Nearly every young athlete dreams of becoming a professional athlete and competing on his/her sport’s biggest stage. Baseball players want to be in the MLB, football players in the NFL, and basketball players in the NBA. Up-and-coming mixed martial artists are no exception, and for the past few years at least, the stage they dreamed of was an eight-sided cage owned by the UFC. If you’re good enough and you get the call, it’s a no-brainer, right?
Up-And-Comers’ Decision About Where To Sign Not So Clear Cut
July 28th, 2008
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Graffight’s Trip To UFC 86 Pays Off
July 16th, 2008
As a quick follow up to our story on Graffight making the trip to UFC 86 to promote their brand, we wanted to pass along news that their efforts and the connections they made are beginning to pay off. Graffight has signed on to sponsor TUF 7 semi-finalist Tim Credeur for his fight at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 14.
Last week I was on the road when I received a call from a person who’s turning out to be a trusted friend in the business, Jake Hattan from Denaro Sports Marketing who called me with a really good opportunity. He told me that the shirt sponsor for Tim Credeur had cancelled on him last minute and if I was interested in creating some pre-launch buzz this would be a good way to do it. He gave us a really good deal so we decided to it was worth the money. Tim was a semi-finalist on this past season of T.U.F. Look for our signature Graffight Logo shirt on Tim as well as his corner men on July 19th when he takes on Cale Yarborough on Spike TV.
Sponsoring fighters has been one of the key components in establishing brand recognition for two of the industry’s most successful clothing lines—Tapout and Affliction. This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for Graffight.
Congrats to Gary Ibarra and the Graffight team. We’re confident its only the beginning of great things to come.
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UFC 86: Turning Dream Into Reality…
July 11th, 2008
…And no, I’m not talking about Forrest Griffin. The person I’m referring to is Gary Ibarra. If you recognize Gary’s last name, it’s because he is Rampage Jackson’s trainer, Juanito Ibarra’s, cousin. Gary isn’t part of the team that helped Jackson prepare for his UFC Light Heavyweight title defense though. He is, however, trying to make waves in the MMA industry with his new clothing line, Graffight. In doing so, he has set up a blog to share all the highs, lows, breaks and obstacles he encounters in the pursuit of his dream.
No Comments | Filed under: EditorialsThanks, Chuck.
June 23rd, 2008
One Girl’s Journey From Loathe To Love In The Violent World Of Mixed Martial Arts
Photo courtesy of Sherdog.com
NOTE: This is Kristina Kolesa’s first contribution to MMAConvert.com. A magazine editor and a writer for several publications, Kristina is the editor of MMAConvert.com’s content, and we are excited to feature her unique perspective of the sport as a female fan. You can reach Kristina through our contact form or leave a comment.
If the veins in my neck and the hoarseness of my voice are any indication, I want this man to win. Badly. Very badly. I’m perched on my knees, arms outstretched, commanding the cowering fighter through the TV to “Fight!” Then just, “Do something!” Followed by, “Do anything!” And finally, the straw-grabber: “Act like a fighter!” By the end, I’m head-in-hands. I feel like I just got punched myself. I feel sick to my stomach. Mirko Cro Cop, my fighter, the fighter of my father’s homeland—well, Croatia’s close enough to Slovenia—has just been beaten by some upstart Kongo guy. What happened, Mirko? What happened to the head kicks? The glory days of PRIDE? PRIDE. I thought of renewing my Cro Cop faith by watching an old PRIDE DVD. Immediately. Perhaps the one with him nailing Fedor’s younger brother in the side of the head with the top of his foot. Instead, I sit in disbelief watching Mirko stand head-hung in the center of the Octagon, waiting for the obvious decision. I’m too invested in this sport, I tell myself. I sound like one of those stinkin’, clamorin’, barbaric, idiotic MMA fans. What happened to me?
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