SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (date of earliest event reported): November 4, 2016
ALLIANCE MMA, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 001-37899 | 47-5412331 |
|
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
Paul K. Danner, III
Chief Executive Officer
590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor
New York, New York 10022
(Address of principal executive offices)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 739-7825
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
ITEM 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE
On November 4, 2016, Alliance MMA, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that it entered into an agreement with Comcast SportsNet pursuant to which its Hoosier Fight Club MMA promotion would be aired on the Comcast SportsNet Chicago network. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.
On November 8, 2016, the Company issued a press release announcing that former UFC Event Coordinator and MMA legend Burt Watson has joined the Company as Director, Fighter Relations. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.2 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.
The information under this Item 7.01 and in Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 in this Current Report is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. The information under this Item 7.01 and in Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 in this Current Report shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS
| (d) | Exhibits. |
| 99.1 | Press Release dated November 4, 2016. |
| 99.2 | Press Release dated November 8, 2016. |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| ALLIANCE MMA, INC. | |||
| By: | /s/ Paul K. Danner, III | ||
| Name: | Paul K. Danner, III | ||
| Its: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
Dated: November 9, 2016
EXHIBIT INDEX
| 99.1 | Press Release dated November 4, 2016. |
| 99.2 | Press Release dated November 8, 2016. |
Exhibit 99.1
ALLIANCE MMA PROMOTION SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH COMCAST
SPORTSNET CHICAGO
Hoosier Fight Club’s Promotions to be Broadcast to Chicago and Surrounding Areas
NEW YORK, NY – November 4, 2016 – Alliance MMA, Inc. ("Alliance MMA" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: AMMA), a mixed martial arts organization offering premier promotional opportunities for aspiring mixed martial arts fighters, announced today that its promotion, Hoosier Fight Club (HFC), signed a broadcast television agreement with Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.
The first aired event under the Comcast agreement will be HFC 31, which will take place on November 5th at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, and will feature three title fights. Dennis Dombrow will defend his BantamWeight Belt against Cory Galloway, Michael Santiago and Bill Kamery will square off for the FeatherWeight Belt, and Gabriel Mota will face Jesus Razo for the first MiddleWeight Amateur Belt. Comcast will broadcast HFC 31 on tape delay, and it is scheduled to air November 27th at 7:00 pm CST. Comcast reaches nearly 3,000,000 subscribers in Chicago and the surrounding areas.
“HFC has experienced success by continuing to adapt and evolve with the world’s fastest growing sport, and we are extremely pleased that they are part of the Alliance family,” said Robert Haydak, President of Alliance MMA, Inc. “One of Alliance’s primary goals is to create a national footprint in every major media market with well-run regional MMA promotions while concurrently taking advantage of our shared resources. We expect that our collective strength and burgeoning market presence will assist individual promotions to achieve greater levels of financial success, including securing similar live content broadcast deals and sponsorships."
HFC is considered by many in the Chicago area to be the established leader of the local MMA scene. The promotion has produced top fighters such as Neil Mangny, Darren Elkins and Belal Muhammad, who will be featured at UFC 205 on November 12th at Madison Square Garden.
“Chicago is such a sports-rich town, especially at this time with the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years,” said Danielle Vale of Hoosier Fight Club. “We feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to engage in the MMA space with Comcast Sports Network. Comcast airs a broad selection of live sports content, and are known throughout the broadcast industry for demanding the highest level of quality production media.”
Alliance MMA is the first MMA company to be traded on a major stock exchange, and is currently the only way for the public to invest in the MMA industry. Last month, Alliance MMA announced the successful completion of their IPO, their listing on the NASDAQ, and their acquisition of seven companies including HFC and four other MMA promotion companies, a digital media sports platform and an electronic ticketing platform optimized for marketing MMA events.
“This arrangement with Comcast helps achieve our objective of providing fighters with the opportunity to showcase their bouts to a much broader audience by delivering exciting live content produced at the highest possible level of quality. It truly is about the fighter and the fans”, added Mrs. Vale.
MMA is a full contact sport that allows a wide range of fighting techniques including, striking and grappling from various martial arts and disciplines including Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Karate & Muay Thai. Professional MMA fights are legal and regulated by state athletic commissions in all 50 states.
About Hoosier Fight Club
Based in the greater Chicago, Illinois area, Hoosier Fight Club (HFC) was created by the former Mrs. Indiana winner, Danielle Vale, and her husband Paul who felt drawn to the sport of MMA. They formed Hoosier Fight Club with the intent of directing a high level of professionalism to the sport. Promoting the first sanctioned MMA event in the state of Indiana, HFC is considered by many in the Chicago area to be the established leader of the local MMA scene.
About Alliance MMA, Inc.
Alliance MMA (NASDAQ: AMMA) is a mixed martial arts organization offering premier promotional opportunities for aspiring mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters who wish to advance to the sport’s highest level of professional competition. Alliance MMA’s mission is to identify and cultivate the next generation of fighters and champions for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and other premier MMA promotions.
With some of the world’s leading MMA promotions under the Alliance MMA umbrella, the organization aims eventually to host in excess of 125 events per year, showcasing more than 1,000 fighters. Alliance MMA is dedicated to generating live original sports media content, attracting an international fan base, and securing major brand sponsorship revenue for our live MMA events, digital media platform and Alliance MMA fighters.
Alliance MMA, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 for the purpose of acquiring businesses that engage in the promotion of MMA events. In 2016, the company went public with a listing on the NASDAQ stock market. Alliance MMA is the only mixed martial arts promotion company that is publicly traded, allowing public investment in the world’s fastest growing sport.
For more information visit, www.alliancemma.com
Or contact:
James Platek
Director, Investor Relations
Alliance MMA, Inc.
590 Madison Avenue
New York NY 10022
(212) 739-7825, x707
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements relate to anticipated future events, future results of operations or future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “intends,” “expects,” “plans,” “goals,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Actual results may differ materially from historical results or those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, but not limited to, those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-213166) declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 2, 2016. Alliance MMA encourages you to review other factors that may affect its future results in Alliance MMA’s registration statement and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Exhibit 99.2
BURT WATSON JOINS ALLIANCE MMA AS DIRECTOR OF FIGHTER RELATIONS
MMA Legend to Help Cultivate Next Generation of Champion Fighters
NEW YORK, NY – November 8, 2016 – Alliance MMA, Inc. ("Alliance MMA" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: AMMA), a mixed martial arts organization offering premier promotional opportunities for aspiring mixed martial arts fighters, today announced that MMA legend Burt Watson has joined the Company as Director, Fighter Relations, where he will serve as a motivational mentor for Alliance MMA’s regional promotions and their fighters.
In this newly created capacity, Mr. Watson will help shepherd Alliance MMA’s most valued product, its fighters, in their quest to become MMA champions. Applying his extraordinary inspirational talents, he will routinely visit Alliance MMA promotions to ensure consistency in the fighter relations process, and concurrently assist in nurturing the upcoming generation of professional fighters. Mr. Watson will help standardize the coordination of behind the scenes details for the promotions to help ensure that fighters are competing at the highest possible level of personal performance.
“Alliance MMA has already acquired five promotions, and we have plans to expand our operations aggressively in the coming months. Burt’s direct involvement will create a level of consistency for the promotions that we believe will result in our ability to ensure remarkably competitive opportunities for our fighters, while at the same time maximizing the entertainment value for our fans,” said Robert Haydak, President of Alliance MMA, Inc. “Burt has a unique talent for personalizing the fighter’s experience which creates a truly supercharged environment. He takes a sincere personal interest in every athlete, before, during and after each event. His infectious charisma inspires fighters preceding their bouts, and when necessary, he’s also the first person to provide compassionate consolation. We are absolutely thrilled to feature his larger than life presence as a key member of our team."
Mr. Watson began his career in boxing more than 30 years ago coordinating events that involved boxing stars Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bernard Hopkins and Wladimir Klitschko. Most recently, he served as head of fighter relations at Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC), an Alliance MMA promotion. Before joining CFFC, Mr. Watson was the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Event Coordinator for 14 years where he was intimately involved in producing some of their most memorable events. Prior to his association with the UFC organization, Mr. Watson served as the business manager for legendary fighter ”Smokin’ Joe" Frazier for several years, and coordinated a promotional tour featuring renowned boxing greats Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman and Ken Norton. Throughout his illustrious career, Mr. Watson was responsible for coordinating televised sporting events featured on numerous networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, HBO, Showtime, USA, BET and Telemundo.
“My passion is working closely with fighters, and now with the Alliance MMA opportunity, I get to work with both fighters and the regional promoters to deliver the best possible experience for all,” said Mr. Watson. “MMA is widely regarded as the world’s fastest growing sport, and as the fan base continues to expand, I am totally stoked to help produce the next generation of stars as a member of the Alliance MMA family.”
Alliance MMA is the first MMA company to be traded on a major stock exchange, and is currently the only way for the public to invest in the MMA industry. Earlier this month, Alliance MMA announced the successful completion of their IPO, their listing on the NASDAQ and their acquisition of seven companies including five MMA promotion companies, a digital media sports platform and an electronic ticketing platform optimized for marketing MMA events.
MMA is a full contact sport that allows a wide range of fighting techniques including, striking and grappling from various martial arts and disciplines including Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Karate & Muay Thai. Professional MMA fights are legal and regulated by state athletic commissions in all 50 states.
About Alliance MMA, Inc.
Alliance MMA (NASDAQ: AMMA) is a mixed martial arts organization offering premier promotional opportunities for aspiring mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters who wish to advance to the sport’s highest level of professional competition. Alliance MMA’s mission is to identify and cultivate the next generation of fighters and champions for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and other premier MMA promotions.
With some of the world’s leading MMA promotions under the Alliance MMA umbrella, the organization aims eventually to host in excess of 125 events per year, showcasing more than 1,000 fighters. Alliance MMA will also be dedicated to generating live original sports media content, attracting an international fan base, and securing major brand sponsorship revenue for our live MMA events, digital media platform and Alliance MMA fighters.
Alliance MMA, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 for the purpose of acquiring businesses that engage in the promotion of MMA events. In 2016, the company went public with a listing on the NASDAQ stock market. Alliance MMA is the only mixed martial arts promotion company that is publicly traded, allowing public investment in the world’s fastest growing sport.
For more information visit, www.alliancemma.com
Or contact:
James Platek
Director, Investor Relations
Alliance MMA, Inc.
590 Madison Avenue
New York NY 10022
(212) 739-7825, x707
Kristie Galvani
Rubenstein Public Relations
kgalvani@rubensteinpr.com
212-805-3005
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements relate to anticipated future events, future results of operations or future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “intends,” “expects,” “plans,” “goals,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Actual results may differ materially from historical results or those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, but not limited to, those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-213166) declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 2, 2016. Alliance MMA encourages you to review other factors that may affect its future results in Alliance MMA’s registration statement and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.