Three years and two fighters - one ageing, tired, struggling from one backstreet dive to another; and one young, fast, going places, punching it out in packed Las Vegas arenas. One on the way up and the other on the way out. This is a journey into the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

A knock-out debut sports epic taking a unique journey into the world of Mixed Martial Arts fighting

Step into the octagon . . .

Welcome to the heart of the fight. Three years and two fighters - one ageing, tired, struggling from one backstreet dive to another; and one young, fast, going places, punching it out in packed Las Vegas arenas. One on the way up and the other on the way out. And they fight and they fight - while through it all Kit, a spacetaker, a ghost haunting their cages, follows and assists them, drawn to the dark allure of men living from blow to blow, where the true battle is never with their opponent but always and forever with themselves.

'The most fascinating book I've read this year. The precision of Howley's prose reminds me of Joan Didion or David Foster Wallace' Time

'A poetic portrait of a bloody American subculture' O, The Oprah Magazine

'The fight book of our generation has landed . . . a fantastic debut' The Week

'Compulsively readable' The New York Times