Okay, who here has heard of Wikipedia?
Wikipedia.org is a free online encyclopedia that can be edited by
anyone. They're pretty rigerous about fact checking but every
now and then, somebody will be a little too sly for their editors.
For instance:
Here is wikipedia's page for Royler Gracie:
"Royler Gracie (December 6, 1965-) is a Brazilian mixed martial
arts fighter. He is associated with Gracie Humaitá. He has a
professional MMA record of 5-3-1 as of September 7, 2005."
Not bad. Certainly the facts are correct, albeit not the most in
depth look at the man.
What does, oh say, Eddie Bravo's say?
"Eddie "The Twister" Bravo is most famous for his victories in
submission wrestling and his unique style of no-gi Brazilian Jiu
Jitsu. He is less known for his Mixed Martial Arts commentating,
and music composition.
In 2005 Eddie released his first martial arts instructional book
entitiled "Jiu-Jitsu Unleashed". In it he teaches the basics of his
unorthodox submission wrestling style. Joe Rogan of Fear Factor
appears in the book as a demonstartion partner with Eddie."
Hmmm, not bad. Again, a little brief, but I'm sure that's how it is
for everyone in the MMA community, right? Right?
Here's Stephen Quadros, and tell me if at the end of reading this
that you DON'T think he wrote this:
"Of the pioneers in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, few have been
as influential and integral to its development as Stephen Quadros.
With a history of martial arts training under the leadership of
some of the finest practitioners in their respective disciplines,
Quadros has developed profound knowledge and understandings
of systems as diverse as Shotokan, Wing Tsun, Thai kickboxing,
and submission grappling. Most impressive, however, is his
insight into the integration of various disciplines and the
importance, function, and range that can be achieved by their
fusion. This kind of amalgamated approach is not only applied to
Quadros's perspective on the practice of Mixed Martial Arts, but
also to his career in and dedication to the sport.
Indeed Stephen Quadros is a renaissance man. Besides being a
martial arts practitioner he has also made a significant mark in
the field of martial arts journalism. During his six year tenure as
Editor-In-Chief of the Kickboxing Ring Report, he simultaneously
remained prolific in his journalistic endeavors as a contributor to
major martial arts publications such as: Inside Kung Fu, Karate/
Kung Fu Illustrated, Grappling, and Full Contact Fighter.
Later, Quadros became a contributing editor to Black Belt, one of
the world's premier martial arts magazines. There he developed
his highly regarded and acclaimed monthly column "Fightsport,"
which not only drew attention to the often controversial and
clandestine world of Mixed Martial Arts, but also gave credibility
to martial sports through his eloquent insights, journalistic savvy
and creativity, lending understanding to the skillfulness and
elements of character required of a professional martial artist that
are so frequently misrepresented and misunderstood.
The success of his "Fightsport" column ultimately led Black Belt
Magazine to sponsor Quadros in a new magazine endeavor,
entitled Black Belt Presents: FIGHTSPORT, with Stephen Quadros,
where he was given control as its Founding Editor. His career in
print soon moved into other areas, including his contributions to
books like UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top Ten, and The
Ultimate Martial Arts Q&A Book. He also co-authored Bas Rutten's
Big Books of Combat, one of the most highly detailed and
thorough analytical publications the sport of Mixed Martial Arts
has inspired, written with 3 time King of Pancrase and former UFC
heavyweight champion Bas Rutten.
Implementing his capacities of MMA erudition, entertainment, and
quick-wittedness, Quadros seemed a natural to move his talents
to the broadcast medium, where he has made a huge impact on
the sport as play-by-play commentator, host, and interviewer on
the English language broadcasts of the first 29 PRIDE Fighting
Championships events, held in Japan. During his PRIDE residency,
Quadros contributed to the events' production values by co-
writing and performing introductory comedic skits with color
commentator Bas Rutten that blended MMA knowledge, sardonic
wit, humorous irony, and slapstick playfulness. Fighter cameos
during the skits were well-timed and showcased the personalities
of the athletes.
These high-profile appearances endeared Quadros to legions of
fans worldwide. Quadros earned the apt moniker of "The Fight
Professor," a title bestowed unto him by Earnest Hart Jr., a world
champion in kickboxing, who shared the commentating with him,
during Stephen's first broadcast job ever, K-1 Kings '98. Quadros
earned the respect of the fighters with whom he worked and,
through his insightful interviewing skills and ability to draw out a
fighter's personality, contributed to the development of many of
today's MMA stars. Quinton Jackson, among others, has
personally testified to Quadros' contributions to his success,
calling him the "...best damn interviewer in the business."
Quadros's dedication to the excellence and entertainment values
of PRIDE's pay-per-view broadcasts helped bolster Pride's
growing awareness and success in America. PRIDE saw its gates
increase from smaller shows to events that regularly drew tens of
thousands of fans, highlighted in 2002's "Shockwave" show,
where the attendance was a staggering 91,000. Stephen Quadros
was there from the beginning to call the action. PRIDE 25, entitled
"Body Blow," was also considered to be one of Dream Stage
Entertainment's best productions, and MMA fans routinely
comment on the excellence of Quadros's and Rutten's profound
depth of knowledge displayed during this broadcast as well as the
uncanny chemistry between the two commentators.
Most recently, Quadros has been utilizing his talents in the film
industry, and has compiled an impressive resume as fight
coordinator and fight technical advisor for films including "Exit
Wounds," "Cradle 2 The Grave," "The Perfect Sleep" and "Pit
Fighter." The fight scenes he coordinates combine the realistic
and technical aspects of battle with excitement, uniqueness, and
showmanship – all qualities, he believes, that a fighter must
possess in order to be successful, whether it be in the MMA world
or in the world of filmmaking. His current broadcasting duties
frequently take him internationally once again: to England for the
"Cage Rage" organization, and nationally for the "World Extreme
Cagefighting" organization, where he does color commentary
alongside Jeff Blatnick, former UFC broadcaster and Olympic gold
medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling."