UPDATE #2 to the article introduces Authentic Brands Group as the possible buyer. Gives a little information on the company and talks about the CNN Money article that recently ran regarding TapouT.
http://mmaprime.tv/2010/09/01/mmaprime-tv-exclusive-mma-clothing-giant-tapout-sold/
Check it out...
^^^^^
This should clear up some of the confusion on what's most likely happening...
So Tracy Lee posts the first intelligent response on this thread and she gets made fun of? What she said is spot on. Any dummy that thinks it's an "end of an era" is an obvious fool.
If you notice, the article itself does not say end of an era, just the thread title. just sayin..
If you check the update on the article, you'll see I clarify the situation.
Smart move on buffets part.
Tapout gets tons of exposure its seen on EVERY televised fight show on a fighter or banner
A businessman like Buffett got to where he is by making moves that were out of the box and off the radar screens of the average entrepreneur. I thought of the move as genius on his part. Talk about diversifying your portfolio. I believe the purchase of Tapout is going to do wonders for MMA
HoomanCan - A businessman like Buffett got to where he is by making moves that were out of the box and off the radar screens of the average entrepreneur. I thought of the move as genius on his part. Talk about diversifying your portfolio. I believe the purchase of Tapout is going to do wonders for MMA
you are 100% WRONG! he has done nothing but buy completely durable companies over and over, the only reason other people don't buy the companies he buys, is because they don't have the funds to do so.... he won't even touch a company without a long history of sustainability... and as well as tapout has done.. they aren't that old yet
Any brand sold in Wal Mart I refuse to buy. Tapout has been great for the sport but we all know only wannabe dirtballs wear Tapout. Ive never seen any respectable person sport these shirts. Tapout is so crucial for the sport thats why the UFC banned them the second they sponsored Fedor. MMA's future hardly hangs in the balance of a t-shirt company.And Affliction has become clothing for douchebags with money.
reasonable_mma - Any brand sold in Wal Mart I refuse to buy. Tapout has been great for the sport but we all know only wannabe dirtballs wear Tapout. Ive never seen any respectable person sport these shirts. Tapout is so crucial for the sport thats why the UFC banned them the second they sponsored Fedor. MMA's future hardly hangs in the balance of a t-shirt company.And Affliction has become clothing for douchebags with money.
Are you from the sherdog forum? Did typing that negative post make you feel better?
Dawkins -reasonable_mma - Any brand sold in Wal Mart I refuse to buy. Tapout has been great for the sport but we all know only wannabe dirtballs wear Tapout. Ive never seen any respectable person sport these shirts. Tapout is so crucial for the sport thats why the UFC banned them the second they sponsored Fedor. MMA's future hardly hangs in the balance of a t-shirt company.And Affliction has become clothing for douchebags with money.
Are you from the sherdog forum? Did typing that negative post make you feel better?
no matter where he's from... he's right
ohferfuxsakes -"Chris, permanently delete that account, and block the IP address, I going to go practice headkicks."Kirik - Tracy Lee is one of the hardest working people I have ever had the honor to meet in this sport. Any criticising her is a maroon.
When Kirik goes Bugfucker, y'all better watch the fuck out.
is tapout in walmart? Iknow that mma elite and extreme couture is...
reasonable_mma - Any brand sold in Wal Mart I refuse to buy. Tapout has been great for the sport but we all know only wannabe dirtballs wear Tapout. Ive never seen any respectable person sport these shirts. Tapout is so crucial for the sport thats why the UFC banned them the second they sponsored Fedor. MMA's future hardly hangs in the balance of a t-shirt company.And Affliction has become clothing for douchebags with money.
Wannabe dirtballs?
You mean like a large number of the ACTUAL fighters who sport their shirts, fight shorts and the like? Oh and for the record, I wear Tapout gear and I'm neither a wannabe nor a dirtball. I enjoy supporting the sport, I enjoy supporting the companies that allow the fighters in it to make some kind of living. Essentially, the 30 bucks I spend on a Tapout t-shirt, or the 60 I spend on a hoodie indirectly goes into the pockets of the fighters they support. If that makes me a wannabe dirtball in your eyes, so be it.
No offense, but you're naive if you think Tapout and the other sponsors don't play a major role in this sport. The sponsors essentially help these guys make a living. Think the wages they make in the UFC, Strikeforce or the other promotions pay the bills?
Lemme give you some food for thought here. I can count on two hands the number of fighters in this sport that make enough to be financially secure. You'd be surprised how many of these guys have, or at one point had, second jobs, and this was while fighting in the UFC. I can tell you for a fact, one currently is working as a bouncer part time in California, and this is a guy who fought in the company not all that long ago. And of course, we all know Carwin works a full-time job on the side.
Tapout has supported so many fighters over the years, they deserve all the recognition they get. They were behind this sport WELL before it became the fad of the minute.
Also, the UFC banned them the second they made a Fedor shirt? Really, that's news to me...
TapouT at Wal-Mart?<br /><br />MMA Elite is everywhere in Wal-Mart now, that may be what you are thinking of.<br /><br />Not a bad thing either. Just shows how dominant MMA culture has become in pop culture today.<br /><br />Who knows? This new deal could get TapouT's brand in more areas too, which is a good thing.<br /><br />But being anti-TapouT or UFC or anything MMA just shows that you're not a fan.
Nanook -Couldn't have said it better myself. Fighters need those sponsorship dollars so that they can train full time and NOT have to work 40 hours and then go train.
No offense, but you're naive if you think Tapout and the other sponsors don't play a major role in this sport. The sponsors essentially help these guys make a living. Think the wages they make in the UFC, Strikeforce or the other promotions pay the bills?
Lemme give you some food for thought here. I can count on two hands the number of fighters in this sport that make enough to be financially secure. You'd be surprised how many of these guys have, or at one point had, second jobs, and this was while fighting in the UFC. I can tell you for a fact, one currently is working as a bouncer part time in California, and this is a guy who fought in the company not all that long ago. And of course, we all know Carwin works a full-time job on the side.
Tapout has supported so many fighters over the years, they deserve all the recognition they get. They were behind this sport WELL before it became the fad of the minute.
Also, the UFC banned them the second they made a Fedor shirt? Really, that's news to me...
BUT in defense of the guy above, UFC did threaten to ban TapouT when they produced a Fedor walkout t-shirt before his Werdum fight. They even had it on their website briefly until the baldfather heard about it. They decided it was in their "best interest" to not follow through with their plans to sponsor him.
I was even banned from this site briefly for making a FUCK YOU DANA WHITE thread calling him out on his petty bullshit when I heard about it.
Warren Buffett's purchase of TapouT could represent another step towards mainstream promotion/acceptance of MMA culture.
Some hardcore fans won't like that it means another chip away at their us-4-and-no-more subculture. Smarter fans (hardcore or casual) will see this as a step towards more financial stability in MMA.
tbizzle -
BUT in defense of the guy above, UFC did threaten to ban TapouT when they produced a Fedor walkout t-shirt before his Werdum fight. They even had it on their website briefly until the baldfather heard about it. They decided it was in their "best interest" to not follow through with their plans to sponsor him.
Ah that's right. Had a brain fart there for a minute. Perhaps I was trying to block it out of my mind LOL.
Nanook, Whittsy, Tbizzle - All great points. 
After the death of Mask the other guys probably decided to sell it because it's not the same without him.
It's like Led Zepplin after the drummer died Robert Plant said that's it he cant be replaced.
I would have figured that Tapout would have done an IPO as opposed to selling ....seemed a lot of the tactics i heard they were using to get into certain distribution channels would have lent itself to a IPO down the line....