BADBOY MMA - The Fight Stor(E)Y – Chapter 5

The brand with the famous scowling eyes...

When FightStoreMMA first started, Bad Boy was one of the brands that helped define who we were. It was different, it was bold, and it had an attitude that stood out in the early MMA scene. Most importantly, at the time it was the only brand we carried that already had real history within combat sports. 

What a lot of people don't know is that Badboy had originally been involved in all manner of sports including motocross and surfing. In the early days you would see the odd BJJ Gi which found its way to the UK via someones training trip to Brazil. My friend Pete Irving brought me a bunch of stuff from one of his early days training trips which included a couple of items from the famous brand which I'm sure would be collectable now.

The famous scowling eyes logo was instantly recognisable. Fighters wanted to wear it, and fans immediately knew what it represented.

The interesting thing was that Bad Boy had almost disappeared from the UK fight scene. A brand that had once been one of the most recognised names in MMA was no longer easily available, and in 2009 we saw an opportunity to bring it back.

For a young FightStoreMMA, Bad Boy was a major step forward. It gave us credibility and helped establish the philosophy that still guides us today: find great brands, find authentic brands, and give fighters access to equipment they couldn't easily get elsewhere.

But the fight industry was changing quickly. Around 2010/11, the Bad Boy licensing arrangement changed and the brand moved in a different direction.

At the same time, something important was happening behind the scenes. The company we had been buying Bad Boy from in the USA was called REVGEAR.

At that point, very few people in the UK knew the name. However, we had already seen how they approached equipment and how seriously they took fighters and the sport. What started as a supplier relationship through Bad Boy would eventually become one of the most important relationships in FightStore history.

We began building a relationship with Paul Reavlin, the owner of REVGEAR, without knowing where it would lead. Looking back now, that connection was one of those moments that seemed small at the time but changed everything.

Know someone who remembers the early MMA days? Forward them this chapter. They'll probably remember the famous Bad Boy eyes and enjoy discovering the story behind what came next.

Next week...

A new store. A new location. And FightStore was about to become the home of the North East fight scene...