by: Billy “24/7” MacDonald 
I’m going to start with a little background on me. I am the co-owner of WWW.Sponsor-Fighters.com and Reality Entertainment Group based out of Fort Worth, Texas. My professional fight debut will be on November 1st, 2008.
The “24/7” nickname came from a college friend, but it also corresponds with my life in mixed martial arts. As my friends and colleagues would agree, I am pretty much obsessed with the sport. That is why we started the website which offers both marketing and management options and we specialize in finding sponsorships for up and coming fighters (although we do work with some of the bigger names in the sport as well).
I have been fortunate enough to gain many friends and contacts very quickly in this industry mostly due to my friends at TAGG Radio. So to “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia, and Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg, thank you for your support, encouragement, and most importantly your friendship. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be able to pursue a career in this sport that I love and would still be an unknown fighter that is struggling to find his way.
And to my friends from the TAGG Radio chat room, thanks for your support as well. You guys and gals are my dysfunctional extended family that drive me to get up every weekday in time to catch the show and to train as hard as I can to make sure that I don‘t let you down. And to Jack and the crew at Pro MMA, I want to thank you for this opportunity as well. I am proud to be affiliated with three of the best mixed martial arts-related websites in the world.
So without further ado, here is the inaugural edition of “From the Fighter’s Perspective”. I will be reviewing all sorts of items from clothing, to pads and gear, and even shows. Or in this case, books. The book in question this time around is “ A Fighter’s Heart” by Sam Sheridan.
The writer (Sheridan) has written for magazines like Rolling Stone and Men’s Health previously and takes a fresh approach to writing about mixed martial arts. He gives mixed martial artists a respect seldom seen by a writer or most media for that matter. This is attributed to the fact that he has taken the time to explore fighting from the inside. What Sam leads you on is an absolutely amazing journey that takes you along with him from the Merchant Marines, to Harvard and traveling the world in search of the answers to his questions about fighters.
I don’t want to spoil the story for you, because it is fantastic and mesmerizing . He navigates through his encounters with some of the biggest names in the sport (Bustamonte , Nogueira , Miletich , Lawler , Rothwell , Sylvia, just to name a few) with such ease and outstanding detail that you can actually picture yourself right along side of him.
The book is 347 pages of sheer writing genius that you will not want to put down. Like Mr. Sheridan states in the book, “Fight fans read so much badly written stuff about their sport that they are dying for something that takes them seriously.” As someone who trains and competes myself, I say that Mr. Sheridan, you were successful and thank you for writing it.
The second I finished the book I had a rush of different emotions hit me. Part of me was excited to finish the book and be able to share the story with my friends, but at the same time I felt an overwhelming feeling of emptiness in knowing that there is no more to the story. I can honestly say that was the only disappointing thing about it. This book is worth a special trip to the bookstore if you don’t already own it. If I had a star rating system like they do for the movies then this would definitely receive a perfect five star rating.
If you are a business or publisher that is interested in having product or gear reviewed please email me at [email protected]
From the Fighter’s Perspective is a bi-weekly product review column written exclusively for PRO MMA by Billy “24/7” MacDonald.