MC Hammer Gets In The MMA Business
↵↵Three-time Grammy Award-winner MC Hammer has launched Alchemist Management (www.alchemistmgmt.com), a management, promotion, marketing and brand-building firm for MMA fighters. Hammer serves as the new company’s CEO and has named Lex McMahon as President and Nima Safapour as Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel. Alchemist Management is based in Los Angeles.
↵Hammer brings significant experience in top-tier sports and entertainment management to Alchemist. Prior to his celebrated musical career, he began his professional life in sports. Later, after achieving worldwide fame in the music industry, he returned to the sporting world and represented professional athletes in contract negotiations. In the 1990s, he managed Evander Holyfield to the world heavyweight boxing championship.
↵“I’ve been a fan of combat sports for years,” said MC Hammer. “MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and this is a great opportunity for us to launch a full-service management company. Alchemist Management will leverage its relationships and resources for the benefit of fighters, the sponsors, and the industry at large.”
↵↵- Via a press release
↵Two man things stick out here.
↵1) MC Hammer has gone bankrupt. Why I would want him in a “management” position for a fighter, I don’t really know. Still, as Kid Nate of Bloody Elbow pointed out, his reputation is generally as an honest guy. I just hope the guy is in it for the long haul if he is going to be taking money from athletes who make comparatively much less than other mainstream stars.
↵2) I couldn’t imagine who, if anyone, would sign with something that felt like such a novelty move. For all the talk of his hand in the Holyfield management I was always told he was pretty much a non-factor in getting anything done. But then I saw that he already has signed main eventer on Sunday’s UFC card Vladimir Matyushenko, UFC fighter Jorge Rivera, Strikeforce star Tim Kennedy and UFC star Nate Marquardt. With that, I simply have to admit that I have no clue what is going on and just walk away from the story fully hoping that Hammer doesn’t hurt ‘em.
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