Mike Straka

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Mike Straka is an American television host, author and producer. He was co-host and producer on Spike TV's primetime mma news magazine show "MMA Uncensored Live" [1] and is the host of "TapouT Radio" on SiriusXM Sports with TapouT founders Punkass and Skyskrape. Mike also serves as the in-cage post fight interview correspondent for World Series of Fighting and as UFC correspondent for Fight Now TV. WSOF 1 aired live on NBC Sports Network November 3, 2012 from Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, NV. Straka also hosted Fighting Words with Mike Straka on HDNet which featured interviews with mixed martial arts athletes. He is also a regular contributor to FIGHT! Magazine, and has penned an MMA book based on interviews from his television show called "Fighting Words," from Triumph Books.

Straka was a vice president and executive producer at FOX News Digital, and also served as an on-air commentator on Hollywood and celebrity topics, as well as sports, for the cable net and on FOXNews.com. Straka created and was the executive producer of Strategy Room[2] on FOXNews.com and was the host and executive producer of FOX Fight Game, a mixed martial arts features and news program. Straka also played the role of Young Minetta in the movie Analyze This and Johnny in the hit play Tony n' Tina's Wedding, and was a star in several television commercials in the 1990s.

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[edit] Biography

Straka was born in Newark, New Jersey He grew up in Barnegat Township, New Jersey and graduated from Monsignor Donovan High School, where he was a member of the wrestling team.[3] He studied acting at Rutgers University and wrestled for The Scarlet Knights, and moved to New York City to begin his career, where he specialized in commercials, daytime soaps and the Off-Broadway play Tony N' Tina's Wedding while continuing his studies. He started his career as a CBS page, ushering audiences through the West 57th Street studios to see talk shows like Geraldo and Joan Rivers, and giving tours and answering phones throughout the building. After a year as a page, he was hired by CBS News Radio to be a desk assistant, where he chased news on the overnight shift, working in a newsroom that included journalists like Bill Lynch, Bill Whitney, Mitchell Kraus and esteemed news director Larry McCoy.

Straka moonlighted as an actor during this time, and studied with both Robert Neff Williams of the Juilliard School and Tony Greco of The Actor's Studio, and was represented by Don Buchwald and Associates for TV commercials, eventually booking spots for Healthy Choice Pasta Sauce, Target Stores, the Powerpuff Girls and Papa Gino's Pizza.

Straka joined Fox News Channel just prior to the network launch in 1996, and served as a tape operator, writer, associate producer, producer, and director of operations and special projects for FOXNews.com, and ended his career there in 2010 as Vice President and Executive Producer for FOX News Digital.

Straka trains Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC where he also trains Muay Thai under Joe Sampiere. He trains MMA in NJ with trainer Alex Tarrago and holds a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. During the course of his TKD training, he trained with U.S. Olympic gold medalist Herb Perez and U.S. Olympic team coach Kevin Padilla.

[edit] Publications

Mike has one book to date on mixed martial arts fighters and personalities, Fighting Words w/Mike Straka, from Triumph Sports. His first book, "GRRR! Celebs And Other Reasons Why We're All In Trouble, discusses the celebrity obsessed culture and the phenomenon of "Oblivions" (people who so oblivious to their surroundings they are rude without knowing) -- [4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ ProMMA Now
  2. ^ NYT
  3. ^ Richani, Fred. "TSC Interviews: HDNet's Mike Straka", TheSportsCourier.com, September 25, 2010. Accessed July 17, 2011. "Q. Where did you grow up? A. I grew up in Barnegat, New Jersey. Q. Did you have a good childhood? A. I had a great childhood. Dad was a UPS man. Mom was a nurse's aid [sic]. I went [to] Monsignor Donovan High School in Toms River (home of UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar), where I wrestled."
  4. ^ from his GRRR! Lexicon.

[edit] External links

Authority control
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