General James Ladner: A 20 year retrospective of 'Just Bleed'

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Feature: 20 years later, the ‘Just Bleed’ guy tells his story


I’m not very indicative of the population here. I’m probably a lot more liberal and progressive than most people here are,” says Ladner. Even though his philosophical leanings aren’t typical of Dixie, the way he speaks certainly is. His refined and songful southern accent, paired with a powerful vocabulary, conjures visions of seersucker and cotillions. But the charm of his cadence can’t sweeten the ugly tale of how he got to UFC 15.

 

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“When my father passed away I started going quite regularly,” he claims. “I just liked the betting atmosphere. It’s kind of like what you would see in the movies of old, where people are just throwing in money and saying, ‘I want to bet on this!’ It’s just manic.”

 

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"It all really started with cockfighting,” he says, matter-of-fact.

Ladner vividly remembers finding his way to abandoned movie theaters across the Louisiana border. In them were blood soaked fighting floors ringed with apple boxes and particleboard. There he watched roosters — with razors fastened to their ankles — fight to the death, while men whistled and zydeco music dripped out of rusted radios.

 

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"It all really started with cockfighting,” he says, matter-of-fact.

Ladner vividly remembers finding his way to abandoned movie theaters across the Louisiana border. In them were blood soaked fighting floors ringed with apple boxes and particleboard. There he watched roosters — with razors fastened to their ankles — fight to the death, while men whistled and zydeco music dripped out of rusted radios.

Must be North Louisiana. I’ve never heard of any cock fighting south of I-10. North LA is basically Arkansas.