Reviews
In "Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts" (Victory Belt, 2008) author Kelly Crigger spends the better part of a year living the life of a ronin, bouncing between MMA gyms searching for an answer to that elusive question, "Why do fighters fight?" It's no spoiler to say that he never finds a definitive answer, but rather a hornet's nest of various individual motivations and desires. What "Title Shot" does best is capture the very special vibe found in each of these schools of hard knocks. From the odd culture clash of Boston and Bangkok coming together at Sityodtong in Massachusetts to the open arms of Greg Jackson's fraternal environment in Albuquerque to the hard-nosed work ethic found at Team Quest in Portland, the unique and oftentimes regional flavor of each locale is fascinating. Crigger, a regular contributor to Real Fighter magazine, infuses his experiences with a wry sarcasm that never veers into cynicism. Like most MMA fans he is a sucker for a good story, and each chapter is packed with small-albeit often funny and sometimes poignant-details about the trainers and athletes he encounters.
Mike Carlson
Real Fighter Magazine
Kelly Crigger – an Army officer like [Randy] Couture – spent a year traveling to several of the most well-known MMA camps in the country, including Greg Jackson’s MMA, Team Quest, American Top Team and more, in an effort to get inside the heads of fighters and find out what makes them tick. During his journey, Crigger spent time with big names in the sport like Rashad Evans, Kenny Florian and Dana White in their own environments, catching them not as a reporter but as a curious acquaintance interested in their candid take on their chose occupation. Title Shot is an interesting journey through the gyms of MMA.
Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
August, 2008
Kelly Crigger’s book Title Shot is out and is well worth buying. Putting this book in context with the other MMA books like Fighter’s Heart and No Holds Barred this book encompasses much more of the scene as a whole and my subjective first response was “dammit, he beat me to it”. Crigger didn’t stay behind a computer and log talk time on his phone; he stayed at many of the gyms that produce the fighters for UFC, EliteXC, and IFL. Team Quest, Cesar Gracie’s gym, Renzo Gracie’s gym, Jackson’s MMA, ATT, and Sityodtong were all visited in his quest to understand not only why people fight but why “normal” people view fighters and fight fans the way they do. Crigger also takes an interesting military perspective using his background as an Army Lieutenant Colonel to for instance compare and contrast David Terrell’s training to that of Army Rangers or entry-level fighters to privates, angles that seem obvious but Crigger with his background can expand upon to nail the point home to the non-fighters. This is possibly the only MMA book I’ve read I’d recommend to family and friends that shun the violence but want to understand those who do like MMA. Buy two copies because once you are done reading it you’ll want to loan it out but are unlikely to get it back again.
Keith Mills
Abu Dhabi Combat Club
July, 2008
Author Kelly Crigger does a phenomenal job of depicting these athletes candidly and in their own environment. He captures the indomitable spirit it takes to compete in MMA, but also the manages to convey the various personalities of the fighters he meets. It is obvious Crigger is a fan of the sport but he doesn't get all starry-eyed and fanboyish about the MMA stars he comes across. Title Shot is funny and insightful and a must-read for any MMA fan.
Alabasterdisaster
Amazon.com customer review
July 2008
“Title Shot” is the rare book that combines the author's unique blend of humor and passion for MMA to deliver equally to the hardcore fans and the novice learning about the sport. Crigger wanted an inside look to see what makes MMA tick, so he devoted a year to gaining the answers. He traveled to five separate camps, the IFL Finals, the Modern Army Combatives Tournament and UFC 78. Each time he hung out with the fighters and trainers, even getting a two-hour interview with UFC President Dana White. Throughout the book, Crigger blends just enough history on the sport to educate the novice without overwhelming the expert. But the most unique facet of this book is his insight into the personal side of the sport. He spent his time in the camps really getting to know the fighters and what drives them. This insight, coupled with some of the funniest sarcasm I've ever read, makes “Title Shot” a superb read.
Greg Sierra
Amazon.com customer review
July 2008
The book was fast paced, witty, humorous and frank in its treatment of the controversial and highly popular combative sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Mr. Crigger got deep into the inner workings of these world class athletes as well as their lives and motivations. His treatment of the athletes was candid and surprisingly humane. His time in the army as a high ranking officer and special forces operator makes his macho voice all the more astute due to his knowledge of the human behavior of tough guys. It was an informative and fun read. I have been involved with MMA from its inception back in 1994 and this is the first book I have read to honestly put a face on what is fast becoming a world wide venue filler.
Bill Curry
Amazon.com Customer Review
July 2008
As the proud owner of a rare, advanced copy of “Title Shot”, I feel compelled to write about this essential piece for the MMA fan. Not since George Plimpton has an author produced such an entertaining inside account of a professional sport. Kelly Crigger expertly recounts a tale of the grueling, unforgiving life of the career mixed martial artist, as he travels the country visiting the gyms that have produced some of the most successful fighters in the world. The pages are filled with detailed and unabashed descriptions of these venues (The gym was literally a basement… could have been a brothel for inner-city Hobbits and wrong-side-of-the-tracks Smurfs at one time); self-effacing confessions (I arrived sweaty and stinking like Bill Clinton after a box of Macanudo cigars); and irreverent quips about some of the most dangerous men on the planet [He (Kenny Florian) looked like a band camp geek who was only a horn-rimmed pair of glasses away from Louis Skolnik]. After working his way through these camps, Crigger goes behind the scenes at the IFL Finals, the Army's Modern Army Combatives Tournament, and UFC 78 to uncover and disclose the most sensitive issues of the day in MMA and provides the reader a peek into the future of the sport. A thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, and educational read for both the newcomer and the most rabid fan of the fastest growing sport in the world - Mixed Martial Arts.
Sean Kirschner
Amazon.com Customer Review
April, 2008
In "Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts" (Victory Belt, 2008) author Kelly Crigger spends the better part of a year living the life of a ronin, bouncing between MMA gyms searching for an answer to that elusive question, "Why do fighters fight?" It's no spoiler to say that he never finds a definitive answer, but rather a hornet's nest of various individual motivations and desires. What "Title Shot" does best is capture the very special vibe found in each of these schools of hard knocks. From the odd culture clash of Boston and Bangkok coming together at Sityodtong in Massachusetts to the open arms of Greg Jackson's fraternal environment in Albuquerque to the hard-nosed work ethic found at Team Quest in Portland, the unique and oftentimes regional flavor of each locale is fascinating. Crigger, a regular contributor to Real Fighter magazine, infuses his experiences with a wry sarcasm that never veers into cynicism. Like most MMA fans he is a sucker for a good story, and each chapter is packed with small-albeit often funny and sometimes poignant-details about the trainers and athletes he encounters.
Mike Carlson
Real Fighter Magazine
Kelly Crigger – an Army officer like [Randy] Couture – spent a year traveling to several of the most well-known MMA camps in the country, including Greg Jackson’s MMA, Team Quest, American Top Team and more, in an effort to get inside the heads of fighters and find out what makes them tick. During his journey, Crigger spent time with big names in the sport like Rashad Evans, Kenny Florian and Dana White in their own environments, catching them not as a reporter but as a curious acquaintance interested in their candid take on their chose occupation. Title Shot is an interesting journey through the gyms of MMA.
Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
August, 2008
Kelly Crigger’s book Title Shot is out and is well worth buying. Putting this book in context with the other MMA books like Fighter’s Heart and No Holds Barred this book encompasses much more of the scene as a whole and my subjective first response was “dammit, he beat me to it”. Crigger didn’t stay behind a computer and log talk time on his phone; he stayed at many of the gyms that produce the fighters for UFC, EliteXC, and IFL. Team Quest, Cesar Gracie’s gym, Renzo Gracie’s gym, Jackson’s MMA, ATT, and Sityodtong were all visited in his quest to understand not only why people fight but why “normal” people view fighters and fight fans the way they do. Crigger also takes an interesting military perspective using his background as an Army Lieutenant Colonel to for instance compare and contrast David Terrell’s training to that of Army Rangers or entry-level fighters to privates, angles that seem obvious but Crigger with his background can expand upon to nail the point home to the non-fighters. This is possibly the only MMA book I’ve read I’d recommend to family and friends that shun the violence but want to understand those who do like MMA. Buy two copies because once you are done reading it you’ll want to loan it out but are unlikely to get it back again.
Keith Mills
Abu Dhabi Combat Club
July, 2008
Author Kelly Crigger does a phenomenal job of depicting these athletes candidly and in their own environment. He captures the indomitable spirit it takes to compete in MMA, but also the manages to convey the various personalities of the fighters he meets. It is obvious Crigger is a fan of the sport but he doesn't get all starry-eyed and fanboyish about the MMA stars he comes across. Title Shot is funny and insightful and a must-read for any MMA fan.
Alabasterdisaster
Amazon.com customer review
July 2008
“Title Shot” is the rare book that combines the author's unique blend of humor and passion for MMA to deliver equally to the hardcore fans and the novice learning about the sport. Crigger wanted an inside look to see what makes MMA tick, so he devoted a year to gaining the answers. He traveled to five separate camps, the IFL Finals, the Modern Army Combatives Tournament and UFC 78. Each time he hung out with the fighters and trainers, even getting a two-hour interview with UFC President Dana White. Throughout the book, Crigger blends just enough history on the sport to educate the novice without overwhelming the expert. But the most unique facet of this book is his insight into the personal side of the sport. He spent his time in the camps really getting to know the fighters and what drives them. This insight, coupled with some of the funniest sarcasm I've ever read, makes “Title Shot” a superb read.
Greg Sierra
Amazon.com customer review
July 2008
The book was fast paced, witty, humorous and frank in its treatment of the controversial and highly popular combative sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Mr. Crigger got deep into the inner workings of these world class athletes as well as their lives and motivations. His treatment of the athletes was candid and surprisingly humane. His time in the army as a high ranking officer and special forces operator makes his macho voice all the more astute due to his knowledge of the human behavior of tough guys. It was an informative and fun read. I have been involved with MMA from its inception back in 1994 and this is the first book I have read to honestly put a face on what is fast becoming a world wide venue filler.
Bill Curry
Amazon.com Customer Review
July 2008
As the proud owner of a rare, advanced copy of “Title Shot”, I feel compelled to write about this essential piece for the MMA fan. Not since George Plimpton has an author produced such an entertaining inside account of a professional sport. Kelly Crigger expertly recounts a tale of the grueling, unforgiving life of the career mixed martial artist, as he travels the country visiting the gyms that have produced some of the most successful fighters in the world. The pages are filled with detailed and unabashed descriptions of these venues (The gym was literally a basement… could have been a brothel for inner-city Hobbits and wrong-side-of-the-tracks Smurfs at one time); self-effacing confessions (I arrived sweaty and stinking like Bill Clinton after a box of Macanudo cigars); and irreverent quips about some of the most dangerous men on the planet [He (Kenny Florian) looked like a band camp geek who was only a horn-rimmed pair of glasses away from Louis Skolnik]. After working his way through these camps, Crigger goes behind the scenes at the IFL Finals, the Army's Modern Army Combatives Tournament, and UFC 78 to uncover and disclose the most sensitive issues of the day in MMA and provides the reader a peek into the future of the sport. A thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, and educational read for both the newcomer and the most rabid fan of the fastest growing sport in the world - Mixed Martial Arts.
Sean Kirschner
Amazon.com Customer Review
April, 2008
Copyright © 2008 Kelly Crigger. All Rights Reserved.