I recently finished a book called “Blood in the Cage”, written by senior writer for Sports Illustrated L. Jon Wertheim.

After reading a bio on L. Jon Wertheim, it’s pretty obvious that the guy can write about many different topics. He has covered tennis, the NBA, and sports and business issues for Sports Illustrated. He has written 5 books, covering topics ranging from pool hustling all the way to his most recent endeavor, mixed martial arts.

In the beggining of the book, Wertheim explains he knew little about MMA. There is a brilliant passage on the second page of the book where the author is conversing with Jens “Lil Evil” Pulver. Jens offers to bust Wertheim’s nose so he can get a little taste of what it is like to trade blows with another man. Jens doesn’t understand how you can write about something if you have never actually been through it. Wertheim politely declines the suggestion from the former UFC lightweight champion, and from this moment on I was hooked on this book.

As a MMA enthusiast, people who are trying to learn the history of the sport often ask me how MMA got started. Traditionally, I can offer up a brief summary:

1) UFC 1 – Style vs. Style – No Holds barred fighting
2) Royce Gracie submits everyone and is responsible for the early popularity of the sport.
3) UFC = Human Cock Fighting and UFC = Banned everywhere.
4) Zuffa buys UFC.
5) TUF 1 airs, and the rest is history. Thank you Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin.

A summary of American MMA history will always include Royce Gracie. What I love about this book is that Wertheim shows you that other high profile superstars were contributing to the popularity of this sport at the same time Royce Grace was submitting guys three times his size.

Much of the book focuses on one of my least favorite fighters of all time, former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich. After reading this book, however, I have a new found respect for the founder of Miletich Fighting Systems. I didn’t know much about the history of Miletich, where he came from, the martial arts he studied and where he fought. Wertheim gives the reader this insight. I’ve always heard about the “legend of Pat Miletich”, however I could never figure out why this guy had so much hype around him. “Blood in the Cage” dives deep into the topic. The book does an excellent job of toggling between MMA history and Pat Miletich’s contribution in this sport. You never really feel like you are abandoning one topic for the other, because in reality they are seamlessly intertwined. Miletich played a role as large as any when it comes to contributing towards mixed martial arts history, especially in the mid west.

Wertheim picks up the logistics of the sport right away. He understands the striking, wrestling, and submission aspect of mixed martial arts. I was very impressed with the accuracy of his writing when he depicts the technical aspect of the game.

If you buy this book, one of my favorite fighter quotes of all time is on page 14. You will know it when you see it.

If you consider yourself a fan of mixed martial arts then you should buy this book. It’s that simple. It’s so well written and offers a different perspective into the history of the sport.

Buy it here

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