7,302 days ago, I, Marcus Walker, your host and humble podcast narrator, got to attend a PRIDE card live. PRIDE 32: The Real Deal. It was 1 of only 2 excursions that the fabled Japanese promotion made to the United States, and attending PRIDE 32 live was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

This is that story.

This is also the story of Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Travis Galbraith, a ho hum fight on paper that succeeded all fan expectations. That's why they fight the fights, right?

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Jeffrey Walker (1957-2025)

Go check out some more of my dad's brilliant playing (and my mom's, too!):

RandomConcerts:JLWalker, EMWalkerFlintSymphony - YouTube

Jordan Breen Scholarship Fund:

Fundraiser for Jordan Breen Scholarship Fund by Neil Atkinson : Jordan Breen Scholarship Fund

(*** ORIGINALLY UPLOADED 10-12-2026 *** )

Let's hop into the TTHIMMAS time machine and set it for late 2010, when a rising heavyweight prospect named Cain Velasquez took on WWE megastar Brock Lesnar and throttled him like he owed him money.

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Lauren Martinez's article about Cain's sentencing hearing:

Cain Velasquez: Former UFC heavyweight champion sentenced to 5 years in prison for attempted murder in 2022 case - ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

Tito. Frank. Tito's dumb t-shirts. Frank's obsession with beating him. The genesis of the 5 round classic with the belt on the line.

The year was 1999. Come back with me once again to the SEG era of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as we remark upon the fight that caused so many MMA nerds -- myself included -- to fall in love with mixed martial arts and, more specifically, the pasttime of rewatching fights for entertainment.

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Donate to the Jordan Breen Scholarship Fund (for Sports Reporting):

Fundraiser for Jordan Breen Scholarship Fund by Neil Atkinson : Jordan Breen Scholarship Fund

Ben Fowlkes's profile of Frank (posted 11-7-2025 on Yahoo Sports/Uncrowned)

The UFC Hall of Famer who isn't - Yahoo Sports

Joseph Santoliquito's profile of Frank (posted 7-3-2016 on Sherdog):

Stories From the Road: Frank Shamrock - The Legend

On an early October day in 2008, the executives of a fledgling MMA promotion combined with the destructive mind and scar tissue of Ken Shamrock to create one of the strangest days in MMA history. Careers were yanked around and some were wrecked beyond repair.

But not Kevin Ferguson's. His profile could weather the fallout.

He had already broken records. Come back to 2008 with me and let's relive 14 seconds of the most bizarre action you'll ever see inside of an MMA cage, and the zany circumstances that led up to it.

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Chuck Mindenhall's terrific retrospective: Five years later: The madness of EliteXC’s final show | MMA Fighting

Josh Gross's SI article:

ProElite, EliteXC out of business

The Seth Petruzelli MMA History Interview (uploaded 5-18-25):

Seth Petruzelli Deep Dive | MMA History Podcast

Beats by Peez:

Stream peez music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

In 2005, I was getting all caught up on my MMA knowledge after becoming enthralled by the early UFC product. The interwebs. The DVD aisle at Best Buy. Ther Sherdog.com store. You get the idea.

During these trevails, a gem of a fight on a lukewarm UFC anniversary card really caught my eye. It's Robbie Lawler vs. Chris Lytle ... live from Uncasville, Connecticut!

(cue the sad tuba music)

(not for the fight ... for the fact that it's in Connecticut)

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Jordan Breen's inaugural All Violence Team article: Sherdog’s 2010 All-Violence Team - First Team

If you like what I'm doing, bookmark www.tthimmas.online

On a brisk February day in 2005, my friend told me about this fighting thing. A few days later, we watched UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors.

This is the story of how I became a fan of mixed martial arts. You've probably got one of your own, and I'd love to hear it. But this one is mine. I tell it through the lens of Royce Gracie vs. Dan Severn, the fight that started it all for me.

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Go get yourself a copy of the MMA bible:

No Holds Barred: The Complete History of Mixed Martial Arts in America: Gentry, Clyde: 9781600785450: Amazon.com: Books

Dave Pizarro makes sick beats. Listen to them here:

Stream peez music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

Speaking of sick beats ... ThatKidGoran is a PROFESSIONAL:

ThatKidGoran