Marcus Brimage Inspired by DBZ to join MMA

Dragon Ball Z is a martial arts epic anime filled with action packed fighting. The fights have inspired martial artists across the world. One of these is Marcus Brimage, a current contender on Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), on Spike TV.

Video of Marcus’ on The Ultimate Fighter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ3Y-bdcjFc

I interviewed Marcus for The Dao of Dragon Ball book, and asked how Dragon Ball Z motivated him to pursue martial arts and join the MMA.

Marcus replied, “To be honest with you, when I saw Dragon Ball Z, I said, “I want to learn how to fight.”

Why was that?

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“Just because of the power that the Saiyans emit. It was crazy. Goku is such a super nice guy, but he’s super powerful. Vegeta is a badass, you expect him to be powerful. But I was always a nice guy and like making people laugh, and to see someone that was good hearted and kind, and all of a sudden he’s this powerful fighter, it really made me think that, “Man, I can do that.”

“And then the way that they fought. Dragon Ball Z is action packed. There are no pauses in there. It’s like a dedicated ass-whupping from beginning to end. I can’t describe it, you know! And that’s how I like to fight, because I push my conditioning so hard, I want to fight just like that, whup your ass from bell to bell.

Video of Marcus fighting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vpK0wlIP1I

He said that as a child he didn’t have many outlets to express himself. It was football or nothing. He became frustrated.

“I was in Alabama and I just basically had all these ambitions because of Dragon Ball Z. I mean, dude, c’mon, you’ve seen it, the fights are unreal. … I was like, “Oh my God!” I knew I had to watch this cartoon. It was off the chain. It motivated me. I felt that I really wanted to learn how to do that. How to fight like that.”

Marcus also said that he was very inspired by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, another MMA fighter.

When he was younger, his brother showed him a highlight reel, and Marcus recalled, “It gave me that same feeling I got when I watched Dragon Ball Z. … That’s when I said, “I want to fucking fight.”

“Dragon Ball Z is like, “Boom to the temple, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom Boom Boom Boom!” You know what I’m saying? They’re everywhere. And that’s how I fight.

“The thing is, right now I’ve got to learn how to be more controlled with it, but they’re just so in your face. And you know what, that’s what the crowd likes too. The crowd likes people slugging it out, going all out, and balls to the wall, everywhere. That’s the shit that gets people standing up on their feet. So that’s how Dragon Ball Z is, and that’s why I always push my cardio.”

Many other fighters throughout the world have been inspired in a similar way.

In The Dao of Dragon Ball book I reveal the full impact and meaning of the Dragon Ball series for both martial artists and casual fans.

Read the full Marcus Brimage interview on The Dao of Dragon Ball Blog

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By Derek Padula
ProFighting-fans.com Guest Writer
Author Bio: Derek Padula is the author of The Dao of Dragon Ball, a book that reveals the ancient martial arts secrets of the world’s most financially successful anime and manga. He can be reached at http://thedaoofdragonball.com and on Twitter @DerekPadula

The Ultimate Fighter logo used with permission from the UFC