MMA took another significant step towards the mainstream this week when Authentic Brands Group LLC purchased the sport’s foremost merchandising brand, TapouT, along with Hitman Fight Gear and Silver Star in hopes of expanding their profile both in the United States and abroad.

Though the financial figures involved were not released to the public, TapouT made nearly $200 million in sales last year and is already available in a number of retail outlets such as Kohl’s, K-Mart, and JC Penny.

“We strategically chose these acquisitions as our first big move because we’re getting into the right business at the right time. We’re looking forward to working with the best brands and the best athletes in the world as we transition these (companies) into global lifestyle brands with our retail and licensing partners,” said Authentic Brands’ CEO Jamie Salter in a press release on the deal.

It was also confirmed TapouT founders Dan “Punkass” Caldwell and Tim “Skyskrape” Katz will remain integral parts of the clothing line they, along with the late Charles “Mask” Lewis, originally peddled from the trunk of a car.

As Caldwell put it, “TapouT is more than a company or a brand to me, it is a way of life. With the passing of my best friend and co-founder (Lewis) we’ve been through a lot. Now we are focused on continuing to set the standard as the industry leader, bringing to life Mask’s dream of building a billion dollar empire. Authentic Brands Group understands what TapouT is about and they share our vision. Mask always said to simply ‘believe’ and that one word became our formula for success. We believe in Authentic Brands Group and they believe in us.”

TapOut is currently considered the sport’s leading apparel company and sponsors a number of Mixed Martial Artists including Dan Hardy, Jake Shields, Ryan Bader, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Roy Nelson, Dan Henderson, and Michael Bisping.

When World Extreme Cagefighting officials first announced they would be
holding a pay-per-view event, many MMA pundits didn't know what to expect.

That event, "WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber," wound up as one of the most
entertaining in the promotion's history and was a decided hit with pay-per-view buyers
according to company officials.

With that event now on DVD, WEC general manager Reed Harris told
MMAjunkie.com it's performing well in retail
outlets, as well. But the unbridled success of the April fight card
hasn't changed the philosophy of the fight promotion.

When World Extreme Cagefighting officials first announced they would be
holding a pay-per-view event, many MMA pundits didn't know what to expect.

That event, "WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber," wound up as one of the most
entertaining in the promotion's history and was a decided hit with pay-per-view buyers
according to company officials.

With that event now on DVD, WEC general manager Reed Harris told
MMAjunkie.com it's performing well in retail
outlets, as well. But the unbridled success of the April fight card
hasn't changed the philosophy of the fight promotion.

While Zuffa, LLC - the parent-company of the Ultimate Fighting
Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting - has traditionally been
voracious in terms of protecting its product, Thursday night's
revelation that the company was suing the Bellator Fighting
Championships, as well as influential agent Ken Pavia, came as quite a
surprise.

Bellator officials were just as taken aback, according to the company's newly hired attorney, Patrick English.

"I was asked to represent Bellator yesterday when they heard there had
been a lawsuit filed," English told MMAjunkie.com.
"Originally, they had no idea what it was about. It was actually Kevin
Iole who was kind enough to tell me what it was about."

Bellator Fighting Championships returns to San Antonio's Majestic
Theatre for the second time in company history with Bellator 27 on Sept.
2.

Bellator officials today officially announced the company's plans, and
tickets go on sale for the event tomorrow.

The company has yet to announce any bouts for the contest, though it was
revealed that the card would feature three first-round heavyweight
tournament bouts in addition to five fights featuring local talent.

MONTREAL - He's said it before, and he'll say it again: The UFC is going everywhere.

At today's pre-UFC 113 press conference at the Bell Centre in Montreal, UFC president Dana White
revealed that while the company is still actively seeking sanctioning in
both Ontario and New York, the expansion of the company isn't targeted
solely to those two locales.

In fact, White said an international version of "The Ultimate Fighter"
may focus on Canadian athletes as soon as 2011, and UFC co-owner Lorenzo
Fertitta will soon set out across the globe with the intention of
netting TV deals in China, India and South Korea.

Already one of the most recognizable athletes in the sport, UFC
welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will remain one of Gatorade
Canada's featured athletes.

One year after St-Pierre first partnered with PepsiCo Canada, the
beverage company today announced that it has re-signed St-Pierre to a
promotional deal.

Terms of the new deal were not disclosed, though the company has
released a new ad in conjunction with the announcement.

While M-1 Global is perhaps best known as the management team of top
heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, the company also has an extensive history
in the fight promotion business as well.

And though the company's "M-1 Challenge" events are regularly featured
on HDNet, the company also conducts a worldwide tournament designed to
find top prospects all over the globe.

That tournament, the "M-1 Selection," touches down in the U.S. on April 3
at Bally's Atlantic City in New Jersey, and HDNet's Mike Straka and
MMAjunkie.com's John Morgan will take to the broadcast booth to call the
action.

Smile, Art Jimmerson. You've now got company.

While professional boxer Jimmerson and his one-gloved attack will
forever be a part of mixed martial arts and UFC history, not many of
his fellow pugilists have followed in his tracks and tried their hand (so to speak)
at the booming sport - until now.

With the recent MMAjunkie.com/"Inside MMA" poll, we asked our
readers to determine, "Which of the following notable boxers is most
likely to have a successful MMA career?"

Frank Mir's future as a broadcaster for the promotion's sister company,
World Extreme Cagefighting, remains up in the air, but today the former
UFC heavyweight champion said he hopes to return to the commentary role
he's held since the company first hit the Versus airwaves in June 2007.

"It's something that hopefully I'll be able to do in the future," Mir
told MMAjunkie.com. "Right now, I'm concentrating
more on my fighting career."

Mir is currently preparing for a UFC 111 interim title fight with Shane Carwin on March 27.