Champions of the Octagon

Learn the stories, history, and strategy of the sport's greatest champions—in their own words! Mixed martial arts (MMA) has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. With Dana White helping bring Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to prominence and respectability, some of the greatest fighters today are skipping the squared circle for the octagon. In Champions of the Octagon, writer Fiaz Rafiq interviews many of the greatest MMA and UFC champions of all-time, including Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm, Daniel Cormier, Cris Cyborg, Tito Ortiz, and many others. Readers will learn of their upbringings, their introductions to the sport, and how they worked their way to be the best ever. Spending decades covering the sport and building relationships with those who have fought in the octagon, Rafiq shares never-before-seen interviews and intimate stories from these greats. Learn from Royce Gracie how his family helped bring Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to America, Rashad Evans and his thoughts on the development of the sport, Forrest Griffin on his first professional fight, BJ Penn on how he got introduced to MMA, Brock Lesnar on using his skills from WWE and bringing them to UFC, Holly Holm on dethroning Ronda Rousey, and so much more. For anyone interested in learning the beginnings of MMA and how its champions became household names, Champions of the Octagon pulls back the curtain on their lives and careers. With forewords from Royce Gracie and Michael Bisping, hear never-before-stories from the fighters who helped build the sport to what it is today.