Alliance MMA continues to Grow
Alliance MMA announced today that James Byrne, a veteran of arena sports marketing, has been hired as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
Prior to joining Alliance, Byrne served as an executive consultant to The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for over a decade and, before that, was a senior marketer at the WWE (NYSE: WWE) during the “Attitude Era” that launched stars such as The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, and made them into household names. He also led the marketing effort for Carsey-Werner, the television production firm based in Los Angeles behind such hit shows as “Cosby,” “Roseanne,” “That 70s Show” and “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Most recently, Byrne’s Manhattan-based boutique marketing firm worked with companies such as Saatchi & Saatchi EMEA, Glory Sports International and Sony Pictures Classics.
“James has a long string of successes behind him that make him a real find in the international arena sports business, and we are extremely pleased to have him on board,” said Paul Danner, Chief Executive Officer of Alliance MMA. “His unique experience and skill set, specific to our industry, bode well for reaching our long as well as short-term branding and sponsorship objectives.”
“Alliance MMA is reminiscent of the early days of the sport when we had this amazing mix of high-octane content, ‘anything-goes’ creativity and boundless energy to get it all done in a day,” said Byrne. “Making Alliance MMA the engine room for developing talent is our collective mandate,” added Byrne, “and I couldn’t be more excited to roll up my sleeves and work with Rob Haydak, its President, alongside his team, to take it all to the next level.”
Along with this recent hire, Alliance MMA continues its expansion with the acquisition of the premier MMA promotion in Florida, Fight Time Promotions. The organization, which was founded by Karla Guadamuz-Davis and her husband, the late Olympic Gold Medalist Howard Davis Jr., will be the eighth regional MMA promotion operating under the Company’s umbrella.
“We at Alliance MMA are passionate about continuing our expansion across the country, and this latest acquisition is a meaningful step towards our stated objective of creating a strong presence in every major media market in the country,” said Robert Haydak, President of Alliance MMA. “Miami is a key target market for Alliance MMA, and Fight Time Promotions has a long, successful track record of integrity, consistency, and uniqueness. Karla produces more MMA events than any other promoter in Florida, and currently has 80 fighters under contract. She has successfully led the organization in developing athletes whose bouts are showcased in her world-class events.”
Since 2010, Fight Time Promotions has produced 34 events in Miami and Fort Lauderdale many of which have been featured on the CBS Sports Network, Comcast Sports Net, and HBO Plus. Co-Founder Howard Davis Jr. was the 1976 boxing Olympic lightweight gold medalist, the first fighter to win the New York Golden Gloves 4-times in a row, and was awarded the Val Barker Trophy for being the most outstanding boxer of the 1976 Olympics, beating out teammates Sugar Ray Leonard and Michael Spinks.
“We consistently provide our fans with action-packed, professional fights,” said Karla Guadamuz-Davis. “Howard was a pioneer in training MMA fighters when the sport first became popular in the United States, and I have worked diligently to keep his legacy alive. His love of the sport was passed on to me and our daughter, so I couldn’t be more excited about joining the Alliance MMA team which I fully expect will allow Fight Time Promotions to expand our presence and reach new levels of success as a business.”
With this latest acquisition Alliance MMA now expects to produce over 64 events on an annualized basis, operating 8 regional MMA promotions across the country: New Jersey-based Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC), Washington-based Combat Games MMA (COGA), Illinois-based Hoosier Fight Club (HFC), Tennessee-based V3 Fights, Maryland-based Shogun Fights, Ohio-based Iron Tiger Fight Series (IT Fight Series), Florida-based Fight Time Promotions, as well as a San Diego-based promotion under the guidance of MMA luminary Eric Del Fierro who expects to debut the Company’s inaugural event in March.
