Sports Illustrated is coming to NBC Sports Network tomorrow night (Tuesday, July 24, 2012) at 9 p.m. ET with an in-depth look at the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), as seen from the fighters and coaches at the famed Jackson/Winklejohn gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The special will include "an overall view of Jackson's gym, a Clay Guida training session, a Diego Brandao training session, Winkeljohn's mountain training runs, tour of the dorms and other fighter profiles."
From the original piece in Sports Illustrated:
"The soul of America's fastest-growing sport can be found in a desert octagon where two men, Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, form the sport's ultimate and unlikely combination. The Jackson/Winkeljohn Gym in Albuqerque has trained many of the best MMA fighters in the world using a style that teaches more than just combat. Jackson and Winkeljohn are both Albuquerque natives, but similarities are difficult to find outside of their respect for each other and for fighting. Jackson, a onetime pacifist, encourages fighters to talk through their feelings and recommends books to read. Winkeljohn, a former professional kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, doesn't put up with anything and takes his fighters on brutal training runs through the Sandia Mountains. Each man understands that what they are doing is deeper than just fighting."
In addition to "The Carpenter," cameos include Strikeforce middleweights Tim Kennedy and Keith Jardine, as well as bantamweight Julie Kedzie. Also getting in on the action are Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and UFC featherweight Cub Swanson.
Alright Maniacs, who's tuning?
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