I had the privilege of meeting author Zac Robinson at the 2009 UFC Expo. Zac just finished his latest trivia book called ‘Mixed Martial Arts IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom‘, which was released in August, 2009. Zac Robinson has teamed up with ‘Cutman’ Stitch Duran to write The Jacob Stitch Duran Story. Aside from running his website, Sportsbythenumbersmma.com, Zac has also co-authored Sports by the Numbers Mixed Martial Arts, SBTN San Francisco Giants (Savas Beatie April, 2009), SBTN Texas Rangers, and SBTN Los Angeles Dodgers (April, 2010).

We’re excited to find out a little more about Zac Robinson and his new book: Mixed Martial Arts IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom. Here’s an exclusive interview I did with Mr. Robinson:

FindMMAGym:  What inspired you to write this book?

ZR: Mixed Martial Arts IQ came about because of my other just released book, Mixed Martial Arts: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports. It is filled with so many crazy stats, facts and stories; it just seemed a natural progression to move into a full-fledged trivia book.

FindMMAGym:  Who do you credit most to making this book happen (aside from your writing)?

ZR: The guys at Black Mesa publishing. They are huge sports and MMA fans and were excited about the MMA IQ book. I also should recognize my wife and kids. I spend a lot of time at the computer and they are patient with me.

FindMMAGym:  What struggles did you encounter while writing this book?

ZR: Honestly, not many. Because I’ve done so much research in the last two years, finding material wasn’t hard. The biggest struggle was figuring out what to include and not include. Guess there needs to be a second volume!

FindMMAGym:  On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your MMA fandom level (1 being none, 10 being brilliant)?

ZR: Despite all that research, I’m not a ten. Maybe a seven. I know a ton of crap, but a lot of times I forget about a certain fight or fighter, until somebody else brings it up, then it all comes back. I also know there are guys on the forums (I visit a couple of them daily) who know a lot more than me and will be a nine or a ten.

FindMMAGym:  Have you read this book in its entirety? If so, how many times?

ZR: I have read it in its entirety three times. I also know that the publisher read it three times straight through so I sure as hell hope we didn’t miss any typos!

FindMMAGym:  How long did it take you to write this book?

ZR: It took about six weeks and I probably averaged about three hours of work a day, so maybe 100 to 120 hours. Not bad really, The SBTN MMA book was about quadruple that, and the Stitch book will probably be about 400 hours as well.

FindMMAGym:  What advice would you give an MMA fan that wants to increase their MMA IQ?

ZR: Well first and foremost, read MMA IQ! Then watch as many fights as you can. Peruse the popular web sites and blogs and read the Internet forums. MMA has so many hardcore knowledgeable fans, so find an interesting tidbit and then do your own research on it.

FindMMAGym:  How do you handle being around celebrity MMA fighters?

ZR: I scream like a 4th grade girl and say things like OMG, totally, and sooo awesome a whole bunch. No seroiusly, everyone of them I’ve met or spent time with has been approachable, down to earth, and fun to talk to. They are just normal guys with a unique profession.

FindMMAGym:  Do you have a background in MMA? explain

ZR: I have a background in combat sports, but not MMA. I’m not near tough enough for that. I trained in Tae Kwon Do in the States and then Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido in Korea. I have no ground game and yet watching high-level Jiu Jitsu in an MMA fight is my favorite part, go figure.

FindMMAGym:  Do you have a favorite MMA or UFC fighter?

ZR: I really don’t. I have a ton of respect for almost all fighters so I want to see them perform to the best of their ability and who wins or loses is kind of secondary.

FindMMAGym:  If you could be in the octagon with someone, who would it be?

ZR: If you are meaning to fight, I’d have to say probably my friend’s brother because I’m sure I could kick his scrawny ass. There’s no way I’d want to be in the Octagon with any UFC fighter unless we were barbequing and drinking beer.

FindMMAGym:  If you could write biography about any MMA fighter, who would it be and why?

ZR: Well first I think I hit the jackpot in writing Stitch’s biography. He’s a great guy with a great story and he’s worked with and knows all the below guys as well as pretty much every other person in combat sports, but here’s my list:

Brock Lesnar beause then I’d be rich and there’d always be that constant fear that while we were working together he might give me a five minute head start and then try to hunt me down in the woods.
Quinton Rampage Jackson because I’m sure he’s got crazy stories and it’d be fun
Bas Rutten for the same reasons as Rampage
Sokoudjou because he has a cool story with the way he came to the U.S.
Lyoto Machida because I’ve got a ton of respect for him and his family.
Wanderlei Silva because he’s fu@kin Wanderlei Silva
And not a fighter, but I’d love to write Dana White’s biography as well because he’s charismatic and whether you love him or hate him, you’re interested in what he’s doing

So Brock, Quinton, Bas, Sokoudjou, Lyoto, Wand, and Dana, if you’re interested shoot me an email….

Thanks Mr. Zac Robinson! This was fun. We need to do this again. Increase your MMA IQ and support author Zac Robinson by getting a copy of his new book now!