January 11th, 2012 
Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts
They fight in decrepit boxing gyms in the Bronx and Brooklyn, or on mats in hidden martial arts schools in Midtown Manhattan and Queens, each of them warriors in the truest sense of the word. In New York, where ultimate fighting (a.k.a. “mixed martial arts” or “human cockfighting”, depending on who you ask) is banned, there exists a culture of a combat, a secret society populated by saintly thugs, mean-spirited pugilists, college students, tough guy wannabes and borderline psychotics, and in surreptitious events like the Underground Combat League they assemble for battle. Then they wage war.
Superstars like Forrest Griffin and Georges St. Pierre fight in sold-out arenas in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and London, fight before thousands in the full, warm embrace of state sanctioning and earn enough to buy new houses and cars and gigantic flat-screen televisions. But the real heroes are those in the trenches, in places where mixed martial arts is vulgar like a curse word. Those men are fighting in gyms or in basements, in the worst neighborhoods imaginable, before at most a hundred spectators, doing the illegal for no money, for no reasons other than a moment of glory and the sheer love of the sport. RAW COMBAT is their story.
RAW COMBAT takes you deep within the underground world of mixed martial arts, providing access to a realm few ever see and insight into the modern gladiators that exist there. There’s James, the aspiring fighter from Long Island on a collision course with Mike, an instructor under Tiger Schulmann. There’s Kaream, the pro fighter fallen from grace. There’s Kimbo Slice, the most successful underground fighter ever, and of course there’s Peter Storm, the man behind New York City’s illicit fight circuit. RAW COMBAT introduces you to them all, and gives you an unprecedented up-close and personal look at their lives and struggles – and the secret world they exist in.
List Price: $ 14.95
Price: $ 6.92
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In a word, OUTSTANDING!,
If you’re into MMA, if you like reading, if you like pictures, if you like the untold stories of underground fighting, heck if you like anything; this book is for you. I couldn’t put down this book, a page-turner from start to finish, where you glean the insiders prospective on what it takes to make a name for yourself on the unsanctioned fight scene. This book takes you on an insiders journey of the who’s who, and who’s next with a raw, unbiased look at what it’s like give it everything you have for the sake of competition, and finding out what you’re made of.
From the unknown, to the present day light weight champion in the UFC, the author gives the reader a story, the true story, of everything you won’t find out in the newspaper about the Mixed Martial Arts scene in New York, and New Jersey. Who was and is behind it, and why they did/do it.
I strongly reccomend this book to anyone, it is masterfully written by one of the best reporters involved in MMA today.
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|Hard Hitting and Fascinating Book on Underground MMA,
Decades from now, long after MMA has been sanctioned and “legalized” in New York State, the tales and history of the mysterious and hidden world of Underground MMA would have long been forgotten … but for this book right here. Having personally attended and photographed just about every NYUCL show since the beginning of the promotion (I was originally tipped off to its existance by the Author himself), I can say without hesitation that Jim Genia has masterfully illustrated the smokey and hard hitting nuances surrounding the gritty unforgiving world of Underground Mixed Martial Arts in New York City.
Genia takes you through the emotional and brain bruising journeys of some of the East Coast’s most and least promising MMA athletes, including Frankie Edgar, current LW Champion of the UFC who had his first fight in Peter Storm’s Underground Show. Quick witted and deadly accutate this quintessential story of northeast MMA is a must-read for any fan of MMA and/or Human Cockfighting.
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