[1][2][5] The book was written by Bill Viola Jr., and Dr. Fred Adams and published by Kumite Classic Entertainment in 2017.

[6][7][8][9] It was the basis for the 2017 film Tough Guys which made its network television debut on Showtime.

[1][2][15] The Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, discovered the book and subsequently established a permanent exhibit to recognize Pittsburgh as the birthplace of modern sport of MMA in the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.

[3][16][17][18] New York based MinusL Productions secured the rights to produce a documentary film about the history of MMA and used the book as the basis for the film named Tough Guys co-starring Bill Viola Sr., the author's father.

The “anything goes” Tough Guy Contest[12][20][8] introduced regulated mixed martial arts competition to America and launched the first MMA league, later rebranded as “Super Fighters.”[27][28][15] Tough Guys chronicles mixed martial arts a decade before the term became popular or the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was created.