Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC

Based on unique access to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its rival organizations, Blood in the Cage peers through the chain-link Octagon into the frighteningly seductive world of mixed martial arts, which has exploded in popularity despite resistance. Wertheim focuses on Pat Miletich, who runs the most famous MMA training school in the world. Single-handedly Miletich has transformed a gritty town on the Mississippi into an unlikely hotbed for his sport. He has also transformed many an average Joe into a walking weapon of destruction.

Wertheim intertwines Miletich's own life story, by turns tragic and triumphant, with the larger story of the unholy rise of the UFC, from its controversial, back alley roots to the fastest-growing sports enterprise in America. Blood in the Cage takes readers behind the scenes, right down to the mat, from a punch in the kidney to the ping of the cash register, as Wertheim brilliantly exposes the no-holds-barred reality of the blood sport for a new generation.

Author: L. Jon Wertheim
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 01/05/2010
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780547247793

About the Author
Wertheim, L. Jon: - L. JON WERTHEIM is an executive editor at Sports Illustrated and the author of several books, including Blood in the Cage, a chronicle of the rise of mixed martial arts, and Running the Table, about a bipolar pool hustler named Kid Delicious. His work has been featured in The Best American Sports Writing numerous times.