Issue 031

November 2007

Just a line to say your mag is fantastic, and my son Lewis and I went to the O2 arena to watch UFC 75 after winning the VIP tickets last month in your magazine. What a day, it was awesome! We met Dean Lister, Lorenzo Fertita, Brad Pickett, and was a whisker away from meeting Randy Couture. Rob (F’s managing director) done everything for my son and I to enjoy the day, even trying to get us backstage to meet the fighters, we had great seats with great people around us. 

I think we were the only Brits in 5 rows of Americans, as we found out when Bisping’s arm was raised against Hamill! What a night, Lewis got his shirt signed by a few fighters and is still on cloud nine, as well as all that he’s now got £500 worth of merchandise to look forward to (some might be too big for him!). 

Once again thank you and keep up the good work with the magazine

Pete & Lewis Dunnett, via email

Fantastic mag lads! Have you got a rough date each month you publish as I keep pestering the staff at my local WH Smiths and I think they are getting annoyed!

Michael Clark, via email. 

Michael, the easiest way to remember is that we go on sale in the UK the first Thursday of every month. Glad you like the mag. 

I love your magazine. Please do more ‘Day in the Life of’ as it is very interesting what MMA fighters get up to on a daily basis. You used to do a section at the back of all the MMA gyms in the UK I found this good because I want to start training soon and would like to know where my nearest gym is. I just went to UFC 75 at the O2 it was awesome it was my first live event and I saw loads of fighters who were all willing to have photos taken, and I sat behind Neil Grove of Cage Rage fame through the entire event, he is a very nice guy. I am planning on seeing another UFC in Vegas, can’t wait. Keep up the great work and please add my requests cheers. 

Lee Smith, via email

Lee, the best way to find out about clubs in your area is to ask on the various MMA forums. You’ll easily find somewhere to train. Hope you enjoy Vegas and find last issue’s guide to the city helpful! 

As an avid reader since issue one (my "Machine" signed copy has been sealed for freshness!), I am suitably impressed with the ever increasing quality of the mag, and also the look and feel of the website.

I have just purchased my first kettlebell (I first learned of them from the mag) and have had a good read of Barry Gibson's kettlebell workout. However, it has taken me an age to find information on how to actually perform some of the techniques. Now, I guess people would call me stupid for not knowing how to do a "clean and press" but (here's the bit where I prove I'm not completely stupid!) I realise a KB is not the same as a dumbbell and requires a subtly different approach.

I think that, in the broadband age, web based content is a must for a sport like MMA; what about filming some of the training techniques and putting them online for download? A lot of people, myself included, learn by watching rather than just looking at pictures so this would be ideal.

I have found most of what I was looking for, with results of varying quality but if footage to go with the theory was available on the website there would be no need to trawl the net' when I should be training. People also trust the FO brand, and would know that what they were seeing was presented by some of the most respected people in their field.

I have seen other websites purport to be the next big thing on the UK MMA scene and they have, in my view, failed to deliver the goods. It would be a shame to miss this kind of opportunity, and for those out there who would say it's too expensive or time consuming - you can shoot footage for web delivery on your mobile phone!

Keep up the good work!

Andy Wilson, Stone

Hi Andy, and thanks for the letter. You may have noticed that the Fighters Only Website has a media centre and a training zone. The media centre is very complex and has the ability to play video and music. The training zone will be linked to the media centre within the next few weeks and we already have footage relevant to your requests ready to go so keep tuned. If you register with the site you will be given notification as to when new footage is available.

Just writing to say issue 30 was outstanding. I must have read it about 5 times. The 'so you wanna be a fighter' article really caught my attention. I've been training in MMA for around a year now there's nothing i enjoy more. The rise in popularity of MMA around the country has definitely brought a fair few poseurs along with it. The amount of people with their Tapout t-shirts who don't have the first idea of what MMA truly is. This one guy with his Tapout 'get up' I spoke to claimed he was a cage fighter and trained in Newcastle, when I told him I trained in Newcastle and asked him where he trained, he said he didn't actually train but was going too.

When can you call yourself a cage fighter? I couldn't agree with the article more, I train quiet a lot and haven't started competing yet, therefore I don't see myself as a cage fighter. Why do people feel the need to tell people they are a cage fighter when they are not? When you start competing, win, lose or draw then you have the right.

Anyway that brings me to my main point! I absolutely love the magazine but think it would be great if you had a section letting people know where you can train around the country. Also perhaps in each issue review an Academy in full. I just remember when I first started training it took me a while to find somewhere to train. I'm so glad i did. I feel fitter and happier than ever.

You’re doing a great job at Fighters Only! Keep up the good work of spreading the seed of MMA!

Cheers, Chris Douglass, via email

Hi guys, just like to say like the new website and keep up the top work with the mag. Love it. Also the points you made in the article ("so you wanna be a cage fighter") were spot on. I work as a door supervisor, you get this thrown in your face from time to time (people saying "I’m a cage fighter") but what made me laugh was one guy telling me he’s a cage fighter (not MMA, but cage fighting) and his fave move is the rear naked choke. He was showing me how to do it on his mate, but the submission he showed me was a guillotine! So for a bit of fun I showed him a rear naked choke and put him to sleep. When he woke he realised what a prat he had made of himself and confessed to being full of sh*t and has only seen UFC on TV. Don’t get me wrong, I have only done a bit of MMA myself but it is these people that can put others off the sport and give it a bad rep. Anyways, just thought that would make your day. Keep up the good work. 

Bob, via email