mixed martial arts

Examines the history of female and gender nonconforming fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), their fight for visibility by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and the ways they continue to fight for visibility.

Thirty-something martial arts fighter Xavier Wallace is forced to place his White father in a nursing home after his Alzheimer's progresses to a late stage. Disturbing racist rants from his father help Xavier understand why his Black mother left their family when he was a small boy. Battling his own brain disease as well as a stalled career after he was sidelined for taking an illegal substance, Xavier gets a last chance to redeem his career in a comeback fight. Trying to maintain his focus through memory loss and migraines, Xavier trains for the fight, hoping to win and pay back his trainer Shot, whom he owes a debt.

From age three, McCutcheon Daniels, now sixteen, has been trained in Mixed Martial Arts and must keep winning to feed his five-year-old sister and father, but chance presents an opportunity to get out of the Detroit slums using his brain instead of his fighting skills.

"This book examines the female fighters of mixed martial arts from the first sanctioned women's MMA fight to the first woman to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the biggest upset in UFC history. Bold, dynamic photos, a timeline, a glossary, and informative sidebars enhance the text"--Amazon.com.

"A training guide for the non-professional mixed martial arts athlete, this book provides elite-level information that is easy to follow and readily implemented into a busy life schedule. It covers topics such as strength and conditioning, how to balance workouts with martial arts training, developing a training plan, nutrition, and more"--Provided by publisher.

"This book is a . . . history of mixed martial arts, from ancient fighting sports to the present . . . time. It examines the growth and development of the different sports and features vignettes of . . . moments in fighting history alongside stories of the fighters themselves"--Provided by publisher.

Tim Kennedy has a problem; he only feels alive right before he?s about to die. Kennedy, a Green Beret, decorated Army sniper, and UFC headliner, has tackled a bull with his bare hands, jumped out of airplanes, dove to the depths of the ocean, and traveled the world hunting poachers, human traffickers, and the Taliban. But he?s also the same man who got kicked out of the police department, fire department, and as an EMT, before getting two women pregnant four days apart, and finally, been beaten up by his Special Forces colleagues for, quite simply, ?being a selfish a-hole.? In Scars and Stripes, Kennedy describes how these failures shaped him into the successful businessman and devoted husband and father he is today. Through unbelievably vivid, wild anecdotes Kennedy reveals all the dumb, violent, embarrassing, and undeniably heroic things he?s done in his life, including multiple combat missions in Afghanistan, building a school in Texas for elementary kids, and creating two multimillion-dollar businesses. You will learn that failure isn?t the end?rather it?s the first step towards unearthing the best version of yourself and finding success, no matter how overwhelming the setbacks may feel.

Looks at women in combat sports.

"Hector Morales's father used to be a gold glove champion boxer, but now he's an alcoholic loser. Disappointed by his family, his best friend, and his girlfriend, Hector keeps his chin down, mouth shut, and eyes focused on winning his first professional MMA fight"--Provided by publisher.

Eric lives by his dojo's creed. MMA is his life. When his old girlfriend moves back to town, he feels old stirrings for her, but she shatters everything she believes in.