Doug Merlino takes us from the cage to the training gyms to the fighters' living rooms in a character-driven examination of the world's fastest-growing sport: MMA.
Beast follows four high-level fighters at the gym American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. Author Doug Merlino had unprecedented access, training alongside the men for two years, traveling to their matches, and eating in their homes.
Mirsad Bektic is a young Bosnian refugee who started in karate as a boy in Nebraska and dreams of stardom. Jeff Monson is a battered veteran at forty-one, an outspoken, tattooed anarchist enjoying a bizarre burst of celebrity in Russia. Steve Mocco is a newcomer--a former Olympic wrestler from a close-knit, intellectual family. Finally, there's Daniel Straus, an ex-con who has fought his way from nothing up to title contention. All will experience electrifying highs and career lows, and Merlino is there every step of the way. But along with blood-spattered front-row access, Merlino brings us a blunt examination of the history, culture, business, and meaning of professional cage fighting.
Beast is a book for both the uninitiated and the hard-core fan, a fascinating journey into an often misunderstood world.
