To The Top

Fiaz Rafiq

Description

When it comes to sports and entertainment, the glitz and the glamour of celebrity life, most of us only aspire to gain something small such as an autograph. Few of us ever have the chance to sit down with stars and discuss their lives, or rub shoulders with those closest to them. Being up close and personal with UFC, boxing and entertainment stars is just part of journalist Fiaz Rafiq's daily routine. He's worked closely with some of the most revered champions and pioneers of UFC. In this gripping memoir he shares riveting behind-the-scenes stories of the top MMA and boxing champions and legends, their gritty beginnings and their most triumphant moments. The result is the culmination of over two decades of work , gaining the trust and confidence of the greatest fighters and personalities in MMA and combat sports. To the Top is a fascinating odyssey, a compelling tale of triumph despite insurmountable odds. It uncovers the hidden history of the most brutal combat sport on the planet.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• USA
• United States of America
• News
• Memoir
• Martial arts
• Boxing
• Xian de Boxing
• États-Unis
• Reportage

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 26 avril 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781785319273
• Langue: English

Extrait

This is a gripping memoir which doubles up as an insightful deep dive into the world of entertainment and sports by a journalist who identified the phenomenon of MMA fighting as well as one man s journey to discover who he really is.
Halina Watts ( Sunday Mirror )
Fiaz Rafiq and I bonded over Bruce Lee. His interview-heavy books on Lee, Muhammad Ali Arnold Schwarzenegger and pioneering coverage of full combat cage sports was impressive. Like Lee, he was a small-boned kid, and saw martial arts as an avenue. His passion became his life s work as a writer. No one else covers MMA with such insight. Now, he spins out his unlikely life story with entertaining energy, verve, sincerity and passion.
Alex Ben Block ( The Hollywood Reporter - former editor - veteran showbiz journalist)
An inspiring story of a kid who discovered his path in life - and success - through his passion for Bruce Lee and the martial arts. Highly recommended.
Matthew Polly ( New York Times bestselling authour)
Fiaz knows exactly how to get to the heart of every story seamlessly - and telling his own is no different. A must read for fans of combat sports, MMA and Hollywood.
Ellie Henman ( The Sun )
He (Fiaz) studies his subjects and does his homework so much that he can t go wrong. Fiaz studies the person - like he studied about me, Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and all those guys. And he knows more about the person than the person knows about himself.
Royce Gracie (Three-time UFC champion/legend)

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2021
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Fiaz Rafiq, 2021
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Any oversight will be rectified in future editions at the earliest opportunity by the publisher.
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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 9781785318856
eBook ISBN 9781785319273
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CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
1. Crazy Obsessions
2. It s a Man s World
3. Feeling Despondent
4. The American Dream
5. Enter the Gracies
6. Returning to Los Angeles
7. Enter the Journalist
8. UFC Assignment
9. Realer than the UFC
10. The Giants
11. Hollywood, Here We Come!
12. Home Sweet Home
13. MMA Hits the Mainstream
14. Ringside Brock The Beast Lesnar
15. UFC 105 Encounters
16. Boxing Vs UFC: The Tyson-Gracie Challenge
17. UFC, Royals Rich Arabs
18. Mike, Managers Me
19. Muhammad Ali Encounters
20. From Martial Arts to Movie Magic
21. I ll Be Back
22. From Hospitality to MMA Chaos
23. Adventures in New York
24. Las Vegas
25. Canada: MMA Mad
26. The Massive MMA Fiasco
27. I m No Terrorist
28. From Racism to Road Rage
29. Mr Rocky
30. Bruce Lee: Enter the Ring
31. Enter the Octagon
32. Old School Meets New
33. Challenging Conor McGregor
34. Tough Man Tales
35. Notorious
36. Meeting with an Underworld Figure
37. The Perils of Sports Fame
38. Michael, Matt Martial Arts
39. A New Direction: New World
40. Flying High
41. A Tumultuous Year
Epilogue
Afterword
Acknowledgements
Photos
FOREWORD
I VE KNOWN Fiaz for a long time, for more than 24 years to be precise, since 1996 when he first visited the Gracie Academy in Los Angeles, California as a 20-year-old and became my student. That s how far back we go. Subsequently, whenever he visited Los Angeles, he would occasionally take private lessons with me on a one-on-one basis. I don t believe in good students and bad students, but in good teachers and bad teachers. If I m a good teacher, then a student will learn.
Despite Fiaz s long-term enthusiasm for the martial arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he eventually gravitated towards and forged a professional career in journalism, focusing on combat sports and entertainment in the literary world. He s been around the arts for a long time, particularly as a sportswriter dedicated to promoting the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), professional fighters and world champions.
MMA has been labelled the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it has certainly presented endless opportunities for different businesses, gyms, fighters, fans, judges and magazines, culminating in the mainstream media taking a keen interest in what was once labelled human cockfighting . Fiaz has been a part of the effort to legitimise MMA from the outset, and always helped publicise my seminars and anything I was promoting via coverage in the press. Hey, Royce, he would say, when barely anyone knew about MMA. Is there anything you would like to promote in the magazine? He has always supported me - I can t say enough good things about that.
Another thing Fiaz brings from martial arts is a strong work ethic. He creates work of a high calibre because he s utterly resolute in his approach. He always researches his subjects with devotion, and, by putting in the time and effort by doing his homework, he can t go wrong. Fiaz studies the person - just as he studied me, Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and all those guys - and produces commendable results.
Ever since I ve known him he s invariably spoken with great pride and optimism about the late Bruce Lee. He would say to me with great conviction that if Bruce Lee, who was already researching MMA, was alive today he would have embraced Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Fiaz devoted an inordinate amount of time to researching Bruce Lee s life and he knows everything about the man. He literally knows more about him than the late master knew about himself. I remember joking with him, saying I can t stand the fact I m number two on his list of heroes after Bruce Lee. I told him I should be his number one.
We never fail to inject a dose of humour when we get together, especially whenever he s in Los Angeles or we re talking over the phone. He had a tendency to complain about being subjected to terrifying ordeals at the American airports because of his religious background. Consequently I used to tease him about that all the time. Recently I was showing some of my students in America one of the videos Fiaz sent me of him praying in the street. They all thought it was amusing. They were like, Man, that guy s crazy. I said, He doesn t care, he just dropped down in the street and started praying.
Indeed, these days it s very hard to find individuals who you can call real friends because it s not out of the ordinary for people to have ulterior motives - they are looking for something in return. True friendship is not easy to find and sustain. But Fiaz has been a good friend of mine for many years now. I know that if I need anything I can count on him day or night. I m very pleased he s written his memoir showcasing his journey as a journalist, because having worked with, been around, interviewed and written about a plethora of fascinating figures he has compelling insights to share with the world.
Royce Gracie
UFC legend
PREFACE
WHEN I first began my career in journalism, never in a million years did I envisage that one day I would be writing my memoir. Even a few years later, when I had already had the opportunity to explore and write about the colourful lives of some of the world s biggest sporting and Hollywood action heroes, it never really dawned on me that I would share my own journey. It was only after almost two decades in my chosen career that I started to consider myself alongside other notable journalists who I saw releasing their memoirs and autobiographies - many were from the political fraternity, but a few had written their own acclaimed and award-winning combat sports-related memoirs. Matthew Polly (a Bruce Lee biographer and martial arts enthusiast) and Davis Miller (a Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee biographer) were huge inspirations for my own writing, but also made me consider whether other people might find value in reading about my life, just as I had read about theirs.
Before embarking on the project of encapsulating my life experiences, though, I asked myself, Why would I want to write and share my story? This wasn t a hard question to answer, for two key reasons. Firstly, having worked closely with many famous individuals I have a great deal to share, from the anecdotes they shared in our interviews and personal conversations to the details of their lives I ve never had the space to recount before. Secondly, coming from a humble background where facing prejudice was a daily hurdle, I felt that my story of beating the odds to become a successful writer and reach the top could inspire others facing their own struggles.
For almost as long as I can remember, my ultimate aspiration has been to become a professional writer and author, but the forum I found to explore my craft came from another place. My voracious appetite for the written word developed alongside an almost unhealthy obsession with the fighting arts, something I pursued for much of my youth. Eventually, my interest lead me to holding the prestigious position of chief columnist and features writer for the number-one martial arts magazine, Martial Arts Illustrated - a post that gave me unprecedented access to many warriors and athletes, helping me to forge friendships with some historically significant names in combat sports. And, eventually, my dream of working alongside some of the UFC champions was one th