The 8 Best MMA history books

Although learning how to fight is a good skill, it’s also physically exhausting and takes a certain type of person to push their body to the limits. For everyone else, there’s the option of watching MMA through the lens of a viewer. In fact, this is the case for most people who watch MMA, having no previous involvement in fighting or martial arts.

With this in mind, the history of MMA is very interesting and if you want to learn more about MMA culture then there are a number of interesting books to choose from. Whilst many modern MMA fans focus on UFC, it’s important to remember that before this – MMA was huge in Japan and it wasn’t always an easy road to reach the polished product that MMA produces today.

Remember, this list is based on the history and culture surrounding MMA. What it isn’t based on is MMA fighting strategies or techniques. We actually have a separate book list on how to fight effectively, but that is for another day.

So, if you’d like to learn more about the historical parts of MMA and how it came to be, then these books will make for interesting reading.

Blood In The Cage by Pat Miletich

Ex-UFC champion Pat Miletich gives a unique insight into the fight game and pens a surprisingly good book. Often, MMA fighters are seen as knuckleheads – but Miletich is far from this stereotype. In this book, Miletich charts his rise from a tough upbringing into a champion. Over the years, there have been plenty of MMA autobiographies and most of them are fairly similar.

However, Blood In The Cage is probably the best-written MMA biography around and is done with great details. Although MMA fighting can be seen as glamorous, it’s actually very tough and gritty – which Miletich captures perfectly whilst highlighting what the UFC was like during his era.

Before A Fall by Lee Daly

Lee Daly is a martial artist himself, who dug deep into the rise and fall of the iconic Japanese MMA organization, PRIDE. Once at the forefront of MMA, it eventually ran into financial troubles and even had Yakuza involvement.

These days, PRIDE is seen as an MMA treasure and a throwback to when MMA was more mysterious and exciting. Here, Daly interviews key figures in the PRIDE scene such as Bas Rutten, Dan Severn, and others as well as giving his documentation of how PRIDE grew rapidly, before ultimately collapsing in on itself. There aren’t too many PRIDE books, but this is a must if you love the PRIDE era.

No Holds Barred by Clyde Gentry III

Moving to more of a US-based read, Gentry III looks at the birth of MMA fighting in the USA. Specifically, he focuses on the 90s which was when it was just starting to grow and was a key part of the sport’s history. Here, he looks at cage fighting in the back of bars, seedy venues, and events that lacked rules.

He then goes through the history to the point where the UFC helped change the face of MMA. Overall, it’s a very well-researched book which is a great read if you’re an MMA history book. It’s also backed up by hundreds of interviews (literally) which really give you an insight into how times were so different back when MMA fighting had more of a brutal, raw feel to it.

Total MMA by Johnathan Snowden

If you really want to understand the background and culture of MMA, then Total MMA by Johnathan Snowden does a fantastic job at explaining everything. This book was written in 2008 and is basically an MMA encyclopedia up until that point.

Snowden documents the growth of MMA in Asia, an Italian mafia family’s involvement in the UFC, game-changing TV deals, and how senator John McCain tried to get the sport banned. In brief, it’s a wild ride and is a very fun book. Snowden also looks at some of the lives of top MMA stars outside of the octagon, also showing how they can lead very troublesome lives at times and how this mimics the crazy growth and lifestyle of MMA.

Into The Cage The Rise Of UFC Nation by Nick Gullo

As the title of this book suggests, it’s pretty UFC-centric and doesn’t look at other MMA promotions. If you’re ok with this, then read on. Anyway, this book begins with the story of the Gracie family in Brazil who helped promote BJJ and fighting in the earlier UFC events. Gullo then moves to the early 90s when the UFC began and then its growth from there onwards.

This book also focuses on the main characters that helped build popularity around the UFC, including Dana White, Joe Rogan, and fighters such as the Diaz brothers and GSP. In other words, it delves deep into the culture and characters that helped turn a dream into a billion-dollar business.

Fightonomics by Reed Kuhn

Although Fightonomics isn’t an MMA history book per se, it’s still massively interesting and unique. Here, author Kuhn runs through the statistics and data involved with MMA, by specifically looking at the UFC. In other words, he’s fine-combed the numbers on what makes fights won and lost.

For instance, here readers will learn what methods most likely lead to victory and how certain styles can go differently against other styles. Put another way, this book isn’t for everyone or MMA casuals. You will need to appreciate maths to enjoy this book and it read almost like a school textbook. However, it’s also very interesting and shows how numbers are more relevant in fighting than you may think.

Let’s Get It On! By John McCarthy

When it comes to MMA and the UFC, very few will have a better insight on things compared to John McCarthy. ‘Big John’ as he’s known was there from the start and was the main referee in UFC 1, back in 1993. Since then, the sport grew rapidly and so did his reputation. After a career spanning decades, he now commentates for Bellator.

This book doesn’t just look at history either, McCarthy also recalls some of his most memorable moments in the octagon. Ultimately, it’s a blend of storytelling about the UFC story as well as personal memoirs. This is from a good, reliable perspective which also offers a unique insight into the fight business.

Ali Vs. Inoki by Josh Gross

If you didn’t know, back in 1976, Muhammad Ali had an MMA fight with Japanese wrestler, Antonio Inoki. This was possibly the first-ever professional MMA fight in modern times. The fight can actually be found on Youtube and for the most part, it was pretty uneventful. It seems that both fighters didn’t really know the rules, with Inoki lying on the floor, trying to lure Ali into a grappling exchange. Whilst on his feet, Ali would swing at Inoki looking for a knockout.

Anyway, author Josh Gross documents this fight as a starting point for MMA. Here, he goes into detail about the finances behind the fight and the cultural impact it had. Under 20 years later the UFC was invented – but it was probably the Japanese and wrestlers like Inoki who helped herald MMA to a wider audience.