Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Fight Pass has released a documentary about the former UFC fighter and Bloody Elbow writer who passed away in 2016.
As part of their UFC Chronicles series, UFC Fight Pass has recently released a documentary on Josh Samman, a fighter and writer for this very website, who sadly passed away on October 5, 2016.
The 22-minute feature was titled “Love, Death & Prize Fighting,” which is a nod to his emotional and exceptionally well written memoir, The Housekeeper.
Even if he passed away way too soon at just 28-years-old, Josh definitely had a very eventful life, and the film managed to portray a lot of that, even in its short duration.
No matter how much or how little you know about the life, career, and passing of this multi-talented and endearing human being, it’s a good watch that can cater to those various kinds of audiences. Just be prepared to have your heartstrings tugged on.
The documentary features many of those who were in Josh’s inner circle, and it had quality interviews with the likes of his mother Cheryl, Combat Night co-founder Mitchell Chamale, coach Joe Burtoft, book editor Gerard Roxburgh, and friends Hunter Sundberg, Matt Munsey, and Brian Pennington.
There are also a lot of old footage of Josh himself, who discussed his outlook in life, career, along with the struggles and grief that he personally went through, before and after writing that memoir.
The show not only provided first hand info, is also provided a lot of very raw, honest, and heart-wrenching stories and commentary from his closest friends, family, and loved ones. It can appeal to any type of viewer, but for those like me who actually knew Josh and had the pleasure working with him for a couple of years, that made it particularly gutting and tough to watch.
Although he was certainly great at it, the Tallahassee native’s life was definitely much more than just fighting. He had a passion for music, promoting MMA events, giving back to the community, and what I got to see the most, a legitimate talent for writing.
While just glossed over on the film, Josh was part of Bloody Elbow from back in his days as the “double punch guy” in the regional scene, all the way to actually fighting in the UFC and officially being a part of our staff as a feature writer. I’ve always loved his first person POV style on writing about his fights — it inspired me to follow in his footsteps and do creative writing of my own — but Josh also did a lot of excellent journalism during his time with the site.
In even a relative short amount of time, Josh clearly made a huge impact on the staff of this site, and the broader parts of the MMA world. His loss is still being felt by many today. The show does a great job of not only showing that, but by also giving a very real and honest look at the life, love, grief, struggles, and personal demons involved in all of it.
You can watch this UFC Chronicles documentary on Fight Pass. You can also pick up Josh Samman’s book, The Housekeeper: Love, Death & Prizefighting on Amazon and other outlets.