Pat Miletich (aka the “Croatian Sensation”) is a retired mixed-martial artist well known for his fights within the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was a five-time defending UFC Welterweight Champion who finished his career with a professional record of 29 wins (18 by submission), 7 losses and 2 draws.
Pat is the founder of Miletich Fighting Systems, which trains some of the most talented and popular fighters in MMA.
Pat has trained and coached 11 UFC world champions, as well as, the two-time IFL champions, the Quad City Silverbacks.
Pat holds a third degree black belt in Shuri-ryu karate. He has also trained with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Sergio Monteiro and was awarded his BJJ black belt by Oswaldo Alves.
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Here is my Q&A session with Pat Miletich:
James
In your opinion, what needs to change in 2010 to make MMA more widely accepted and mainstream popular?
Pat
What needs to change is the monopoly situation that currently controls the sport. Fighters need options and fans continued support of great shows like Strikeforce on CBS and Showtime is critical to maintain momentum on the fighters and fans behalf.
James
What do you love most about MMA?
Pat
The fans I have met over all the years are what I enjoy most about the sport. The fans have been through the tough times with us and helped push MMA into the main stream. I am deeply grateful to all of those who believed in us and the sport of MMA.
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I would have to strongly agree with Pat on this issue. Business monopolies are never good and without options, the fighters and the fans could be left to suffer. To read more on this issue, please visit the following link:
UFC and the Game of Monopoly
http://mrjamesryan.com/2009/09/28/ufc-and-the-game-of-monopoly/
I would also have to strongly agree with Pat about the fans and the continued support that they continuously give to MMA.
Every day, it seems the popularity of the sport grows larger and larger. The fans need to stay positive and optimistic about MMA and the result will be highly beneficial to all of those involved.
Thanks very much Pat and have a very happy New Year!
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These are my opinions. If you don’t like them…I have others. Check them out at www.mrjamesryan.com
Tomorrow: MMA Q&A with Phillipe Nover: What Needs to Change in 2010?
I like what your doing here. I will say they are short and sweet but we get the picture. Good for you hooking up with such pioneers and getting their take on the sport.
Thanks Todd. Initially I had planned on one larger article, but it just made sense to break it up into several. It only gets better!!
Stay tuned as I will be posting one new “mini” interview each day for the next week.
Some interesting fighters and some even more interesting answers!
Thanks Todd and have a great New Years tonight!!
Great stuff, James! I'm also very impressed with your blog as a whole. You've become extremely proficient in MMA analysis from a big picture standpoint–and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. As you know, MMA's big picture is what I used to write about.
I'm glad to see that you're sticking with MMA journalism. Eventually, if I find a decent and popular MMA site (and not just a place that rewards UFC hack writers), I'll return to sportswriting and offer my rarely agreed with opinions about MMA.
Oh, and I'm looking forward to my being interviewed by you. Just make sure that you include how vast my knowledge is about all things MMA…along with my extreme modesty. LOL
Thanks Joseph LOL,
Looking forward to it. I appreciate your support. You are a great writer.
Monopolies are not necessarily the problem. The NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB are all examples of monopolies dominating a sport. The difference is that the athletes belonging to those sports are better paid. FAR better paid.
How did that happen? Competing promotions and/or leagues wasn't the answer — at least not the most effective one. The answer was unionization of the athletes.
Dana White and the Fertita brothers would pitch a fit if the fighters employed by them unionized enmasse, but if every superstar in the MMA world got onboard together, there's not a helluva lot that White and the Fertitas could do about it.
I don't foresee Strikeforce making much of a dent in the problems stemming from the UFC's monopoly-rulership of the sport. Unionization is a quicker and better fix.
Thanks Pickle. We should discuss this in the new year! I'm not much for unions (maybe because I belong to one of the largest in Canada). I frankly haven't seen much evidence that they work. Anyway, worth a discussion for sure.
Cheers mate and have a great New Years!! Be safe!!