Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History

Though his name may not ring any bells for most, Hughes is a star among the growing audience for ultimate fighting and mixed martial arts competitions; in this workmanlike memoir, the nine-time Ultimate Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion recounts his journey to the top. His endearing tales of growing up in the small town of Hillsboro, Ill. do much to humanize the fighter, featuring vivid accounts of teenage mischief. Unfortunately, the attention to detail given to his adolescent pranks doesn't carry throughout the book. Hughes's impressions of Austria, United Arab Emirates and Japan, where he traveled to compete, are mentioned only in passing, an odd omission in the story of a young man from small town America; that space appears to have been reserved for intimate accounts of fights, but even these resist dwelling on gore or violence. Devotees will undoubtedly delight in Hughes' behind-the-scenes accounts of UFC goings-on, as well as a blow-by-blow account of his victory over the legendary Royce Gracie, but the more bloody-minded may find his restraint disappointing.