No matter what you might think of MMA writer Jonathan Snowden's opinions, that so many people care about what he says is truly something in today's muddled MMA journalism landscape.
Snowden—the author of the well-received Total MMA—has returned with another massive reference guide, The MMA Encyclopedia (ECW Press) which was unleashed on bookshelves last week.
My first impression: "Holy (expletive)...this is a big book!" I don't have the exact weight, but this is a monolith of MMA goodness in softcover format. If you were to fly with it, you might need to check it.
The goal of the book is exactly what the title implicates—an encyclopedia. Laid out in alphabetical format, the book takes the reader through the sport of MMA from A-Z. Highlighting fighters, organizations, trainers, TV networks and more; it would be hard to imagine any major influence—or minor for that matter—in the history of major MMA not being in here.
But the book isn't done in your typical dry encyclopedia reference guide style. Rather, the writing style of Snowden (and co-author Kendall Shields) is put on display with just enough opinion to keep you reading but not too much to turn you off if you're not a fan of their work.
The book is also spiced with plenty of pictures and "In Their Own Words" which features some of the personalities giving quotes on situations cited in their entries.
Entries range from half a page to several pages for the bigger names (think Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Sakuraba). There's also a cool appendix which features historical results through UFC 107 and some quick hit facts that would make for awesome MMA trivia.
While a massive 585 pages might intimidate some, don't fear The MMA Encyclopedia as it's an easy read that doesn't make you work too hard when going through it. With so much content to inhale these days, that's a good thing.
Ideal for those who are relatively new to MMA and could benefit from understanding the past, the book will also please longtime fans who have probably forgot some of what's featured in here.
With The MMA Encyclopedia now on shelves as a great companion to his historical Total MMA, what does Snowden have planned to complete the trilogy?
No matter what, we'll be sure to be talking about it.
Josh Nason is a New England-based freelance MMA journalist that covers live events, has written for FIGHT! Magazine and frequently does radio/podcast appearances. He's currently pushing for ESPN Boston to cover MMA and asks for your help by following him on Twitter for updates.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
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