(Aw yeah. Get ready for some Internet street-justice.)

Rick Hawn‘s lightweight title challenge against Michael Chandler last week at Bellator 85 didn’t go so well. Chandler was able to put the decorated judoka on his back with relative ease, before finishing him with a rear-naked choke in round two. But as disappointing as the loss was for Hawn, it paled in comparison to what came next. As Hawn revealed on twitter last night, “one of my main sponsors from my fight canceled his check cuz he wasnt happy with the outcome or my performance…A lawsuit is pending so I cannot comment on who it is just yet but stay tuned.”

I think we can all agree that a company that stiffs one of its sponsored MMA fighters because he lost should be immediately banned from the sport. But what makes this story sink to another level of scumbaggery is that the sponsor is actually defending the non-payment as a wise business decision. Here’s what the still-unnamed floor-turd had to say in an e-mail purportedly sent to our old friend Mike Russell:

“At this point, a stop payment has been placed on check which cannot be cashed or deposited now. I will not comment on Rick and his fight. That is not my place. But what I will tell you is this: I took a huge chance with him. TV exposure was great…but it only holds weight if he wins or puts on a good show. Neither happened. At the end of the day…not one sole (sp) will run to [my] store and buy product because they [saw my logo and saw] Rick loose (sp) the fight. I’ve made it my career and business to know what nets a return on investment for the brand…and this is the number 1 reason why I DO NOT hand out money or product to fighters.”

(“…and don’t even get me started about these goddamned Diaz brothers.” / Photo via CombatLifestyle)

By George Shunick

With a few notable exceptions like Dong Hyun Kim and Yushin Okami, Asian MMA fighters have struggled to live up to expectations while fighting in the UFC. While there are plenty of explanations for this, it appears the UFC doesn’t do these fighters any favors. In a recent interview, Dong Hyun Kim enumerated some of the issues faced by Asian fighters that are compounded by the UFC’s policies. Kim’s comments were translated by Sherdog user Hufusopem, and touch on a number of concerns, including sponsorship issues and traveling fees.

According to Kim, “no matter how ‘fair’ the UFC is, the Asian fighters especially Korean fighters are automatically at a disadvantage. Even right before my fight with Demian [Maia] my airplane ticket cost after getting discounts, was 1,100 dollars (Not to add in me paying for my teammates and coaches to accompany me). And on top of that, it is ludicrously expensive to get ready to train and get a training camp in the US before your fights.”

$1,100, before adding in teammates and coaches?? That’s a lot to ask of a fighter. Particularly if that fighter, unlike Kim, isn’t an established star. He continues, “It’s ultimately very hard to be a UFC fighter. If you go to America, there are a lot of fighters who are barely eeking by financially. I see some fighters who have fights a few days away doing personal training. A lot of that has to do with the UFC being too stingy about sponsorships. Also because of UFC’s policies it is really hard to get sponsors for a lot of fighters… If you pay off the training camp and your coaches you honestly don’t have much left. Ultimately, you only have one maybe two opportunities to make it big. In MMA anyone can lose and when you do lose you go instantly to the back of the line.”

(There’s always a Diaz fan in the crowd…)

By Jason Moles

We’ve seen as many MMA sponsors come and go over the last few years as we have fighters themselves, and with a few notable exceptions, they haven’t had much, if any, impact on the sport. That’s all about to change with the launch of FundAFighter.com, which helps fighters raise money to cover the costs of their training camps, travel, nutrition, or other MMA-related projects.

Developed by Tristar Gym‘s Firas Zahabi, the new site supports fighters in the planning and execution of “crowdfunding” campaigns in which they solicit donations directly from their fans in exchange for unique incentives like event tickets, autographs, fight-worn gear, or whatever rewards they are willing to give their backers. Oh, and did we mention that CagePotato veteran Mike Russell is handling PR for FundAFighter?

If the concept sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a reason for that — and it’s not just because crowdfunding is how we got Karmaatemycat to the TUF 14 tryouts last year. From the press release:

Y’know, I remember when MMA shaving-gel sponsorships used to mean something. Now they’ll stick any jerkoff on the can. Case in point: This terrifying find from KevMann on the UG. It’s particularly upsetting to me because Edge Sensitive Skin With Aloe is honestly my brand of choice, and I’m almost out of the shit. But there’s no way I’m going to buy some Dana White-branded shaving cream and spend two mornings a week* staring at the mug of my least-favorite adult-baby. Fuck that noise. I guess I’m switching to Barbasol for a while. Damn it.

* No, I don’t shave every day. I’m a professional blogger; most days, I have no reason to look presentable. 

Slow-motion destruction — always a good time. Here’s UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva doing what he does best in a pair of new ads for Budweiser Brasil. Please, keep your can-crushing jokes to yourself.

The Bud campaign is just one of several high-profile sponsorships that Andy has landed recently, including deals with Burger King and Nike. After the jump, Anderson Silva’s first “viral video” for Nike. Man, are Brazilian copy-writers lazy or what?

(Attention, fighters: Don’t let this happen to you.)

By Kelly Crigger

You might know me. I’m a sponsor. I get an email every other day from a manager (usually a fighter’s brother whose only business experience is a checkbook management class) asking me to sponsor someone. Sometimes I get a gem that’s professional and treats the situation exactly as it is — a product pitch. But too many times requests are so poorly written that they’re embarrassing and I don’t give them a second thought. Why? Because MMA is a young sport full of young people who have no business sense, and until that changes, fighters are going to miss out on sponsorship opportunities.

When asking for money, managers must answer one basic question — why should I give you money? It has to be a watertight pitch that describes the product (the fighter) and gives me no reason to say no. Unfortunately this is rare and more than one email has been relegated to my trash file. If you don’t want it to be you, follow a few simple rules:

– First off, a sponsor and a fighter need to be the right fit. A staunchly Catholic fighter who’s offended by pre-marital sex shouldn’t be sponsored by Condom Depot, and Ranger Up only sponsors fighters with a military background. Do your research so you’re not wasting my time and yours.

– Don’t wait until the last minute. Contacting me three days before a fight says you lack the foresight to plan ahead. That doesn’t instill me with the confidence that you’ll take care of my brand. Two weeks before a fight is okay. Three weeks is better.