Fight Game by Alistair Hendrie

Today's author interview on the GSMC Book Review Podcast is a little different from previous interviews because the book falls into a genre I don't normally talk about:  Sports Non-Fiction.  Which, frankly, is awesome.  I keep saying as I go through this process that I enjoy being exposed to and reading books I might not otherwise read. Fight Game: The Untold Story of Women's MMA in Britain by Alistair Hendrie isn't necessarily a book I would pick up for a little light reading.  I actually watch MMA, Women's MMA in particular.  I didn't used to.  I'm not a huge sports fan, and Mixed Martial Arts didn't seem like something I would ever watch.  Then I got married to a man who did Martial Arts and boxed in college and who watched a variety of combat sports.  I started watching it with him, and while I'm not sure I would watch it on my own, I have grown to appreciate many of the women who participate in the sport, and I am learning about the strategy involved in this complex sport.

But enough about me.  When Alistair contacted the Women's MMA Podcast about possibly doing an interview to promote his book, Tate (the host of the WMMA and MMA Podcast) and I readily agreed.  We asked if we could put the interview on all 3 podcasts, and had a really great time chatting with Alistair from his home in Reading, UK, even though we had major Skype technological problems.

Source

When Rosi Sexton fought Alexis Davis in 2013, she made history and became the first British woman to compete in the UFC.  FIGHT GAME reveals how Britain's female fighters broke down barriers, offering interviews from stars such as Sexton and the UFC's Joanne Calderwood.

With its intimate take on the grow of the scene, landmark moments and the personalities within the sport, FIGHT GAME is an inspiring tale of dedication, sacrifice, and, ultimately, acceptance. (Source)

As I said, this isn't my usual genre, but I do always love learning new things, and I was amazed at what my brief foray in to the world of Women's MMA had already taught me.  You can tell Alistair is passionate about this sport through his writing, and Fight Game gives a great overview of Women's MMA in Britain, especially showing how the earliest women to join the sport had to struggle to gain a foothold. The book details the evolution of MMA as a sport as well as the evolution of the roles of women fighters within that sport.

Genres:

• Sports
• Non-Fiction
• Women's MMA

What I enjoyed:

• How Alistair's passion for the sport and the people involved in the sport clearly shows in his writing.
• Learning more about a group of fighters I was not that familiar with.
• Learning more about the evolution of MMA as a whole, Women's MMA more particularly, and Women's MMA in Britain most especially.

Who should read Fight Game?

• Fans of MMA, especially Women's MMA.
• Even if you aren't currently a fan but are curious about the sport, this book would give you a good introduction to the world.
• Fans of Sports Non-Fiction.

Quotes:

• "Whenever I asked Britain's earliest female fighters about their MMA debuts, I heard variations of the same response - they didn't have a clue what they were doing.  British women were still working out the sport but more crucially, the sport was also struggling to find its identity."
• "The women's scene was still growing and as Sexton attested, women would suffer from lack of competitive, sustainable matchups, which in turn led to inactivity.  'In order to get picked up by an international promotion, women needed to have a record against decent opponents.  Accumulating that was a real problem because you'd have limited people to fight.  You'd have girls where, if they were a male fighter with the same level of dedication, commitment and training, they'd be 6-0 or 7-0. But simply because they were female they might have struggled to get their first or second fight.'" -Rosi Sexton

Where you can find Alistair online:

If you want to read an excerpt of the book and learn a little more you can do so here: http://ahendriesportsjourno.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/rosi-sexton-discusses-humble-beginnings.html

Website: http://ahendriesportsjourno.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: @allyh84

Author Bio:

Source

Alistair Hendrie is a freelance sports journalist with experience writing for publications such as Boxing News, Mirror.co.uk, Fighters Only and MMA Plus. (Source)