E.A. Brady

It might sound strange to say it, but Quitters Never Win: My Life in UFC by Michael Bisping and Anthony Evans gave me all the feels. I laughed. I cringed. I cried (just a little bit). And I loved what a softie Bisping really is when it comes to the people he cares about.

You might think a book like this would be a weird read for a romance author and it would be more fitting for the side of me that loves to train kickboxing and Muay Thai. But this book hit both sides of me. As a fan of combat sports, the tenacity and the grit and the perseverance were awe inspiring. As the author of love stories, I was enamored by the way Bisping described the relationship between himself and his girlfriend/wife.

I did not watch UFC when Bisping was fighting – well, I did, but it was begrudgingly through my fingers while my husband watched, and I cringed at how disgusting the sport was. I had no appreciation for the sport or the athletes who competed in it. That all changed when I realized I had a knack for throwing kicks at the heavy bags in the gym and fell in love with kickboxing.

Fast forward four years, and my love of kickboxing expanded to include Muay Thai (knee strikes and elbow strikes are badass!) and my trainer and I often discuss the fights during the week. It’s become somewhat of a way of life for me at present.

Watching the weekly spectacle of UFC introduced me to Michael Bisping as a commentator. He’s a funny guy and he made me laugh, while explaining what was happening on screen so newbies like me understood what I was watching. Now I follow him on Twitter and Instagram, where he shares his training videos and things like that.

Somewhere along the line I realized he had a book out, so I knew I had to read it. Which brings me back to my review.

As a fan of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), this book offered incredible insight into the extremely demanding life of a professional fighter. The sacrifices they make and the punishment to which they subject themselves is no joke. The physical toll on their bodies can’t be understated. It’s a brutal sport. Despite all that, the drive to compete in that arena is relentless.

The descriptions of training before a fight were inspiring, while the descriptions of the injuries suffered were sometimes stomach-turning.

As a writer, the details of a fighter’s life and career gave me tons of inspiration for stories. A good story brings you into it with the small things. Watching fights on TV all day long could never give the kind of real-life details of day-to-day life, or show the impact of injuries during a fight, that I picked up from this book.

As a writer of love stories, the way Bisping wrote about his wife, Rebecca, warmed my heart. She was the backbone of his whole career, his whole life. And he wasn’t shy about admitting it.

Quitters Never Win is an excellent book full of insight, humor, grief, the highs of winning, the agony of losing, and the love of family. I highly recommend this book for anyone who’s a fan of the sport or looking to write those MMA/boxer/fighter romances with a bit more authenticity.  

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