Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting - Book Review

Back in October 2007 I reviewed my first ever mixed martial arts book, Clyde Gentry’s No Holds Barred. The book really opened my eyes up to the history of this great sport, and how it had developed since that November night in 1993 when the UFC held their first ever show. I gave the book a rave review, the proverbial thumbs up if you will.

But the thing is, fourteen months later, I’ve found a book that’s even better.

Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting is the latest offering from former lawyer and soldier Jonathan Snowden, and like Clyde Gentry before him, Snowden tells the story of the history of mixed martial arts from the beginning.

But here’s where Snowden veers away from Gentry as it were. While Gentry told a tremendous story in his 2002 release as he delved into the sport, Snowden delved a hell of a lot deeper. The amount of detail that this book goes into is absolutely incredible. It’s as if Snowden wanted his readers to know just how mixed martial arts began, how the early companies such as Pancrase came out, how the original UFC came into being, and much, much more.

This book does really tell the story of mixed martial arts, and then some, and I know that this may sound clich�d, but it really does make for compelling reading. As well as stories of how promotions came and went, there’s tons of material about the feuds that developed along the way, most notably the feud between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.

Hand on heart, I really can’t speak too highly of this book. Snowden has done a great job in documenting what is the fastest growing sport in the world today, and it’s a great read. In fact, I have to admit that I felt a little sad when I finished reading it.

So if you are a true MMA fan, then, if you can, go out and buy this book as soon as is humanly possible.

Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting by Jonathan Snowden is published by ECW Press, and is available to buy online and wherever books are sold.