Stephen Quadros

Stephen Quadros
Born	Stephen Quadros (1952-11-09) November 9, 1952 Santa Cruz, California, USA
Other names	The Fight Professor
Occupation(s)	Mixed martial arts commentator, musician, actor, journalist
Years active	1976–present
Known for	Commentary on PRIDE Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, GLORY World Series; drummer for SNOW and other bands; acting in film and television; fight choreography; MMA journalism
Notable work	PRIDE Fighting Championships commentary, Clinch Gear Radio co-host, Black Belt Presents: FIGHTSPORT editor

Stephen "The Fight Professor" Quadros (born November 9, 1952, in Santa Cruz, California, USA) is a seasoned American commentator known for his expertise in play-by-play and color analysis within combat sports on platforms such as cable television, pay-per-view, and DVD. Since 1997, he has contributed his voice to over 100 international mixed martial arts competitions.

An experienced martial artist himself, Quadros originally served as the host and lead play-by-play announcer for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, working alongside Bas Rutten on broadcasts including iN Demand PPV, Fox Sports Net, DVD releases, and Japanese coverage. His commentary portfolio extends to numerous events like the International Fight League (aired on Fox Sports Net), Cage Rage (featured on SKY Sports and DVD), Hardcore Championship Fighting (BELL ExpressVU and DVD), World Extreme Cagefighting (HDNet and DVD), the 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix (ESPN and DVD), Rumble on the Rock (iN Demand PPV), Too Hot To Handle (DVD), Kuwait Shidokan Jitsu Warriors War 1 (DVD), APEX Championship Fighting (TSN and DVD), and King of the Cage (DVD).

Between 2007 and 2011, Quadros was part of the Showtime Sports team, providing commentary for Strikeforce, Strikeforce Challengers, ShoXC, and EliteXC. He reunited with Bas Rutten as commentators for the "PRIDE Mode" in the UFC Undisputed 3 video game available on PlayStation and Xbox.

From 2010 to 2012, Quadros co-hosted Clinch Gear Radio, a weekly MMA show broadcast via Sirius XM Radio, which also functioned as the official MMA voice for the American Forces Network. Additionally, he hosted the Black Belt Hall of Fame Awards ceremonies in 2005 and 2006 at Universal Studios.

Working alongside Showtime colleague Mauro Ranallo, Quadros served as analyst-color commentator and interviewer for GLORY World Series broadcasts aired on CBS Sports Network, Spike TV, and ESPN 2 from 2012 to 2015. GLORY showcased elite kickboxing talent including K-1 champions Semmy Schilt, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, and Giorgio Petrosyan. He also provided commentary for ShinZo: Fight Sport events held in Guatemala City with UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar.

On August 1, 2014, Quadros was honored with induction into the Masters Hall of Fame for "Outstanding Contributions To The Martial Arts" during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Long Beach International Karate Championships. Later that year, on November 16, he was inducted into the Legends of MMA Hall of Fame alongside notable figures such as Art Davie, Big John McCarthy, Pat Miletich, Fedor Emelianenko, and Rickson Gracie.

Following more than fifteen years as a fight commentator and broadcaster, Quadros has shifted focus toward revitalizing his acting career in Southern California. His acting training includes studies with William Alderson, Stella Adler, Milton Justice, Mark Haining, Arthur Mendoza, Scott Bernstein's Comedy Plus program, and Michelle Danner.

Music

Quadros was the drummer for SNOW from 1978 to 1981, a heavy metal group that included Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo. SNOW supported acts like Iron Butterfly, Quiet Riot, and Johnny Winter while headlining venues such as The Troubadour, The Starwood, Whisky a Go Go, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, and Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. In 1980, they independently released an album featuring tracks like "Crack The Whip" and "No Way To Treat A Lady," which received airplay on Southern California radio stations KROQ and KLOS.

Following Peter Criss’s departure from KISS, Gene Simmons invited Quadros to audition after viewing his performance in Carmine Appice's "1st Annual Drum-off" video; however, he was not selected for the position.

Quadros also played drums with Los Angeles-based rock bands Orange (1976–1977) and Dangerface (1982–1983).

In 2004, he co-founded Sacred Cowboys alongside W. Earl Brown of HBO’s Deadwood. The band performed at notable Los Angeles venues such as the Knitting Factory and House of Blues (Hollywood). Their single "Gear Grinding Daddy" appeared on the soundtrack of the independent film Dunsmore.

He is part of the band 7th Sun with JT Curtis, Adam Kury, and Mike Russeck; their debut album "From The Beginning" was released in 2008 through iTunes and Amazon. Additionally, Quadros collaborates with Curtis and Kury in Whipped Cream, a Los Angeles-based tribute band dedicated to Cream.

Reuniting with Carlos and Tony Cavazo, Quadros helped revive SNOW with vocalist Andrew Freeman. The reformed group performed their first live concert in over three decades at The Key Club on the Sunset Strip on December 10, 2011.

Film and television

Following a setback in his music career caused by tendonitis in the early 1980s, Quadros shifted his focus toward acting, broadcasting, and journalism.

Since 1988, he has taken part in more than 75 film and television productions. His credits include films such as Dr Caligari (1989), Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016) directed by Michael Jai White, Demon Wind (1990), Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) alongside Jet Li and DMX, The Last Run (2004), and Sworn to Justice (1996) featuring Cynthia Rothrock. His television appearances encompass series like CSI: Miami, Numb3rs, Without a Trace, Pacific Blue, Murder, She Wrote, and Walker, Texas Ranger. Additionally, he starred with Traci Lords in Shock 'Em Dead (1991) and faced off against O. J. Simpson in CIA Code Name: Alexa (1993).

Utilizing his formal theater education combined with martial arts proficiency in Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan, WingTsun, boxing, kickboxing, and submission grappling, Quadros established himself as a fight choreographer in Hollywood. He designed fight sequences for The Perfect Sleep (2006) and Skeleton Man (2004), acted as fight technical advisor on Cradle 2 the Grave and Exit Wounds (2001), and fulfilled roles as fight choreographer and second unit director on Pit Fighter (2005).

Journalism

Quadros has contributed to publications such as Bas Rutten's Big Books of Combat, UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top Ten, and The Ultimate Martial Arts Q&A Book, while also serving as a judge at Ultimate Fighting Championship 8.

He co-founded and edited Black Belt Presents: FIGHTSPORT with Stephen Quadros (2001–2002), a full-color magazine produced by Black Belt Magazine. Prior to this, he worked as a contributing editor and columnist for Black Belt (1998–2001) and Fighters Only (2005–2006), held the position of editor-in-chief at Kickboxing Ring Report (1993–1998), and contributed articles to Inside Kung Fu, Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated, Grappling Magazine, and Full Contact Fighter.

On June 12, 2007, Quadros launched the Stephen Quadros Show on the Sherdog Radio Network. This weekly one-hour live broadcast featured his commentary alongside co-host Aaron Crecy, listener participation through calls, and interviews with prominent MMA figures including Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson, Renzo Gracie, Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, B.J. Penn, Rashad Evans, Matt Lindland, Matt Serra, Ian Freeman, and Don Frye. He departed from Sherdog Radio Network in 2008 due to conflicting schedules.

Renowned for his inventive fight commentary, Quadros is credited with originating the MMA term "lay and pray" during the PRIDE Fighting Championships event "Cold Fury" held at the Saitama Super Arena on December 9, 2000. This expression characterizes a grappler or wrestler who secures a striker on the mat to limit striking opportunities without aggressively pursuing a finish.

At "Cold Fury," during a bout between former Japan national Greco-Roman wrestling champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Dutch Muay Thai practitioner Gilbert Yvel, Fujita repeatedly brought Yvel down to the mat and maintained control. Observing this strategy, Quadros remarked:

"There’s ground and pound—that’s when a wrestler is on top delivering punches downward. But there’s also Bas (Rutten), can I coin a phrase tonight? Can you call it ‘lay and pray’ that they don’t stand up?"

External links

• Official Website of Stephen Quadros