L. Jon Wertheim - Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC

Armbar: Any popular submission technique that isolates and then hyperextends the elbow.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ): The form of jiu-jitsu most relevant to mixed martial arts. This form of ground fighting is based on submission and grappling.

Choke: A hold that usually involves applying pressure to the carotid artery, impeding the flow of oxygen to the brain.

Fishhook: Banned in the UFC, this move entails prying apart an opponents mouth or nostrils with the fingers.

Gi: A traditional Japanese martial arts uniform.

Ground and pound: A technique whereby a fighter takes down an opponent, mounts him, and delivers repeated strikes from close range.

Guard: In the guard position, a fighter wraps his legs around an opponent to gain control. In a closed guard, a fighter locks his legs around the opponent. In an open guard, the feet are unlocked.

Guillotine choke: A choke that is usually applied while standing, when an attacker attempts a takedown and the defender is able to grip the neck.

Heel hook: A leg lock that puts pressure on the knee and ankle joint.

Kimura: A shoulder lock that puts pressure on the shoulder joint.

Knee bar: A submission hold that hyperextends the leg at the knee.

MMA: Mixed martial arts. The generic term for the sport of which the UFC is the dominant brand.

Mount position: A dominant position whereby a fighter straddles his opponent on the ground.

Muay Thai: A form of Thai boxing, the style includes kicks and the strategic use of elbows and knees.

NHB: No-holds-barred, a precursor to the more refined-sounding MMA.

Rear naked choke: A choke executed from behind, once a fighter has taken his opponents back.

Side mount: A position achieved when one fighter is perpendicular to his opponent.

Tapping out: Submitting or surrendering. When a fighter wants to give up, he taps the mat or the opponents body.

Triangle choke: A popular choke executed with the legs.

A S A PPROVED BY THE N EVADA S TATE A THLETIC C OMMISSION , J ULY 23, 2001

Weight classes:

Lightweightover 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.

Welterweightover 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.

Middleweightover 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.

Light Heavyweightover 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.

Heavyweightover 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.

Bout duration: All non-championship bouts shall be three rounds. All championship bouts shall be five rounds. Rounds will be five minutes in duration. A one-minute rest period will occur between each round.

Fouls:

1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8. Small joint manipulation.
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

Ways to Win:

1. Submission by: Physical tap out or verbal tap out.
2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest.
3. Decision via the scorecards, including: Unanimous decision [all judges pick the same fighter as the winner]. Split decision [one judge picks one fighter, the other two judges pick the other fighter]. Majority decision [two of three judges pick the same fighter as the winner]. Draw, including: Unanimous draw, Majority draw, Split draw.
4. Technical decision.
5. Technical draw.
6. Disqualification.
7. Forfeit.
8. No contest.

Referee may Restart the round: If the fighters reach a stalemate and do not work to improve position or finish.

On a disgustingly hot August day, midway through researching this book, I made plans to meet up with Pat Miletich in New Jersey. The International Fight League team he was coaching was competing in an event held in that state. The previous night, Id gotten a call from Eddie Goldman, a classic New Yorker whose knowledge of all combat sports is without parallel. Eddie suffers from four different eye diseases and is unable to drive. Could I give him a lift to the IFL show?

I picked Eddie up in Manhattan at the appointed time, and he asked if I had room in the car for his friend. Sure. Five minutes later, a dignified, attractive African-American woman approached. She introduced herself as Malaak. The Lincoln Tunnel was choked with traffic and, as we idled, we talked about mixed martial arts, the rise of the UFC, the deterioration of boxing. Occasionally Malaaks cell phone would chirp, to the theme song from Hawaii Five-O. Soon shed be back, knowledgeably and passionately discussing the reign of Dana White, the IFLs prospects for survival, and the virtues of learning jiu-jitsu from a real Brazilian.

At one point Malaak casually noted that her father was a believer in martial arts. Eddie interjected, He said, All Negroes should learn judo and karate. Puzzled, I asked Malaak if her father had been a fighter. You could say that, said Eddie. He then let me in on the joke, explaining that Malaaks father was Malcolm X.

Suddenly I felt like I was having one of those bizarre dreams in which former presidents are playing billiards against habanero peppers. How did I end up driving to a mixed-martial-arts show with the inimitable Eddie Goldman riding shotgun and Malcolm Xs daughter in the back seat?

But when I thought about it, it occurred to me that this unlikely tableau said an awful lot about the broad appeal and legitimacy of mixed martial arts. Clearly, MMA was no longer relegated to the underground. A thirty-something magazine writer, a forty-something daughter of a renowned black activist, and a fifty-something Jewish fight fan were crossing state lines to attend an event at the Izod Center, a venue Beyonc was going to play the following night. Wed be watching Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists, former All-American college wrestlers, Japanese strikers. I suspect that, fifteen years earlier, when Pat Miletich was beaded in sweat in an Iowa martial arts studio, pondering a career in this weird, exhilarating renegade sport, hed never have pictured this.

Just as youd be hard-pressed to come up with a more solitary activity than fighting in a cage, youd be similarly challenged to come up with an activity more collaborative than writing a nonfiction book. I relied on the information and recollections of too many people to name here. But why not try at least a partial list?