstream's view. The chapter on the UFC is interesting, gives a unique perspective, and the vantage point he is able to get with his journalistic skill on some of the key players in the industry, mostly Dana White, is an interesting read.

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Blood in the Cage worth a read

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