Brothers Micah and Cole Miller. Image courtesy Micah Miller.
Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?
By Eric Davidson
Sibling rivalry is something everyone is familiar with. Whether it was a brother or sister growing up, or even a close friend where a competitive edge was always present in all activities, the urge to defeat and compete is present in everyone. At the same time, however, when it is someone so close there is a degree of care that goes with the territory.
This is not something lost on MMA. Unusually, you won’t find any of the brotherly pairs from mixed martial arts competing with each other. In some of the pairs of brothers examined for this piece, there seems to be one brother that stands out from the other. For example; Clay Guida and Jason Guida. Clay is well known in the UFC for his seemingly unending stamina and powerful hammerfists, as well as animal like aggression. A strong competitor, his brother Jason is less-known, although sporting a long span of fights dating back to 2003. However, his last fight was in March of 2007 in Costa Rica and nothing since then. With a 17-15 record, one can only speculate the reasons for his hiatus.
Then there are the up and coming Miller brothers. Some of you may remember Cole Miller from The Ultimate Fighter 5; the individual who lost to Joe Lauzon in the quarterfinals. Since then he has amassed an impressive record of 13-3, with his most recent loss during UFC – Fight Night 12 in late January. His lesser known younger brother Micah has also gathered a stand out record of 9-1 with his last fight being at WEC 32 in mid February. Because they are in two different organizations and weight classes, a match between the two (if they would even agree) is unlikely.
From the new to the old, the Shamrock brothers are two of the most well known fighters in MMA history, often facing off against the Gracie’s for the title of “the First Family of MMA.” Although not blood related and being separated by an eight year age difference, these two men paved the way for many followers to come. Ken Shamrock and Frank Shamrock both worked at the “Lion’s Den,” a training facility that Frank was later fired from after Ken’s departure. Although each of the Shamrock’s is well known, they seemed to be better known by different generations of MMA fans.
Everyone who is a fan of MMA knows Matt Serra, but less known is his younger brother Nick Serra. Matt, who was the first American to receive a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Renzo Gracie, is one of the more iconic sportsmen in the UFC today. His fighting skills along with his Tommy DeVito-like attitude and (recently shown against George Saint-Pierre) good degree of class have cemented his spot in MMA history. Nick is also a very accomplished grappler, earning wins and placing in numerous tournaments (including the Grappler’s Quest Absolute Division Championship and IFF No Holds Barred Heavyweight Division) thanks to being the second American to earn his black belt from Renzo Gracie. He and his brother split their time between fights running their family owned studio.
Two brothers that have competed against each other in an official arena are Matt Hughes and Mark Hughes. These twin brothers squared off in a wrestling match while in high school with Mark leaving the victor. Despite this, Mark left MMA altogether with a record of 6-2, deciding it just wasn’t for him. Matt, however, has become one of the most recognizable faces of the UFC, and considered by some to be the greatest welterweight of all time. Matt’s career as a fighter has earned him a 41-6 record, while Matt continued his American dream by returning home to his family farm and running the Hughes Construction company.
Perhaps the two best known brothers in MMA today are Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz. Nick, who is Nate’s older brother by two years, has earned a strong reputation in the UFC, EliteXC, IFC, and the WEC for his impressive ground work and decent stand up game. He recently earned his black belt in May of 2007 from Cesar Gracie. Following in his brother’s footsteps but in a lighter weight class, Nate Diaz has made a very strong debut as one of the more deadly opponents when it comes to grappling. Nate won The Ultimate Fighter 5 beating Manny Gamburyan in the final round. With a 9-2 record, both of these brothers are forces to be reckoned with, and it doesn’t appear if either is going to be stepping out of the spotlight for some time to come.
It could be a question of nature versus nurture as to what influences someone to engage in martial arts or combative competition, and results in pairs of brothers like these in MMA. Perhaps there is some sort of genetic predisposition to thrive in the conflict that can only be illicited by fighting and confrontation. Or perhaps a way to prove something to one’s self; facing that fear that screams to run away, but seeing the path laid before you by an older sibling. Either way, if there is one thing MMA events are known for, it’s their amount of blood in the sport.
Quietly discussed for the past few weeks, HDNet yesterday formally announced that they will be airing six fight cards from DREAM, FEG’s newest mixed martial arts endeavor. The first two events from the Japanese MMA promotion, 
