The MMA Encyclopedia get the job done. It has insightful info on the fighters, the organizations and mma techniques (triangle choke, armbar, omaplate, etc.). The fighter bios is the best part of the book. Some bios are longer than others, it’s based on how signinificant the fighter is to the MMA community. I learned new facts about Rickson Gracie, I didn’t know he had an open challenge in Japan after fighting Takada. While the bios are good, I noticed one mistake. It said that Big Nog lost to Fedor in their second match in Pride FC. Big Nog didn’t lose, it was a draw. This made me wonder what other mistakes they have in the book. I also wished that the technique info was separated into its own category. It’s pretty hard for the newcomers to look for the name of the moves when it’s mixed in with fighter bios.
The encyclopedia has plenty of pictures and almost each page has a detailed event seen through the eyes of the fighters. It ranges from interviews and message board postings. This is a good Christmas present for people new to the MMA game. It’s a good reference when you’re watching an MMA event on tv and you don’t know the fighters are. Learning the background of the fighters makes the fights that much more exciting, unless of course, John Fitch is fighting. I just hope that for the second edition won’t have any wrong info and it’ll easier to navigate.
Grade: B
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