Origins, initial success and sale Tapout was founded by
Charles Lewis, Jr. and
Dan Caldwell in 1997 in
San Bernardino. The idea for the company occurred when both men noticed the lack of
mixed martial arts merchandise. Later that year, Lewis took on some new partners in, Tim Katz and Bobby Razak who founded Tapout Films and the media portion of the company. The majority of their initial sales were made at underground MMA fights, and their revenue reached about $29,000 in 1999. This rapid growth led to the company becoming the largest distributor of MMA merchandise in the world, recording revenue of about $200 million in 2009. The show followed him as he searched the United States for up-and-coming
mixed martial arts fighters. It aired for two seasons on cable channel
Versus, before being cancelled. It also gave birth to a short-lived radio show, and was the official apparel brand for
The Ultimate Fighter during its run on
Spike. As a tribute to his contributions to
UFC, Lewis was posthumously inducted into the
UFC Hall of Fame at the
UFC 100 Fan Expo, as well as his name being made a permanent feature on the inside of the door to the Octagon. Katz and Caldwell, as well as the fans in attendance, held a minute's silence for Lewis. Following his death, the remaining founders decided to sell Tapout, which was bought by
Authentic Brands Group in 2010.
Relaunch with ABG, in conjunction with WWE Following ABG's absorption of Tapout, the firm looked to re-brand the company. The firm reached out to wrestling entertainment company
WWE in attempts to form a working relationship. WWE, who deal primarily in professional wrestling, came to an agreement with ABG in March 2015 to relaunch Tapout as a joint-venture. The venture saw the former MMA-related brand transformed into more general "lifestyle fitness" apparel and was released in 2014. WWE marketed the brand through various products, including beverages, supplements and gyms. ==See also==