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 I promised that in Part 2 of this series, I'd start actually reviewing a company, product, or service.
On April 25th, I had the opportunity to interview Chris Leo, one of the company partners at Projekt Label - and I believe this review has allowed me to delve into all three aspects, because Projekt Label provides products and services.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always kind of been one to choose the underdog. I try to “buy local” when I can. Get my vege’s from the local farmer’s stand out on the highway. That sort of thing. Pretty easy to figure out how to buy from those guys, I mean they’re right there. And when it comes to purchasing MMA products, gear or services, I try to be just as choosy. When it comes to the fancy, slick MMA products out there today, however, it’s kind of hard to figure out who the underdog is and who you can trust. Like how can you tell who’s out there strictly to slide in the ring for a quick buck and get out before wasting any energy…and who’s sincere? In my opinion, there’s only one way – get to know the people behind the product or service, then test it out. I did that with the fellows over at Projekt Label.
Who’s Projekt Label and what do they do? Well, they sponsor their fighters through product sales, like T-shirts and MMA gear. Each fighter gets to design their own stuff, with help from the experts at the company, if requested. The fighter can even sell their own stuff to raise funds to help pay expenses. Pretty cool idea.
The fellows over at Projekt Label recognized something that many people in the industry have realized, but not many have acted upon: up-and-coming fighters need a break. That’s it – clear and simple. I mean, it’s one thing to sponsor a Rashad Evans or Lyoto Machida (subliminal message: LYOTO!). It’s quite another to sponsor someone no one’s ever heard of but their mother. Chris Leo, Ted Rice and Sergio Oliveri from Projekt Lable got together and decided it was time to notice such up-and-coming MMA fighters. The team at Projekt Label works hard to give their fighters a break, and help by sponsoring and believing in them. Win, lose or draw. And they’ve managed to do just that. Going around the country, these fellows have put together an exciting fight team that may some day read as a “who’s who” in MMA fighters. Projekt Label supports them by putting them in a position that will allow them to support themselves and pursue their dream of becoming an MMA Superstar. The organization’s goal is to “not only build the best MMA team on the planet, but to also give back to the sport and help it progress.”
For example, a few weeks ago the company had an opportunity…a BIG opportunity…to sponsor an event for their fighters, up in Northern California. Big event. Lots of famous people. Lots of other big brand names there too. There was an issue with the promoter, however. Not naming any places or names, suffice it to say the promoter was not dealing with an honest deck, and so the Projekt Label team did something that most companies just wouldn’t do: they canceled the deal. This meant a huge loss of publicity. Their fighters wouldn’t be able to fight at the event, and their banners were taken down. Could this have hurt them? Maybe. For sure it hurt them financially for the moment. But in the long run, they were protecting their fighters, their name and their integrity. That’s what it’s all about. That’s bushido (to a samurai, bushido is a strict, unwritten code of living, teaching moral principles and values like loyalty, courage, honor and self-discipline.) I'm all about bushido.
I had the opportunity to interview one of their pro-fighters, Bruce “The Noose” Connors. Bruce was about as nice and gracious as any fighter could be – in fact it was a real pleasure learning about him. He was sporting one of his T-shirts, designed by Bruce and created by Projekt Label, and in fact just about everyone in his camp was wearing one. You can read that interview HERE. What struck me about Bruce was that he was respectful – and just the kind of fighter you’d expect the Projekt Label group to carry on their team. Good indication of the type of company they are, when their fighters do such a good job at representing them, right?
This organization has 9 (count ‘em…nine!) pro-fighters and 3 ammy-fighters on their team. Not bad for a relatively new company. In fact, my only issue is that they don’t have any female fighters on the team! So when you look at the facts: honest group of guys; always follow through on their commitments; good clean fighters, desire to help others first…pretty much it looks like Projekt Label adds up to a truly decent company and one you can trust.
Is this company the next TapouT? Who knows - for sure no one could ever take TapouT's place or probably even try to - and Projekt Label's not trying to do that. But they do hold up to that esteemed business model that includes passion for MMA, passion for their product and the desire to help others succeed by putting them first.
If you’re a fighter looking for sponsorship, or if you’re a fighter and looking to brand yourself and create your own label, then you should go check out the folks at Projekt Label. Tell them Katrina sent you. But do me a favor – tell them I said they need to add a couple of female fighters on the team. I can always recommend a few if necessary! (LYOTO!)
To find out more information, visit the Projekt Label website. You can learn about their fighters by clicking HERE. And if you’re in the Fresno area on May 15th (and if you are, I’m so jealous!), then go visit them, as they’re sponsoring Aaron Rosa in the Strikeforce show:
STRIKEFORCE - May 15th
Fresno, CA @ Savemart Center
Aaron Rosa
205 LBS
11 Wins, 2 Losses
UPDATE: Congratulations to Aaron Rosa for winning his fight! Both Rosa and his opponent, Anthony Ruiz, fought hard and proved to be true warriors.
Also – they’re sponsoring the Call to Arms Fights in California:
Call to Arms Fights - May 16th
Ontario, CA @ Citizens Business Bank Arena
Chad "Savage" George (Main Event)
135 LBS
9 wins, 4 losses
In Part 3 of this series, I'm hoping to review another product for you that Richie Witson from TUF fame might want to learn about... And we'll just leave it there for now!
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