Issue 108

December 2013

The champion-producing American Kickboxing Academy is expanding into Thailand, and has commenced construction on a gym in the country. The project is being directed by UFC welterweight fan favorite Mike Swick, who has been in Thailand overseeing the project on site since July.

The entire facility will cover three acres, the equivalent of three soccer pitches, when completed, and feature an extensive gym area as well as accommodation, eating and leisure facilities. It will even boast separate Muay Thai and MMA buildings – the mixed martial arts section benefiting from 3,000 square feet of mat space.

Swick recently said of the project: “I am so excited to finally be doing this thing. I have been working on it for four years and now we are doing it. I want this place to be the gym that launches so many careers and creates so much opportunity for the ones deserving it.”

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In July, veteran UFC referee Josh Rosenthal was sentenced to 37 months in prison, three years probation and a $100 fee for his involvement in a marijuana-growing operation.

Leading gyms Jackson's MMA and Evolve form partnership

The legendary Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA gym in New Mexico, and Asia’s leading Evolve MMA recently announced a strategic partnership to share coaching and training methodologies.

Powerhouse fight camps of the West and East respectively, Jackson’s based in the US and Evolve in Singapore, names like UFC wunderkind Jon Jones are expected to supplement their training with time across the Pacific alongside talent such as Japanese lightweight hero Shinya Aoki. 

Greg Jackson said of the relationship: “The combined wealth of championship experience from both of our coaching staffs will really accelerate the learning, progress and development of fighters for both Evolve MMA and Jackson’s MMA. I am really looking forward to working more closely with the best team in Asia.”

Industry jobs

Who: Paul Reavlin

Role: Founder of Revgear

Info: Runs the long-standing MMA equipment and apparel company, sponsor to UFC fighters such as Cub Swanson and Tim Kennedy

What is the average day like for Paul Reavlin?

“There is no average day and I guess if there was I wouldn’t want to be in the business anyway. There is always a new opportunity and challenge around the corner and new ways to grow. I guess that’s why I never felt like I’ve gone to work a single day in the last 17 years.”

As far as sponsorships are concerned, what measurable do you use to gauge some type of return on investment?

“I’ve been doing this since 1996 and there have rarely been times when I thought, ‘Wow, I am really getting a return on this investment.’ … You hear about stories like that and I’m very jealous but that has not been my experience. It’s all part of a bigger picture. People need to see your brand numerous times and it’s all about reaching them as many times as you can afford to do. (Revgear has) never been in the UFC and then the phone starts ringing off the hook.” 

Looking back is there anything you would have done differently?

“I quit my job as an accountant cold turkey and just started up this business. In those days people were just building and running little shopping carts on Yahoo and doing it at night online. In retrospect I could have started my business that way (online) and built it up but instead I just jumped right in. There are pros and cons to doing it that way I suppose.” 

Parental Advisory: Explicit Content

A resolution was passed in Boston in August stating that children under 16 cannot attend mixed martial arts events in the city unless accompanied by an adult.

Rallying/Crashed: THE MMA business can be cruel and kind

Rallying: Chegg

Sponsor to fighters such as Rory MacDonald and Gegard Mousasi (both under Alchemist management), Chegg is an online textbook rental company aimed at university students. Its presence in MMA is growing, and it’s intriguing to see a company with such a niche audience use another niche platform to market its services.

Crashed: Full Contact Fighter

For a time, Full Contact Fighter was one of the premier MMA brands. A prominent sponsor of UFC names and champions in the early 2000s such as Matt Hughes, Georges St Pierre and Tim Sylvia, it still runs a webstore but has a low presence in modern MMA.