Fiaz Rafiq - Champions of the Octagon: One-on-One with MMA and UFC Greats

Copyright 2022 by Fiaz Rafiq

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Jacket design by David Ter-Avanesyan

Jacket photographs: Getty Images

Print ISBN: 978-1-68358-442-1

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-443-8

Printed in the United States of America

Praise for Fiaz Rafiq

An impressive collection of first-hand testimony from friends, rivals, contemporaries, scribes and his closest family illuminate Ali for a new generation while rekindling the memories for those that have always known he was The Greatest.

New York Daily News (for Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend)

Few can deliver the details and perspective that Fiaz Rafiq achieves in his exhaustive oral history covering all aspects of Schwarzeneggers epic life and career. This is the hard work of a dogged professional journalist.

Alex Ben Block, former editor of the Hollywood Reporter (for Arnold Schwarzenneger: The Life of a Legend)

Yet despite the sheer volume of Ali books, Rahaman Ali (and Fiaz Rafiq) succeeds in telling us things we didnt already know about his brother, a man the Guinness Book of World Records decided in 1980 had surpassed Lincoln, Napoleon and Jesus Christ to become the most written-about figure in human history.

USA Today (for My Brother, Muhammad Ali: The Definitive Biography)

There have been hundreds of books on Bruce Lee since his shocking death in 1973, including my own. However, Fiaz Rafiqs oral history still punches and kicks into new territory.

Alex Ben Block, former editor of the Hollywood Reporter (for Bruce Lee: The Life of a Legend)

An inspiring story of a kid who discovered his path in lifeand successthrough his passion for Bruce Lee and the martial arts. Highly recommended.

Matthew Polly, New York Times bestselling author (for To the Top, a.k.a. Fighting Against the Odds)

Dedicated to Rorion Gracie, the creator of the UFC.
If it was not for Rorion, the sport of MMA and the stars and champions the UFC has created would not exist. Now its a worldwide phenomenon, and one of the most fascinating sports in the world.

FOREWORD

MY BROTHER BROUGHT the UFC concept from Brazil to the United States. My father had been fighting in no-holds-barred competitions for a long time in Brazil. People in America, and all over the world, have always been curious to see who the best fighter in the world is. There was no such thing as an MMA fighterthis did not exist. It all started when the UFC was introduced. From the beginning it was one man representing his martial arts style against another. Today, everybody is an all-round fighter. You see strikers practicing grappling and the grapplers implementing striking into their game. The sport of MMA has come a long way to get to where it is today. Its not something that suddenly cropped up yesterday. The sport is, no doubt, going to grow even further.

This book is a great concept. Fiaz has compiled a good book for anybody interested in knowing whos who in the sport, which includes both the early fighters and the new generation of fighters.

Royce Gracie, three-time UFC champion and MMA legend

FOREWORD

OVER THE YEARS the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA)in particular the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)has exploded from a cult following sport to a mainstream phenomenon, with all major forms of media covering the sport from newspapers, magazines, ESPN, TV, and the internet. This is the fastest growing sport in the world. The sport has helped transform martial artists and fighters from regular hardworking fighters in the martial arts to bona-fide celebrities and household names.

In the early years people didnt give the sport and the fighters the respect they deserved, often disregarding them as thugs. Common misconceptions were UFC fighters being perceived as someone straight from a barstool into a fight. Thankfully these days with the right exposure the sport has received, the world realizes these fighters are highly trained athletes and experts in several different styles of martial arts disciplines, and world-class athletes in their own rights. From my own personal experiences from being a normal working guy having worked average working-class jobs, The Ultimate Fighter series and the UFC has completely transformed mine and my familys life.

In Champions of the Octagon, you will get to experience a one-on-one conversation with the baddest fighters on the planet. Find out what makes the fighters tick. Find out some of the secrets from their careers. Hear the fighters discuss the highs and the lows of their careers, and find out what it takes to be an ultimate fighter. This book is compiled in a unique way and is definitely a first. In my opinion, for any combat sport or MMA fan this book is a must have. It gives you a true insight into the minds of your favorite fighters.

Michael Bisping, former UFC middleweight champion

INTRODUCTION

WHEN THE FIRST UFC debuted on November 12, 1993, many people and critics were incensed to see two combatants pitted against each other in a cage like the gladiators of the past. There were no rules, protection, weight divisions or time limits. Not surprisingly this led to accusations of brutality, many comparing it to human cockfighting. This was when modern no-holds-barred emerged in popular culture in the West, which had been made famous by the Gracie family in Brazil decades earlier. After many years of struggle in USA, Rorion Graciethe eldest of the famed Gracie brothersrose from obscurity and managed to stage the first ever UFC tournament. It was an instant success. His younger sibling Royce would showcase the extremely effective Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills in the Octagon, beating bigger and stronger adversaries, in the process forever changing the way the world perceived fighting. This planted a seed, the beginning of the sport of MMA, which would take the world by storm and propel Gracies creation to an elevated level for years to come.

It was inevitable the UFC organization would have to reform itselfit had no choice but to adapt to stricter rules. Indeed, athletic commission sanctioned rules. This was imperative for the brutal fight sport to survive and prosper in a civilized society. As a result of overall evolution, professional training camps, improved cutting-edge training methods and a better comprehension of the hybrid disciplines, the participants became well rounded. UFC went from a novelty spectacle to a worldwide phenomenon, ultimately surpassing boxing in America, becoming the most popular combat sport breaking the pay-per-view sport industrys all-time records. It created superstars who are idolized by their legions of fans. Today, the fighters are treated like royalty beyond the confines of the MMA sphere.