Issue 066

September 2010

Randy Couture just got his first ‘piece’ done. When even Captain America is getting inked, you know that to simply tattoo is no longer taboo. So what’s a fight-loving, forward-thinking, body-art aficionado to do? FO has what’s hot and what’s not down at the studio

The message was short but concise: “No longer tabula rasa,” read Randy Couture’s Twitter feed. The Hall of Famer’s cryptic message became clearer when translated: tabula rasa means ‘blank slate’ in Latin. The 48-year-old former champion was letting us know that he had just gotten his first tattoo, a crimson fleur-de-lis with the (also Latin) motto Ferrum Ferro Acuitur (‘Iron Sharpens Iron’). 

Just the act of getting a tattoo is newsworthy for MMA’s golden boy. But there’s more going on at the parlor – new tattoo technology has led to even more intricate designs, and old styles are being revived with a modern twist. With the assistance of top MMA tattoo studio owner John Huntington of Las Vegas’ Huntington Ink, FO surveyed the freshest ink around – and discovered how to make a new tattoo in an established style all the more unique.

ILLUSTRATIVE STYLE

Whether it’s a portrait of a loved one, a gloriously detailed depiction of the famous Colloseum in Rome, or a giant Japanese warrior holding the decapitated head of an enemy, illustrative tattoos are particularly fashionable right now. Usually done in monochrome but equally striking in full color, illustration-style tattoos rely on fine line work and subtle shading to create an almost photo-realistic quality. Popularized by celebrity tattooist Kat Von D (known for her remarkable portraits) illustration tattoos are becoming more popular as tattooing technology improves – fine needles, better inks and lighter, more responsive machines enable artists to inject detail into tattoos like never before. It takes a lot of skill on the tattooist’s part to be able to accurately render a complicated, multi-layered piece of work such as Alessio Sakara’s or Chris Leben’s back-pieces. “The one fighter whose art really impresses me is the Italian with the Roman scene on his back, Sakara – it’s pretty impressive work,” says tattoo studio owner John Huntington. “Chris Leben is working on a samurai holding up the head of an enemy, and Frank Mir is working on a big back-piece right now, with a friend of mine, that’s coming out really clean. Back in the day, Chuck was going to get a big dragon on his back, we just never got around to getting it done.”

AMERICAN RETRO

Norman Keith Collins (1911 – 1973) was better known as ‘Sailor Jerry’. A pioneer of modern tattooing, Collins spent 40 years tattooing servicemen in Honolulu, Hawaii. His creations were pieces of four-color Americana, and often encapsulated roguish virtues such as drinking and carousing. Sailor Jerry tattoos featured traditionally macho motifs like pin-up girls, eagles, hot rods, snakes and classically styled scroll banners. Originally the preserve of sailors and criminals, Sailor Jerry-style tattoos are enjoying a big comeback, using vibrant colors and a contemporary twist. Take a look at Dan Hardy’s classic ‘heart with wings’, Jake Shields’ eagle, or Gray Maynard’s dice for modern-day examples of resurrected counter-culture. 

RELIGIOUS ICONOGRAPHY

The Octagon can be a lonely place. Knowing the big guy upstairs is in your corner helps overcome the odds. The traditional folded hands motif is a popular Christian marking. Diego Sanchez and Rob Emerson both have it tattooed on their ribcages – that’s a notoriously sensitive place to be inked, so the act could be as much penance as prayer. 

On the topic of invocation, is there another fighter with more litanies tattooed on him that the God-fearing Wanderlei Silva? Only ‘Rampage’ Jackson can compete, as he has the full Lord’s Prayer on his right forearm. Bantamweight Damacio Page, nicknamed ‘The Angel of Death’, has some of the most visually arresting religious tattoos in the sport: a rendition of the Virgin Mary sits on his torso underneath a portrait of Christ and the words ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ in flowing script. 

COLOR

The pigments used by artists nowadays very different to the basic green-brown inks that old-timers like ‘Sailor Jerry’ were limited to, and a full spectrum is available to choose from. Unfortunately not everyone can get colorful tattoos – those with dark skin will find the ink simply doesn’t show up. Naturally paler individuals have the advantage when it comes to high-color tattoos, although they’re not exclusively reserved for day-walkers. The strawberry-blonde Canadian fighter Jason MacDonald’s complexion means his two sleeves of colourful tattoos are hard to miss. 

RE-INVENTING THE CLASSICS

Tribal 

When the tribal craze kicked off in the mid ‘90s it was unlike anything we’d seen before. The black shapes that twisted around limbs were bold, confrontational and original. Relying on swirling patterns and spikes, they were a thoroughly modern design but instantly brought to mind the markings of ancient warriors (hence the ‘tribal’ tag). Around 15 years and hundreds of thousands of shapeless black smudges later, the tribal bandwagon has broken down. Some designs – like confessed nerd Dustin Hazelett’s unusual leg piece – still catch the eye, but few fighters opt for the Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral-style arm-length tribal any more.

Kanji 

Stylized logograms from Asian languages can make for interesting body art, and are pertinent for those with backgrounds in the fighting arts of China, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan. The symbols on Georges St Pierre’s chest translate as ‘Gentle Technique’, while Chuck Liddell has ‘House of Happiness and Prosperity’ tattooed on the side of his head (in reference to the style of karate he once trained in). The problem is do you actually know what that symbol really says? “Make sure that if you want ‘power’ put on you, that it really does say ‘power’,” says John Huntington. “Simple things, such as if a koi carp is facing up and not down, have very different meanings.” Like the unfortunate fighter we saw with the Chinese for ‘snail sandwich’ on his leg, there are numerous horror stories of unscrupulous tattooists putting gibberish on their customers. Don’t risk it. 

Pick and mix 

The process of choosing the right tattoo can be tricky. People agonize over their options, sometimes pinning the design up on their wall to see how they feel about it over a period of time. It’s not unknown for some to actually draw the design on their skin with washable ink to get an idea of how it looks on the body. For others, it’s quite the opposite. It’s like they’ve walked into the tattoo shop, pointed at the first thing on the wall and said, “I’ll have that one.” Some fighters prefer the visual jambalaya of tattoos (Jeff Monson or War Machine, for example) while others opt for the ‘less is more’ approach. The trend right now is very much the latter. 

Gothic 

We’re all for pushing boundaries, but you may have gone over-the-top when your body resembles the storyboard for the next Harry Potter movie. Gargoyles and demons look great on cathedrals or outside Thai temples – not so much when stretched across a pair of shoulders or a bicep.

BRAND LOYALTY

TapouT once boasted a section on its website dedicated to fans with the infamous logo on their skin, but its webmasters received so many contributions they had to take it down! Jaco ran a competition where they offered $400 of clothing to anyone willing to get their logo tattooed on their body – 11 people took them up and got some cool gear as a result. The Bad Boy logo is another often seen on fighters’ skin – James Irvin has the Bad Boy face on his torso, while Kevin Randleman has the famous eyes on his shoulders. 

Tokyo Five even went so far as to take a tattooist with them to the UFC Expo last May. Respected artist Mario Barth of Starlight Tattoo dished out free ink of the Tokyo Five Hanja mask logo along with the Japanese characters of honour, wisdom, bravery, loyalty and respect – the five principles of Bushido philosophy that Tokyo Five is named after.

DON'T FEAR THE NEEDLE

John Huntington’s tattoo parlour tips

“First and foremost make sure you know what you want. Don’t do it impulsively. I turn away more tattoos at our shop than we do. I didn’t do my knuckles until I was 41 years old after seven years in the tattoo industry knowing that this was my gig. Know where you’re going in life and make sure the tattoos are appropriate. 

“When the drawing comes out and is placed on your body, make sure it is what you asked for. Don’t go with it if you feel the artist is trying to push you into doing something. Take the time to assess; be very strict. Plus we’re not all walking dictionaries, so make sure it’s spelled right!”