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The Ultimate Ass-Kicking
We sent E. James Beale to fight in a mixed martial arts gym; then we made him write about it (once he came to).
by E. James Beale
If losing consciousness is your nervous system dipping into the Caribbean, gaining it back is an Eskimo dive in the Arctic. This happened to me twice. And afterward, groups of lawyers, doctors, blue-collar workers and college students had a laugh at my expense, and opened up about all of the times they, too, had been choked out, all in the service of Philadelphia's newest hobby.

Jeff Cressman
Pharmacy Technician Team Leader/Pro Fighter, 28
Six years ago, Jeff Cressman was a pot-smoking, beer-drinking, 200-pound former band member with an arthritic knee. Today? He fights professionally at 135 pounds. That

Matt Nice
Construction Company Owner/Pro Fighter , 26
As a star wrestler and protective older brother, Matt Nice found himself in plenty of fights growing up in Warminster — sanctioned and otherwise. They

Mitch Kerr
Hedge Fund Manager, 31
Hedge Fund Managerm, 31 If you're looking for an anecdote to explain how the new face of MMA differs from the stereotype, consider this: Mitch

Michael Ogbuehi
High School Senior, 17
To keep his classes loose, Jared Weiner teases nearly every student at BJJU. Most are easy targets: I'm a writer, Matt Nice is fond of

Andria Caplan
Wife/Mother/Cage Fighter, 32
On a recent Wednesday, one of the six days per week that Andria Caplan trains, her 10-year-old son, John, accompanied her to the gym. John,

Lionel Borreli
Systems Support Technician, 31
When Lionel Borreli — with biceps that take two large hands to fully encircle hanging off a frame that looks far too jacked to ever