"As the author puts it, 'Combat sports are nothing new.' And to prove it, he takes readers on a tour through history, beginning in 684 BCE at the thirty-third Olympics. He moves on to discuss wrestling, martial arts, and eventually the evolution of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A sidebar gives readers UFC basics (rounds, attire, judging criteria, etc.), while the informative text follows the history and evolution of UFC fights and those who participated in them. The many color photographs match the text in tone: there's little sensationalism, especially considering how much there could be. Nevertheless, the images don't shy away from showing the vigorous brawling that's a part of this sport. The final chapters discuss the future of the sport, which seems on an upward trajectory as it becomes popular worldwide. Back matter includes a useful list of books and websites." —Booklist

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has its roots in combat sports that have been part of human societies as far back as the ancient world. Yet, despite its long history, MMA as a modern sports phenomenon is a relative newcomer. Dogged by critics of its violence and the niche market nature of its appeal, MMA has managed to achieve popularity in the past two decades. Most prominently via Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), viewership of both free and pay-for-view MMA events has skyrocketed. Although MMA matches are not highly featured in sports media coverage, they do rake in a substantial amount of revenue and hold the interest of passionate fans. The story of MMA and some of its most popular athletes is well told in this illustrated book. The author does an excellent job of detailing the rise of this action-packed and combative sport. One of the best features of the narrative is the focus in on particular fighters and some of their most memorable matches. MMA stars such as Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, George Saint Pierre, and Brock Lesnar leap off the pages of this book as readers learn about their past while also reliving some of their most exciting fights. Readers who enjoy MMA or who are UFC fans will certainly appreciate this book and will have their appetites whetted for the next time they watch two fighters enter into the octagon to do battle. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck; Ages 12 up.

2013-09-01
An overview of the sport known as mixed martial arts and some of its players, from fight-fan Jones. Mixed martial arts is a furious style of fighting that combines a variety of traditions--sambo, jiujitsu, muay thai and taekwondo, as well as catch wrestling and boxing--into an acrobatic display of violence. One reason for the sport's appeal is that it is real, as opposed to the sham antics of professional wrestling: The blows are true, and the blood is, too. Jones surveys the origins of the sport in sometimes-breathless prose, with all its infighting and rough-and-tumble antics. He profiles many of the fighters and gives highlights of their great matchups. Details are likely to appall readers who are not already enthusiasts: "Sonnen struck Silva's body and face nearly 300 times," in a match that was merely minutes long. And can Jones really be serious when he writes, "It is well known that many boxers have suffered long-term effects due to repeated punches to the head, but the sport of MMA is still too young to know what a career of taking strikes to the head will do"? Duh. These fighters wear minimal gloves, and one look at their faces in the many photos that accompany his book will let readers know just what is going on. As a sports historian, Jones has done a thorough job, but it's for MMA fans only. (Nonfiction. 10-18)