'A seamless combination of sport, entertainmnt, and elightenment...Wertheim has pierced the veil to create an edifying book for die-hard MMA fans and curious bystanders alike.'-Sam Sheridan, author of A Fighter's Heart

Based on unque access to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its rival leagues, Blood in the Cage peers through the chainlink Octagon into the frighteningly seductive world of mixed martial arts. Sports Illustrated senior writer L. Jon Wertheim focuses on Pat Miletich, a mixed martial arts pioneer and five-time UFC champion who runs the most famous MMA training school in the world. Single-handedly Miletich has transformed a gritty town on the banks of the Mississippi into an unlikely hotbed for this sport. He has also transformed many an average Joe into a walking weapon of destruction. Wertheim intertwines Miletich's own life story with the larger story of the incredible rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, from its controversial back-alley roots to the fastest-growing sporting enterprise in America.

'In a book as bracing and forthright as an open-handed slap, Jon Wertheim transcends easy caricature and cheap sensationalism to deliver the first honest journalism about mixed martial arts that this country's ever seen.'-Jeff MacGregor, author of Sunday Money

'A Voltaire said,'That's why they invented the squeegee.' '-David Mamet, author, playwright, and director

L. Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the author of four books, including, most recently, Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler. His work has been featured in the Best American Sports Writing numerous times.

Contents

Introduction
1 The opening bell
2 The seduction
3 The secrets of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
4 Birth of UFC Nation
5 Battle of the masters
6 Fighting solves everything
7 The cult of Pat
8 Defending the belt
9 Great Dana
10 Rematch? What rematch?
11 The heavyweight's heavy weight
12 Tuf enough
13 The MMA Godfather
14 The final round
Glossary
Ultimate Fighting Championship rules
Acknowledgments