Sometime in 2010 I saw Robin Black on a Canadian Fighting Championship MMA poster. I laughed under my breath. He was scheduled to fight inside a cage, and he had jet-black Bieber-esque side-bangs swooping across his forehead.
Growing up, I was used to seeing Black dolled up in eye-shadow judging VJs (I think?) on MuchMusic, or hanging out with a dominatrix on late night Canadian cable snuff shows. How could this half-rate glam-rocker think he had a place in the MMA world?
Black is the first to acknowledge that disconnect in his new spoken-word performance, Robin Black LIVE, co-written with journalist Graham Isador. After a drug induced seizure, Black made it his goal to become a commentator for the UFC, and he had to fight for acceptance from the MMA world — literally.
With nine professional MMA fights under his belt, Black has more experience inside the cage than most fight journalists — and he’s becoming one of the most notable too. His signature fight breakdowns have earned acclaim from fans, high-profile MMA fighters, and Joe Rogan — who’s blockbuster podcast Black has appeared on three times.
He’s also a commentator for TSN, and was one of The Fight Network’s flagship personalities until early 2017.
If comment sections and MMA message boards are any indication, Black has proved to be a divisive personality. But for every comment lambasting his hyped-up delivery style or questioning his sexuality because of his glam past, there are many more expressing appreciation for his work.
Black told his story to a sparse crowd at Winnipeg’s Park Theatre. In the inaugural performance he spoke in pre-rehearsed cadence, and it was clear he was working on delivering his material with confidence, but he still captivated the small audience.
He wove his philosophy on life in with tales of his adventures as a travelling musician, MMA fighter, and MMA analyst, but it felt like it was missing context — why did he want to be a rockstar? Why did he want to be an MMA fighter and analyst? How did it feel not to get respect from the MMA world? How did it feel to finally earn it? (the call to go on Rogan’s podcast??)
I know that he has a million experiences that can show the audience the message he’s trying to tell, and entertain them at the same time, but many times he relied on just telling them instead. And his story resonated most when he was describing the grimy details of his escapades.
The show was around an hour long, but based on how captive the audience was, I think they wanted to hear more. Please Robin! We want more flim flam!
Once he delivers that, I think he will be performing his story in front thousands the way he wants to.
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