Editor's Note: The View From Inside the RingEntrepreneur's editor-in-chief gets a first-hand look at the passion of MMA culture.

I'll be the first to admit it: I had reservations about running a story on the apparel businesses orbiting the controversial sport of混合武术arts. I mean, MMA fights take place in a cage, with barely gloved hands, bare feet and very few rules. It's blood sport, right?

The answer to that question depends on who you ask. But here's what's certain: The $1 billion industry is impossible to ignore. MMA bouts are in heavy rotation on cable and pay-per-view. Clothing from the likes of Affliction and competitor TapouT hang from the bodies of millions of 18- to 34-year-old males. So we kicked the idea around and decided that anything so controversial--and so profitable--is worthy of our cover.

We were right. As Dennis Romero's story ("A Roundhouse Kick in the Pants,") explains, MMA is about more than just money and blood (although flying fists add to its sex appeal). It's about a subculture of enthusiasts and the lengths they'll go to (read: the prices they'll pay) to show their support for a bunch of roughnecks whose purpose in life is to flirt with death. MMA is one of those passion-to-the-pocketbook business stories that shapes enthusiast business models.

As more and more companies try to ride the MMA wave, Affliction continues to expand its clothing line--and reputation--beyond the ring into higher-end evening wear. Co-founder Eric Foss even has his sights on the women's market.