‘Ink Masters’ contestant Mark Matthews balances tattooing career with MMA risks

SAN MATEO, Calif. – There’s a realist battling with a dreamer – an artist’s conundrum. One Mark Matthews knows all too well.

Through the door of a local art framing gallery with which Matthews’ tattoo business will share a wall, the heavily-tattooed,…

SAN MATEO, Calif. – There’s a realist battling with a dreamer – an artist’s conundrum. One Mark Matthews knows all too well.

Through the door of a local art framing gallery with which Matthews’ tattoo business will share a wall, the heavily-tattooed, 6-foot-2 middleweight MMA fighter prepares to be operational in time for the premier of Spike TV’s “Ink Masters” Season 2 tonight on Spike TV.

The fighter left behind fight training for seven weeks to test his tattoo skills against other artists while filming the reality show.