Longtime sports marketer Tom Fox has joined Scott Coker’s yet-unnamed MMA circuit as COO.
The startup, headed by Coker, Strikeforce founder/CEO and former Bellator president, is scheduled to launch early next year.
Fox had been working with the MMA buildout since last October in stealth mode and has known and worked with Coker since 2007. What piqued Fox’s interest?
“Mostly Scott (Coker),” he said. “The (MMA) industry seems ripe for growth. He knows the fight game and is well respected within it”
While the-still-anonymous MMA league has yet to announce anything regarding a name, a schedule, structure, athletes, venues, or media distribution, it has raised $60M since last October, from the likes of Creator Sports Capital and VC firm Griffin Gaming Partners, whose managing director and co-founder Peter Levin is serving as the new MMA promotion’s chairman.
Fox described his forthcoming COO role as “building a business around their reputation and helping them commercialize their acumen in the sport.”
A two-time SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree, Fox has held marketing titles with some of sports’ most indelible brands, including Gatorade, the NBA, Nike, and Arsenal.
Also joining the fledgling MMA league’s executive ranks are: Kevin Kay, as chief content officer; Rich Chou, EVP athlete relations; Paolo Boccotti; EVP, European production, and operations; Lawrence Stuart, EVP media rights and biz dev.; and Chris DeBlasio, EVP, Comms.
