Becoming the Natrual by Randy Couture, with Lorette Hunt.

LORETTA HUNT EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Loretta Hunt is the only full-time female mma journalist and collaborated with Randy Couture on his bestselling autobiography 'Becoming The Natural' which is now avaialble in the UK. Randy Couture launched his book in the UK at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manchester on November 15 after his unanimous decision win at UFC 105 the day before at the MEN Arena.

Q:Loretta, before we talk about your collaboration with UFC legend Randy Couture on his autobiography, can you tell me what sparked your interest in covering a sport which at one time was being labelled 'human cockfighting'?

I get asked that question a lot. My older brother, Jim Genia, also an MMA journalist, introduced me to the early UFCs. He would travel every two months up from Washington DC to New York City to watch the pay-per-views in the only bar that would show them. (Can you believe there was a time when only one bar in New York City carried the UFC pay-per-views?) If I wanted to spend time with my brother, I’d have to meet him there. It only took one or two events before I was just as into it as he was. The writing came later for the both of us as we realised we wanted to become involved in the sport. We were meeting so many interesting fighters at the live events and they had such great stories to tell.

I never saw MMA as “human cockfighting”. In my eyes, it was always a legitimate sport – even from the very first event I watched back in 2000. There was never a doubt in my mind.

Q: Do you feel the general public and mainstream media have become more cognizant about the sport in the sense that it's a very technical and demanding sport far from a brawl or punch-up?

I think some of the mainstream media has embraced the sport and get it. I think others still don’t because they don’t want to invest the time in learning what the sport is really about. As for the general public, MMA has come a long way in courting a larger chunk of them, but the majority still don’t really know what MMA is.

Q: Is MMA safe for women and can they just train for getting fit and as a hobby if they don’t want to pursue it further to compete?

“Safe” is kind of a general term to use. This is a demanding sport made up of multiple disciplines and either a man or woman could get hurt while training or competing in it. That being said, I think a woman could train in MMA to get in shape or as a hobby. It’s an intricate sport where the more you commit to it, the more it challenges you. Jiu-jitsu is this way, as are the stand-up arts like Muay Thai and boxing.

The women’s side of the sport has really blossomed in the last couple of years. We’re seeing a talented crop of females emerge that have committed to the lifestyle of a fighter just as much as the men do. I think they are paving the way for other women and showing that MMA is not off limits, whether they want to compete or just do it recreationally.

Q: OK, when and how did the concept of the book come about - did you have the idea well before the first major autobiography came out by Matt Hughes?

Randy and I began talking about the book a few years before we published. The Hughes book and ours were actually purchased by the same publisher in the U.S. not too far off from one another. Randy actually approached me with the idea after a few outlets had shown an interest in putting his life on paper. He just had one of those inspiring stories that was fascinating to hear about.

Q: Randy seems to personify what a pro athlete is at the highest level. Having worked with him on the book what is the most intriguing element that came to light?

Like others that read the book, I was surprised by Randy’s candidness and willingness to delve into the not-so-pretty aspects of his life. He’s not perfect, but he’s OK with that. He said a few times that what was the point of writing a book if he wasn’t going to be honest with it? Without giving too much away, the revelation about his father is rather poignant.

Q: Is there anything he wanted to accentuate more than anything else whilst telling his life story?

I’m not sure if there was anything Randy wanted to accentuate. Randy has an incredibly calm outlook on life. He truly believes that things fall into place as they should, and he definitely took that approach with this book. For me, I wanted to capture his “voice” more than anything. He’s an eloquent person and I wanted the reader to read the book and hear Randy talking to them. That was paramount to me.

Q: You have interviewed many top fighters in your career as a professional MMA journalist, do you feel Randy surprised you in any way of some of the revelations made in the book?

Of course. There were days when he floored me, but never in a bad way. I’d interviewed Randy many times over the years, but it had never really been about the inner workings of his life and his struggles, so pretty much everything he told me outside the fighting realm surprised me.

It was a pleasure to work with Randy because he took this project so seriously. He wanted to do a good job with it and give something to his fans that meant something to him.

Q: Do you feel the fact that lately MMA autobiographies have made the New York Times bestseller list verifies the sports credibility and acceptance on a more mainstream level?

When Randy and I first spoke about the book a few years ago, I told him my dream was to get his book on the tables in the front of the book stores with all the other sports biographies – right alongside basketball and baseball stars. At the time, none of this latest crop of MMA memoirs had been released yet, so this was a lofty goal. I just didn’t want the book to get buried in a martial arts section in some corner that only the hardcore practitioners go to.

It far exceeded my expectations when Randy’s book, along with Chuck’s and Matt’s, made the New York Times list. And we all made the front of the store as well.

BECOMING THE NATURAL is now available from bookstores and online by clicking on

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780956258601/Becoming-the-Natural