Beast: Blood, Struggle and Dreams at the Heart of Mixed Martial Arts
Beast started one night when my neighbor’s boyfriend in New York City convinced me to go to a bar and watch a UFC fight with him. It was the first time I’d paid any attention to mixed martial arts fighting. But as we squeezed into the crowded bar and watched pairs of men climb into a cage and pummel each other, I became fascinated. Who were these guys? I wondered. What drew them to this sport? How did this whole thing work?
I ended up connecting with Jeff Monson, an aging fighter known for his strident anarchist views. He trained at a large gym in the South Florida suburbs, which attracted professional fighters from places as far flung as Brazil and Chechnya. I embedded myself at the gym, eventually following four fighters over the course of two years. In addition to Monson, who was beginning a bizarre late-career resurrection as a star in Russia, they included Mirsad Bektic, a Bosnian refugee and top prospect; Daniel Straus, a former Ohio state high school wrestling standout who started cage fighting after a stint of incarceration and had fought his way into title contention; and Steve Mocco, a former NCAA wrestling champion and Olympic competitor looking to break into the sport.
The result is an unvarnished look into the ups and downs of this brutal sport as well as personal reckoning with masculinity, anger and violence.
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Reviews
“[A] gifted writer, [Merlino’s] got me thinking seriously about the history, culture and business of professional cage fighting.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Easily the best book on MMA that I have ever read.” ―Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred
“An intimate portrayal of the world of Mixed Martial Arts . . . Told in a candid and nicely flowing conversational tone, this story will certainly appeal to MMA followers but may also attract a broader range of sports fans, in the manner of John Feinstein’s similar days-in-the-life accounts. The best of the growing collection of MMA literature.” ―starred review, Booklist
“Merlino is able to get into these fighters’ minds and souls to find out what exactly makes them tick. This is as inside a look at MMA as you’re going to get without actually being there yourself. A must-read for MMA fans.” ―MMA Manifesto
“An inside look at the industry of MMA and the humanity of its fighters.” ―Vice
“What makes Beast such a spectacular read, other than the author’s sheer storytelling skill, is that Merlino didn’t simply interview fighters and coaches. He spent two years training alongside them, living with them, and traveling with them to their fights. He met their friends and family. The result is a book that is both profound and, at times, nail-bitingly tense.” ―Century Martial Arts
“This is more than a tour guide of a violent underworld. It is also a philosophic statement about conflict, understanding it, facing it, owning it, dealing with it. A wonderful dark read.” ―Bill Buford, author of AMONG THE THUGS and HEAT
“Beautifully reported and written with rollicking flair, Beast is every bit as electric as the ferocious sport it chronicles. Doug Merlino’s extraordinary book perfectly captures not only the brutal splendor of mixed martial arts, but also the ways in which so many ambitious young men and women seek salvation through controlled violence. By the time you reach the last page, you will be so emotionally invested in each fighter’s turbulent journey that you’ll yearn for a sequel–or, better yet, a trilogy.” ―Brendan I. Koerner, author of THE SKIES BELONG TO US
“A poignant, intimate look at professional fighters and their lives. Merlino pulls you in as he was pulled in; and in the end, understanding is earned, not given.” ―Sam Sheridan, author of A FIGHTER’S HEART and THE FIGHTER’S MIND
“Doug Merlino takes the reader way down into the grain of fighting lives: the gym, the road, the business, the complexities of desire and fear, the spectacle of fight night. A patiently observed, deeply felt book about the craft and meaning of skilled violence.” ―Carlo Rotella, author of CUT TIME: AN EDUCATION AT THE FIGHTS
“One of the best books written on MMA; readers don’t have to be fans of the sport to appreciate this story.” ―Library Journal
“Insightful . . . Merlino provides an enhanced picture for anyone who wants to look past the glitz and glamour of the spotlights presented on television and see the grit and sacrifice required from anyone who wants to step into the octagon.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Merlino consistently captures the grit, determination, and sheer willpower of these hungry warriors . . . Fascinating.” ―Kirkus Reviews