What is the ultimate UFC walk out song?

Eugene Robinson talks to musicians including Big Boi of Outkast, Harley Flanagan of the Cro-Mags, Steve Albini of Big Black and Shellac and Scott Kelly of Neurosis about what songs they would choose to walk out to if they fought professional mixed martial arts.

Eugene S. Robinson, friend of Bloody Elbow, has been doing a fun series at VICE's Fightlands blog: My Walkout Song in which he talks to some fellow musicians about what songs they would choose to walk out to the Octagon. I've made a playlist of the selection it's above.

Here's who Eugene has spoken to and their picks:

Big Boi of Outkast: "General Patton" by Big Boi

Scott Kelly of Neurosis: "It Took the Night to Believe" by Sunn O)))

Steve Albini of Big Black, Shellac, producer of the Pixies, Nirvana, etc: Symphony #3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs by Henryk Gorecki

Harley Flanagan of the Cro Mags (also a BJJ instructor at Renzo Gracie's gym): "God Will Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, "South of Heaven" and "Seasons in the Abyss" by Slayer

Eugene Robinson of Ox Bow: "Smooth Operator" by Sade

They all had interesting reasons for their choices but my favorites were Steve Albini's:

Robinson: What about this or any bit of music really makes it a great walkout tune?

Albini: It has to be pretentious enough that the goobers will think it's both stirring and classy but also exquisitely gay so that from an ironic distance it can be admired as camp. There are many options available from the catalogs of both Richard Wagner and the band Queen.

And Eugene's:

"Smooth Operator" is a great choice for every single reason I can imagine and mostly for my number one reason: It's relaxing. And the head-game portion of the fight game is still the biggest determining factor in who wins and who loses. I have fought much better when I have been a little smoothed out. I mean, no one can adrenaline their way through an entire fight. Ian MacKaye, back when he used to fight, told me, "I could even beat up a guy like you ... if I was angry enough." Of course he was wrong, but this is a mistake a lot of non-fighters make. The reality of it is, I don't hate the guys I fight. I just feel an emotional need to have my will obliterate their will. And I do this better when I am calmed.