The author of American Shaolin tells a hilarious and fascinatinginsider'saccount of mixed martial arts, the fastest growing sportin thecountry. Since the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993,mixedmartial arts (MMA) has punched, kicked, and wrestled its wayintothe public's consciousness. MMA is an often brutal sportthatcombines any and every unarmed fighting technique with puregrit.Today, the gross yearly profits of UltimateFightingChampionship-the sport's premier professional league-exceedthat ofprofessional wrestling, boxing, and even the Boston Red Sox.In Tapped Out, Matthew Polly gives readers his on-thegroundtake of training and fighting in MMA. At the age of thirty-six, Polly was out of shape andtotallyunprepared for what was ahead: a grueling journey throughleadingMMA training facilities in Bangkok, St. Petersburg, Rio deJaneiro,New York, and Las Vegas. After being utterly beaten downand builtback up, he fought his first match against a fighternearly fifteenyears younger-and not only won, but sent his opponentto thehospital. Polly intersperses his own narrative with thehistory andbackground of fighting and interviews with top UFC starssuch asGSP, Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, and Gina Carano.Evocativeof George Plimpton's classic Paper Lion, Polly's honest, funny, and eye-opening accountofhis experiences will appeal to the millions of devoted MMA fanswhoare as hardcore as the sport itself.
