Books

I don’t really like to read.

Which is strange because I love to write.

However, this past week I found myself having to pass some time on a loooooooong bus ride from Toronto to New York City so I thought I would pick up a couple of books, and this got me thinking, a lot of MMA fans are probably like me and don’t like to read but could probably forget about their distain for books if the right MMA book came along.

I only read a couple of MMA books on my travel but it got me thinking about a few must read books for MMA fans.

The MMA Encyclopaedia is a big ass book but believe me it’s worth the read! I read it a few months ago and it was pretty interesting, sure some of the opinions in there are strictly those of the writer and they may be biased but it really does give you a wealth of information that you may or may not have already known. It has a lot of profiles on different fighters and even includes their win/loss records at the time of publishing as well as their notable wins and losses.

Chuck Liddell’s “Iceman” was the first fighter book I read. I read it a while ago and it really made me think about where Chuck has come from and what he has made for himself. It’s interesting to hear his thoughts on his first fights and also about what he did throughout high school with his training. He talks about his friendship with Dana White in detail and about where the UFC would likely be without The Ultimate Fighter. Chuck’s personal life is pretty intriguing and he really doesn’t shy away from anything which is great. Whether it’s going through the key fights of his career or recalling life growing up Chuck really makes you want to like him in this book.

It’s amazing to get an insight into the personal life of Brock Lesnar as he usually doesn’t let the public get into his private business. Brock Lesnar’s “Death Clutch” let’s you get to know Brock in a way that you never probably would have expected. He really leaves no stone unturned as he goes through his fallout with Vince McMahon and the WWE and also as he talks about his quest to win the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship. It’s interesting hearing Brock’s thoughts on his MMA career and his battle with diverticulitis and what the meaning of his chest tattoo is. Defiantly a must read book, even if you don’t like the guy it’s interesting to see where he has come from and what he went through to get to his super stardom today.
I have been on a pretty big Tito campaign lately but after reading his book “This is gonna hurt” I have to say I am even more of a fan. The book delves right into his life and it’s pretty personal and it kind of makes you see things from a different light as it’s a life I never actually thought he would have lived. It really is inspirational and makes you think about what you could do with your own life. If a kid who was doing drugs and stealing could make something of his life why can’t you? Tito goes into parts of his life that most people would probably sugar coat and it really gives you a great personal outlook on the guy. He’s protective of what is important to him (family) and really is pretty smart about what he does with his money. If you are a hater turned fan I would recommend this book to you first because it will give you even more reasons to love the guy.

I am looking forward to getting into some more MMA books soon, my next long ass trip will be coming up in around August and if I can’t find any new books to read I would probably just read Tito’s and Brock’s again because they really are that good.