Issue 042
October 2008
Manager to some of the top fighters in MMA, translator, clothing manufacturer and pioneer in the sport, Ed Soares is all of these things and more.
Watching an event on television you’ll see a barrage of faces. Prominent are the fighter’s entourage. Watch enough events and you’ll recognise the same faces among the managers and training partners. When Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Paulo Filho fight you’ll see one particular face every time - the unassuming features of Ed Soares, manager of champions, president of Sinister brand clothing, and post-fight translator for those of us that don’t speak Portuguese.
Even though Ed possesses 100% Brazilian blood (both parents are from Brazil) he was born and raised in Southern California. Growing up in a solely Brazilian-speaking household meant that as a child Ed spoke nothing but Portuguese, only learning English when he started school. “I can remember going into kindergarten and coming home going, ‘Mom, nobody understands me’,” he laughs.
Ed’s current occupation as manager and sponsor of some of the most feared MMA fighters on the planet hints little at what he wanted to be as a child. “I wanted to be a fireman,” exclaims Ed. “I even went to fire academy, but then what happened is I became diabetic and they let me go.” While working a job at a restaurant Ed spoke to a friend about his work as a nightclub promoter. “I said to him, ‘How do you do that?’ And he broke down how it worked and I said, ‘So you’re telling me, that all I’ve got to do is get a bunch of people to show up at a nightclub and I make money?’ And he said, ‘That’s exactly it,’ and I said, ‘Dude, that won’t be problem.’ So I started at about 18, 19. I was actually promoting nightclubs that were 21-and-over and I wasn’t even 21 yet.” And it wasn’t small-fry dives; it was big Hollywood venues. At the same time Ed expanded into managing hip hop groups, something that ran with his life’s ethos: “To do things I enjoy and make money at it.”
When Ed’s future wife became pregnant with the first of their two daughters Ed decided to swap shooters and mixers for needle and thread – he moved into the apparel business, taking over Sinister from some fellow nightclub promoters. Once settled behind the reins Ed steered Sinister away from the clubwear it was producing and started developing it as a lifestyle brand.
“I trained jiu-jitsu and at that time MMA was just starting out and I always believed in it. So I sponsored the fighters however I could by giving them clothes and just trying to be there to show my support for the sport.” After becoming a sponsor of Chuck Liddell, Ed travelled to Japan with him when he fought Quinton Jackson in Pride. There he ran into old friend (and next-door neighbour from his childhood) Jorge Guimaraes. Jorge was producing a TV show in Brazil called ‘Passar A Guarda’ (Passing the Guard), a show about BJJ and MMA. Jorge was without a cameraman so Ed stepped up and performed lens duties for the week.
When he discovered Jorge had no one handling the show in the States, Ed took it on but wanted to push it further. Five months later, in April 2004 he signed a deal with a cable network to produce a US edition of Passing the Guard, something of a milestone considering the sport-altering Ultimate Fighter show wasn’t to flicker onto US screens for another year. The show ran for 11 seasons until December 2006. “We were the only TV show that was actually promoting MMA so we started to build a really, really good relationship with all the promoters, and through that we were building good relationships with the fighters.” For Ed and Jorge the natural evolution was to start managing fighters and form Tough Media.
Today Ed runs Sinister while managing some hugely successful fighters. As is the Brazilian way, they’re more family than clients. “My kids consider Anderson their uncle. I go to Anderson’s house and on his night stand there’s pictures of my daughters along with his kids.”
Considering the amount of work that goes into managing a fighter, what must it be like when all that comes to a head at the fight itself? More so, an Anderson Silva title fight? “The toughest part is right before he’s about to walk out. At that point in time there’s nothing I can do. Before his fight if there’s sponsors, situations, any problems he has, as his manager I feel I can solve them. But right before he walks out to the Octagon is when it kind of freaks me out and I realise there’s nothing I can do to change anything.
“What’s going to be done is done. It’s a very stressful moment for us and for me especially. But the minute he wins, I’m just so happy to see the success of our guys, it’s so fulfilling. People say, ‘Oh yeah it must be nice, the money.’ Of course, everyone needs money to live. But I can tell you the feeling you get when you see one of your athletes be successful – it’s literally like a Mastercard commercial, it’s priceless. You can’t put a dollar amount on that feeling. It’s pure ecstasy.”
Soares’s Fighters
Anderson Silva
The middleweight king has been champ of the 185lb division since 2006, and is regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Rodrigo Nogueira
The granite-chinned submission artist is one of Brazil’s most successful fighters, and won the
interim UFC heavyweight title in February of this year.
Lyoto Machida
The undefeated light heavyweight hopeful is currently tearing through the UFC’s ranks, and will face fellow Brazilian Thiago Silva in October.
Paulo Filho
The WEC middleweight title holder is undefeated at 16-0-0 and will defend his title in September against Chael Sonnen.
