| Kansas City, KS - The
recently formed 365 Fight Management company announced Tuesday
that it has formally entered into a strategic alliance with
former mixed martial arts world champion and renowned fight
trainer Pat Miletich.
As a part of the partnership, 365 Fight
Management will co-manage several fighters currently under
the guidance of Miletich, who recently formed a fighter
management company of his own.
"This alliance will reap immediate
benefits for athletes under contract to both Pat and 365
Fight Management," said Joe Kelly, the President of
365 Fight Management. "We will assist Pat's fighters
in seeking sponsorship opportunities as well as fight opportunities
around the country and around the world. In turn, Pat will
provide assist us in analyzing fight opportunities and forming
strategic game plans for our athletes."
In addition to co-branding its contracted
fighters, Pat Miletich and 365 Fight Management will work
together to market its athletes in order to seek optimum
exposure to ensure they receive the best opportunities available.
"I am extremely excited to have joined
forces with Joe Kelly and Sam Caplan at 365 Fight Management,"
said Miletich. "The fact that 365 does management,
sponsorship acquisitions and MMA events makes them a one
stop shop for fighters of all levels. In the past, there
has been a disconnect and lack of communication between
management and coaches in MMA. This will not be the case
any longer, as 365 and MFS will be working together for
the good of all involved. Fighters will feel safe knowing
their team is heading in the same direction."
365 Fight Management was formed in October
by Joe Kelly and Sam Caplan. In a short period of time,
their management company was able to sign established fighters
such as Rudy Bears (Strikeforce), Lee Gibson (former EliteXC),
John Doyle (EliteXC and M-1 veteran), Kasheem Peterson(future
MMA superstar), Lamont Lister (IFL vet), Ritchie Carmack
(7-0 heavyweight pro boxer scheduled to make MMA debut on
Dec. 18), and Tuan Pham (Adrenaline MMA vet; world class
flyweight competitor).
The first two fighters of Miletich's to
be co-managed by 365 Fight Management will be featherweight
Ramiro "Junior" Hernandez (7-1-1) and lightweight
Nick Spohn.
"We were well aware of Ramiro's pedigree
when we promoted him this past October during the return
of Joe's Titan Fighting Championship promotion [which used
the Combat Sports Championship banner due to a now resolved
trademark issue]," Caplan began. "However, Joe
and I were blown away by his standup skills and it didn't
take long to realize that Ramiro is a major league talent.
We're excited to have him back for our Dec. 18 Titan show
in K.C. because his days of competing on regional shows
are numbered. Joe and I are looking forward to assisting
Pat in helping Ramiro reach the next level."
Spohn is also considered a prized prospect.
Though just 1-0 as an amateur, there has been a tremendous
buzz surrounding his upcoming pro debut in the coming months.
Industry insiders believe once he turns pro that he will
be on the fast track for stardom. In fact, his advanced
skillset elicited an invitation from B.J. Penn to join Penn
in California for his training camp held in order to prepare
for his UFC lightweight title defense vs. Diego Sanchez
at UFC 107.
The addition of Hernandez and Spohn to
the 365 Fight Management label is considered just the beginning
of the new alliance between the upstart management company
and Miletich. Additional Miletich-trained athletes are expected
to join the fold as well while Miletich and 365 are also
finalizing plans to recruit new talent to the fold.
"We're not afraid to get our hands
dirty," said Kelly. "In a short amount of time,
we have made an instant impact in the careers of our fighters.
We're looking to work with new talent even if they aren't
just established. Pat, Sam, and I will be reaching out to
some of that talent but we're also looking forward to them
reaching out to us as well. 365 is truly a one stop shop
for fighters; we can get them fights, utilize our connections
to the bigger organizations, seek sponsorships, act as a
publicist, and can now even provide them expert strategic
fight planning. We think the co-managerial partnership we
have built with Pat is a model we will be doing with other
trainers that would like to be involved in every aspect
of their fighter's career but may not have the resources
to do so."
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