Excerpt Sports by the Numbers Mixed Martial Arts

Sports by the Numbers Mixed Martial Arts offers an entirely unique format. There are ten chapters and each begins with a compelling introduction followed by one hundred numbers. Chapter one has numbers one through one hundred. Chapter two, 101 to 200, and so on all the way to 1,000!

As a result you get a thousand stats, stories, and oddities about the short and exciting history of MMA: approximately 400 fighters, promotions from the UFC to Elite XC to Cage Rage to PRIDE to Strikeforce, and everything in between. We’ve even managed to work a couple of Playboy Bunnies into the book!

To top it off, there are ten All-Star and five Hall of Fame numbers. Each offering extra content to be found on the Sports by the Numbers site.

Previously, you were able to read the introduction to Chapter Eight. Today, I thought you might like to see some of the numbers. I chose them randomly...

304 Time (3:04) of round five at UFC 39 when Ricco Rodriguez completed a great comeback by gaining a verbal submission due to strikes from heavyweight champion Randy Couture. Rodriguez was beaten early, but caught his second wind late in the fight and eventually overwhelmed Couture. The win gave Rodriguez the belt.

505 Time (5:05) it took George Sotiropoulos to get tired of Shinya Aoki working feverously on his foot for a heel hook at Shooto Champion Carnival. Much of the first round consisted of Aoki going for the submission and apparently George had enough. He began the second round by promptly planting said foot square into the middle of Aoki’s balls. The kick earned Sotiropoulos a DQ.

638 In his first appearance in front of a Western audience, fans got to see Genki Sudo in action for (6:38). At UFC 38 in London on July 13, 2002 Sudo matched up against Leigh Remedios and submitted him with a rear naked choke at 1:38 of round two. Sudo tangled twice more in the Octagon winning one and losing the other. Too bad U.S. fans didn’t get a chance to see more of Sudo.

689 Percentage of leg strikes landed (68.9) between Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum in round two of their fight at UFC 80. After Gonzaga pummeled Werdum with leg kicks in round one landing seven to Werdum’s one. Werdum returned the favor in round two landing 11 leg strikes, ten were knees, to Gonzaga’s nine. The knees led to a TKO victory.

891 James McSweeney, Mark Weir, and Xavier Foupa-Pokam fought for a combined total of (891) seconds and all had a couple of things in common at Cage Rage 24 Feel the Pain. They entered the cage with their own personal rapper(s) and they were all submitted by chokes. Sure it may be cool to enter with your own rapper, but after the CR 24 results maybe it isn’t the best idea!

Look for Sports by the Numbers Mixed Martial Arts to be released in December or January.