Caged Warrior

Caged Warrior (2014) is Alan Sitomer’s eighth young adult action novel by. A sequel, Noble Warrior, was released in 2015.

McCutcheon Daniels, who goes by M.D., is a fifteen-year-old boy living in Detroit. M.D. has been training in mixed martial arts (MMA) since he was young and is now a champion on the illegal underground cage fighting circuit. His winnings from his matches are necessary to feed his out-of-work father and young sister, Gemma. Under the tutelage of his father, who serves as his trainer and promoter, M.D. won his first cage match at the age of nine. He describes the violence of the matches, as well as the many times he has been injured and hurt other people.

Eventually, M.D. catches the eye of the Priests, a crime syndicate that participates in many illegal activities in Detroit, including underground cage fighting. Weasel, M.D.’s contact in the Priests, arranges for his payments after the fights.



M.D.’s days are spent in training and working out, honing his body for competition. The routine comforts him because he feels the rest of the world is out of control. Although he continues to attend school, his focus is on MMA. However, M.D. encourages the bright and academic Gemma while dreaming of a better life for her through education. He takes care of many of his sister’s daily needs such as cooking for her and taking her to school, striving to shield her from the harsh and dangerous world.

Frankel High, where M.D. goes to school, is overcrowded and dilapidated. Though he feels that most of his teachers don’t care about the students, he is impressed by his science teacher Mr. Freedman who has taken an interest in M.D.’s education and safety. Though he is a loner at school, M.D. enjoys camaraderie with many of the adults at his MMA gym. The other men who train there have taken M.D. under their wings, helping him with his workouts and offering friendly but not material support.

One day, Mr. Freedman puts M.D.’s name forward for enrollment in a charter school where he can get a better education. M.D. does not want to attend the new school since he thinks his future lies in MMA. He is already under pressure from his father to drop out and devote himself to fighting full time. However, Mr. Freedman arranges for a visit to the charter school, which impresses M.D. with its cleanliness, amenities, and respectful students.



M.D. is initially resistant to attending the charter school, even as he begins to develop feelings for a smart, wealthy student named Kaitlyn. Mr. Freedman continues to pressure M.D. to switch schools. One day, he meets Gemma to learn more about M.D.’s daily life, much of which concerns him, as he is worried about M.D.’s safety on the MMA circuit. He warns M.D. that he can get hurt or killed, and if he doesn’t become a champion in the sport, he will always want for money and security.

Mr. Freedman also reveals his own painful history with the Priests, who are responsible for the death of his daughter. This is part of the reason he wants to help M.D. escape a life of organized crime. After their talk, M.D. is once again willing to consider going to the charter school. However, the Priests learn of his intentions to leave MMA and begin threatening his friends and family.

M.D. wins an important match but, unbeknownst to him, Kaitlyn is in attendance. He cannot enjoy the victory knowing that she has seen him fight. Upset by what she has seen, Kaitlyn tells M.D. to leave her alone. The next day, M.D. tells his father of his intentions to quit MMA. They fight, and M.D. beats his father. However, the Priests kidnap Gemma to force M.D. to fight one more high-profile match.



He turns to Mr. Freedman for help, and Mr. Freedman promises to contact friends in the FBI to help eliminate the Priests for good. They determine that M.D. should fight the high-profile match to ensure that many of the Priests are present.

At the fight, M.D. is at first distracted, and it looks like he will lose. However, Mr. Freedman arrives in the middle of the match and informs him that Gemma has been found and is safe. M.D. goes on to win the match with newfound confidence. After the match, he leaves MMA for good and attends the charter school. He and Kaitlyn reconcile. Just when it seems that everything is going well for M.D., the Priests murder two of his old friends from his MMA gym. M.D. and Gemma are placed in witness protection and moved to a new town, allowing Sitomer to set up for a sequel.