I appear on the Fight Network show Five Rounds to discuss Anderson Silva. Scroll to 17:05 to see my segment on the show:
Tag Archive: Brian J. D’Souza
Many thanks to Chris Leslie of MMAFrenzy.com for giving Pound for Pound a great review:
The book’s opening section on UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre seems particularly relevant in the wake of his recent title defense at UFC 158 and the attacks on the champ’s persona by opponent Nick Diaz.
If you recall the lead-up to UFC 158, Nick Diaz made assertions that St-Pierre had an easy life, saying that he was “pampered,” etc. This, of course, could not be further from the truth regarding Georges St-Pierre’s true beginnings.
Also worth reading, is a great interview that I did with Leslie, made all the better by his educated questions:
MMAFrenzy.com: One of the most fascinating personalities in the book, to me, was that of Fedor Emelianenko’s former manager Miro Mijatovic. What was it like hearing this story?
Brian D’Souza: Miro Mijatovic appeared on the debut episode of the Spike TV show MMA Uncensored that aired on February 23, 2012. This was the first time he really talked to the public about what had gone on in Japan regarding his management of Fedor, Cro Cop and the fall of PRIDE. My own personal takeaway was that Mijatovic had remarkable business acumen, not only in securing the best financial deals possible for his clients, but also in working to increase the amount of leverage and security the fighters he promoted would have well into the future. Like “Tall Poppy Syndrome,” sometimes your reward for high achievement is for people to come at you and try to destroy you, which is what happened to Mijatovic. The Al Capone character in The Untouchables has his famous line, “When you got an all-out prizefight, you wait until the fight is over, one guy is left standing. That’s how you know who won.” PRIDE is dead, but despite the contracts that were put on his life, Miro Mijatovic is still alive.
Many thanks to Matt Kaplowitz from TheFightNerd.com for not only doing a Q & A with me about the making of Pound for Pound: The Modern Gladiators of Mixed Martial Arts, but also in giving the book a stellar review.
I enjoyed the section on BJ Penn, as he has been part of the sport from a very early time, and became a major player quickly. Here, we learn about the meteoric rise of the Hawaiian native and get some insight on some of his biggest fights and moments in the UFC. GSP’s section is also very revealing, and shows readers the different emotional states that the current UFC welterweight champ has gone through before he became the dominant fighter he is now. Fans who have heard other fighters call St. Pierre a “mental midget” or other names will now understand just why he was insulted like that, and how he has matured and grown since then (which I found more interesting than reading about his fights). The chapter that I think all fans will love (and must read) is the part on Fedor Emelianenko, which was meticulously researched and will shock fans with some of the stories not about “The Last Emperor”, but about the final days of Pride FC. I would love to tell you more, but they would be huge spoilers, so you need to read it for yourself!
Read the entire review at TheFightNerd.com here: http://www.thefightnerd.com/pound-for-pound-the-modern-gladiators-of-mixed-martial-arts-book-review/
Television, radio and internet personality “Showdown” Joe Ferraro had a chat with me that appeared on his radio show. I did the second and third segments of the show after UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s current head trainer Firas Zahabi.
The book and part of the radio interview were aired on the Sportsnet television program UFC Connected. This can be heard at 4:48 in the video here: http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/ufc/ufc-central-mar-25-part-i/
Showdown Joe Ferraro and two of his guests
Pound for Pound: 