Interview with Josh Gross

INTERVIEW FROM THE VAULT:

While I am working on new interviews I thought it would interesting to revisit some old interviews. Earlier this year I did an interview with Josh Gross

Josh Gross Interview:

Josh Gross is a respected journalist currently working for The Guardian, who has covered MMA since 2000. Josh has recently written a book on the famous Muhammad Ali v Antonio Inoki fight

Here is my exclusive interview with Josh:

MMAUK:

Before we go onto other matters I must ask you about Ronda Rousey, as simply as you can, what’s gone wrong for her?

Josh:

She was caught and her confidence shaken, and she did not seem to learn lessons in defeat that would help her become a better mixed martial artist.

MMAUK:

Were you surprised how she looked against Nunes, should she have even been in the cage at UFC 207?

JOSH:

I was not surprised. I picked Nunes to win because it seemed likely that Rousey remained exposed and would have difficulty against someone of Nunes’s caliber.

MMAUK:

As for her future, do you think she will or should retire? Personally if she commits to a new team to evolve her skills I would like her to fight on, but only on that basis, I don’t want her to finish on such a sad loss like that.

JOSH:

I believe she’ll fight again. There’s a lot of money left on the table and I expect her to capitalize on that. I think she remains capable of being a very effective fighter.

MMAUK:

When did your love of MMA begin?

JOSH:

New Year’s Eve 1995. I was at a friend’s place and the UFC aired a best-of. I was drawn to the action and it left a great impression on me. The fact that I grew up and lived in Southern California was a big deal, as this was a hub for the sport and I was easily exposed to the sport and its athletes.

MMAUK:

Can you see problems going forward for the UFC, in regards to PPV buy rates, maybe no Ronda, Conor possibly on an extended break, the lack of true superstars will surely see a dip especially after a monster 2016?

JOSH:

Not really. I think the UFC will continue to expand and grow its reach, cultivate stars and reside among other major sports.

MMAUK:

What’s your view on Conor McGregor?

JOSH:

He’s a tremendous talent, both in and out of the cage, and MMA is better off because he chose to make the sport his life.

MMAUK:

Who do you think Conor will and should fight next?

JOSH:

I think he should defend the belt he has. It was unfortunate he never defended the featherweight title.

MMAUK:

What is Conor’s biggest strength and weakness?

JOSH:

His vision is his biggest strength. His appetite for attention is his weakness.

MMAUK:

You are well documented on your steroid views, is USADA a step in the right direction, even though it might currently be slightly flawed?

JOSH:

Yes, it is a step in the right direction. There will be growing pains, as there already have been, but it is absolutely better than mediocre or no testing.

MMAUK:

If you could change one thing about MMA what would it be?

JOSH:

I would like a more open universe where we know that the best fighters are getting a chance to prove themselves, and that they will have enough control over their careers to be properly compensated because the risk is so great.

MMAUK:

Going onto your book about the Ali v Inoki fight, what made you write a book about this fight?

JOSH:

I thought it was a great topic for my first book. Muhammad Ali is an icon and the fact that he brushed up against the mixed-fight world was fascinating to me.

MMAUK:

What importance does the fight have to modern day MMA?

JOSH:

It was incredibly important to the creation of MMA particularly as we know it in Japan, where martial arts and pro wrestling melded into a form of sports entertainment that became very popular.

MMAUK:

What’s your view on the so called special rules for the fight? Did Ali believe it was to be an exhibition or even a worked fight?

JOSH:

The rules negotiations continued deep into the week of the fight and were a mess for several reasons. In the end Ali chose to treat the contest as real, as did his team, because they did not want to risk leaving him exposed to a double cross from Antonio Inoki. I believe there elements of the contest that were not pure sport, but the general idea was this was a contest between a boxer and a pro wrestler and it was legitimate.

MMAUK:

Ali’s legs took a real battering in the fight, surely another nail in Ali’s physical decline, how bad was the punishment he took from Inoki?

JOSH:

Bad.
He absorbed over a 100 strikes to his legs and suffered. When he returned to the States he was admitted to the hospital and treated for the potential of blood clots. Ali never knocked down another fighter after the Inoki fight, and many people close to him felt it was the final straw of his physical decline.

MMAUK:

The fight has a certain reputation, an embarrassment even, do you think this is unfair, and what’s your view on the decision?

JOSH:

I think it’s unfair and needs to be revisited, which is one of the reasons I chose to write the book. It has an important legacy that escaped many people who documented it at the time.

MMAUK:

Can you recommend any good books on boxing and MMA?

JOSH:
I appreciate Beyond Glory by David Margolick and it’s worth reading in today’s global climate.
As for MMA, I haven’t read nearly as many.
Thrown by Jerry Howley is worth a look.

The book Ali v Inoki is available now.