Our friend Jonny Testa at Askmen.com had the chance to interview Punkass of Tapout. Punkass had some very interesting things to say, especially about how Tapout built an amazing and very profitable relationship with the biggest show in today’s MMA, the UFC. Here’s Punkass’s story about how Tapout’s relationship with the UFC all started:
“Well, that happened because we knew this guy called Eddy Millis and he had a gym out in Rancho Cucamonga called the Shark Tank. He introduced us to Monte Cox who was managing a bunch of fighters in the UFC around 1998 so we started sponsoring a couple of those fighters. We were paying Cox a couple hundred bucks for each fighter that he was managing in the UFC to wear our t-shirts. Through that relationship we got to know the previous owners of the UFC, which were Bob Meyrowitz and Paola Romero; she was running the UFC at the time. We had many conversations with them and we would just throw ourselves out there and ask how we could help promote the UFC because we wanted the sport to blow up, we wanted the UFC to blow up, and we were somewhat riding their wave while also creating our own wave. So we would ask them for flyers for their up and coming shows so we could put in orders for t-shirts to sell at those events, we would also pass out flyers at the many other events that we would attend. At the time the venues were small, you would have maybe 3000 people that would be showing up at the fights at the time and it was illegal in most states so we were just trying to help them however we could in that type of guerrilla ground floor marketing. When Zuffa bought the UFC, we introduced ourselves to them and they said they loved what we did and how much we helped the sport the way we did because we were pushing it in every direction that we could in that sort of grassroots marketing. They said they wanted to work with us to keep that integrity because they believed that what had kept the sport alive for so long was that grassroots marketing that was alive on the internet and the small shows that were taking place all over, so they wanted to keep that alive and we were their doorway to that level.”
Like most businesses, it sounds like Tapout didn’t have any special connections or truck loads of money when they started. They had to grind on nothing and make it into something. Big things don’t start big, they are grown big and it takes an amazing amount of time, effort and believing in yourself and your concept to make it happen. Some people may say that Tapout was just lucky because they were in the right place at the right time. Well, by the philosopher Senca’s definition of luck, that would be true. Seneca said, ”Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. Tapout was preparing themselves and their business early on. When that opportune moment came along, they were ready to take advantage of it. For that they deserve every drop of success they have achieved. They earned it.
Brock Lesnar has taken MMA by storm. Everyone knows he is a massive man with great wrestling ability, but there is one really big thing about Lesnar that sticks out. He has been very successful with his striking. In a recent UFC media conference call, Mir was asked what he thought about Lesnar’s striking ability. Here’s what he had to say:
“I can point out why I think Brock has been successful at striking because we’ve actually had to address that in my training camp. Brock’s reach for his height is actually long. A lot of people don’t realize that. They talk about his size, his power. Brock is almost 6-foot-4 … his reach is actually really long. I remember even watching when he beat Randy, and he slipped that punch from Brock. He thought that he was out of the way, and that punch kept on coming, it kept on coming, and it kept on coming. And finally it just caught him and he went down.”
Apparently Frank Mir has been taking Lesnar’s enormous reach into consideration with his training:
“I have two sparring partners that are 6-foot-7 and one who is even 6-foot-8 that we spar with. I had to find training partners that are three or four inches taller than Brock to even how long his arm reach is. Which, you know, if you watch boxing, that’s the reason everyone sits there and goes, ‘Well, what’s his reach?’ That’s a very helpful tool in a fight — how big the reach advantage is. Especially if you’re throwing punches. The longer your arms are, the better it is.”
Can Mir put together the right game plan to deal with Lesnar’s long arms? Can he possibly stand with this giant man who has proven his ability to drop bombs on some of MMA’s greatest fighters? Whether he can or not, it sounds like Mir has been doing his best to replicate Lesnar’s striking ability with his training parthers and is working hard to be able to defuse those bombs before they are dropped on his head.
Quotes via MMAFanhouse
Here is an MMA fight with a crazy ending. Renzo Gracie chokes Ben Spijkers out and continues to keep the choke on long after the referee attempts to call the fight. He then proceeds to kick Spijkers and step on his neck and head as he walks to the center of the ring to have his hand raised. There was obviously some bad blood here.
Urijah Faber, one of the most popular fighters in MMA today talks to Raw Vegas about all the things currently going on in his life. Faber discusses his fight with Mike Brown, his broken hand, his dissatisfaction with his level of pay from the WEC and about his friend BJ Penn.
MMA is becoming a bigger and bigger sport every day and it’s becoming more and more necessary for States to provide proper MMA regulation. Indiana has joined the list of many other states to sanction MMA and begin regulating the sport. Hawaii was the most recent state to sanction MMA, now Indiana is on board. Because of the rising popularity of the sport, it is likely that every state will eventually jump on this bandwagon. Here is the full story of what’s going on in Indiana by MMA Junkie:
“A bill that calls for the Indiana Athletic Commission (formerly the Indiana State Boxing Commission) to regulate mixed martial arts went into effect today.
The state is one of 39 in the U.S. that either regulates MMA or has passed legislation that will require regulation in the coming months.
Although Indiana has hosted numerous un-sanctioned MMA shows in recent years, official regulation opens the doors for organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship to hit the potentially lucrative market of Indianapolis.” Read More…
Watch out Hawaii, here comes more MMA action because MMA has officially been sanctioned in your state. Here is the story from Honolulu Advertiser:
‘Mixed martial arts already has a storied history in Hawai’i, even though the sport has been around for just more than a decade.
On Wednesday, a new chapter will be started.
In accordance with Chapter 440E of the Hawai’i Revised Statutes, MMA will become regulated under the state’s jurisdiction.
“I’m fine with it — I’ve always wanted the state to oversee it in some way,” longtime Hawai’i MMA promoter T. Jay Thompson said. “I think the laws they have come up with are right along the lines of Nevada and California. It seems to be in the best interest of the fighters, and I have no problem with that.”
A significant change will require all fighters, promoters, judges and referees to be licensed in Hawai’i if they want to be affiliated with a professional event here. [Read more →]
According to UFC.com, the UFC has made a big move to get the UFC aired in China. We all know how many people live in china, this is likely a very big step forward for the UFC.
Las Vegas, NV (USA) - As one of the birthplaces of martial arts, China is rightfully considered to be hallowed ground for the warriors of the Ultimate Fighting Championship®. Today, UFC® is pleased to announce a television deal with Inner Mongolia Television that will mark the first time in history UFC will be seen on TV in China, continuing the global expansion of the premier brand in mixed martial arts.
“Obviously China is a huge market and the Chinese understand the martial arts probably better than anyone else in the world. It’s a no brainer that UFC programming will be appreciated in China, and will become a big hit for the NMTV network,” said Dana White, UFC President. Read more…
Stumble it!
