Deal Between Network and Mixed Martial Arts Legend Includes Upcoming “Fight Master: Bellator MMA” Reality Show and “MMA Rescue”
New York, NY, February 5, 2013 – Randy Couture, a legend in the sport of mixed martial arts and rising film star, has agreed to a multi-year creative partnership with Spike TV. The deal includes multiple non-scripted projects, two of which have been greenlit to air.
“We are thrilled to partner with such an emerging star in entertainment and an absolute icon in the sport of mixed martial arts,” said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series, Spike TV.
The upcoming greenlit projects include:
Fight Master: Bellator MMA – Couture joins some of the biggest names in the sport of mixed martial arts as coaches and trainers for the new reality series, premiering this summer. Couture, Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock, and Joe Warren will helm four separate fight camps for 32 up-and-coming fighters looking to fight their way into the Bellator tournament and a $100,000 cash prize. Spike will telecast 10 one-hour episodes of “Fight Master: Bellator MMA.” Two of television’s most acclaimed producers, eight-time Emmy® Award winner Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri of Profiles Television Productions, the visionaries behind “The Amazing Race,” serve as Executive Producers.
MMA Rescue – Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Consequently, MMA gyms are opening up all over looking to tap into the surge in popularity. MMA legend Couture uses his years of expertise in the business of mixed martial arts to help turn struggling gyms into thriving enterprises. Couture currently owns a successful chain of gyms, Xtreme Couture MMA, and has the know-how and track record to help take a failing gym on the ropes and turn it into a champion. Spike will pilot the series with three one-hour episodes, with the opportunity to do more. Production details and airdates will be announced at a later time. The show is produced by Kinetic Content with Chris Coelen, Couture and Samuel Spira as Executive Producers.
Other projects will also be announced at a later date.
Couture is returning home to the network which telecast his first starring role in a weekly series, “The Ultimate Fighter,” in 2005. He is a 6-time MMA World Champion and Hall of Famer in the fastest growing sport in the world. In addition to his stellar standing in combat sports, Couture is also a successful business man, best-selling author and actor on the rise. His credits include the hit films “The Expendables,” “The Expendables 2,” “The Scorpion King: The Akkadian,” and “The Set Up.” He also runs his own chain of gyms, Xtreme Couture MMA; a thriving clothing line, Xtreme Couture Clothing; men’s cologne, through Xtreme Couture Accessories and a supplement company, Xtreme Couture Pharmaceuticals (XCAP). Additionally, Couture created MMAthletics with television personality Jay Glazer, a company focused on training professional athletes from various sports in the ways of Mixed Martial Arts and teaching them how that training can be applied to their respective sport’s discipline.
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