Team Takedown – Spinning the Midas Touch “To dream anything that you want to dream – that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do – that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits – that is the courage to succeed.” -- Bernard Evans Success is nothing new to Ted Ehrhardt. With his partners (Tim McBride and brother Doug Ehrhardt), he owns a number of thriving business enterprises – chief among them AA Atlas Fire, a worldwide group of fire protection, installation and inspection operations. But that’s just the beginning. He’s also athletic director and head coach of the Arlington (TX) Thunder, a national “Pop Warner Football” championship team. He coaches an outstanding youth wrestling team called the Warrior Wrestling Club. He’s also a National Open arm-wrestling runner-up who, amazingly, competes from both his right and left sides. And, as if that weren’t enough, Ted and his partners competed in last year’s “World Series of Poker!” Whatever Ehrhardt and company touches seems to turn to gold! Now, Ted, Tim & Doug are taking their Midas touch to the world of mixed-martial arts (MMA), forming an elite fighter management group called Team Takedown. The Team Takedown Difference. Team Takedown plans to differentiate themselves from other management companies by finding the very best NCAA-champion wrestlers, signing them to multi-year performance contracts, and providing them with everything they need to be successful. This includes salaries and extensive world-class MMA training. But, while other management companies help with a salary and training, Team Takedown goes much further. Their fighters receive substantial promotions, including a website www.teamtakedownfighters.com and their very own MySpace page. In addition, Team Takedown has assembled a select group of marketing, merchandising, publicity and design professionals so that each athlete will have their own media coverage, major appearances and events, clothing line and fan club. No other MMA management company offers its fighters this type of complete, strategic and tactical support package. Team Takedown’s goal is to give athletes everything they need to rake in the six-figure purses becoming increasingly common in this red-hot sport, along with positive publicity. According to Scott Casber, host of the nationally-syndicated radio show, “Takedown Wrestling Radio” and a leading MMA promoter and authority, "What Team Takedown is doing makes great sense. They’re the first management group I know of that understands the value of bringing the very best college wrestlers into the MMA environment and supplying them the tools they'll need to become champions. I believe they will be very successful." Method to the Magic: Champions in the Making. Two frequent questions for Team Takedown are “Why start with college wrestlers?” and “What makes them particularly good raw material for the MMA world?” According to Wrestling Observer publisher Dave Meltzer, the answer is easy: “Many of the biggest stars in the MMA world came from a high-level wrestling background. The key is that a dominant wrestler has a hard time being physically handled, and can dictate where and how the fight is fought.” Meltzer continues, “The dedication and work ethic that it takes to be an NCAA champion is similar to what it takes to be an MMA champion. A top-level wrestler starts out with a huge edge here in addition to a high level of athletic ability. While other skills need to be learned, it's probably the best base possible to start out with physically, as well as mentally.” Business-wise, Team Takedown’s timing couldn’t be better. But what truly separates Team Takedown from other players in the MMA field is the championship pedigree of their fighters and the long-term, six- and seven-year deals offered by Ehrhardt. This represents a strategic commitment on the part of the partners unparalleled in the MMA world: rather than go for the fast buck or the get-rich-quick scheme, Team Takedown is raising the bar on excellence, making sure that they’re grooming champions, in the best way possible, for the long haul. For example, Jake Rosholt and Johny Hendricks are former Oklahoma State University grapplers who have won five NCAA titles between them. Add newly-acquired martial arts skills to their mat dominance and you have the makings of future MMA champions. Moreover, Team Takedown plans to be very selective in who they sign. Probably no more than four wrestlers will be signed to multi-year deals. On the signing of Jake Rosholt, industry pundit Dave Meltzer said, “Rosholt is a class above both Brock Lesnar and Josh Koscheck, who would be considered the best-credentialed wrestlers on the current U.S. MMA scene.” Jason Bryant Editor-in-Chief of InterMat had this to say about Hendricks, “College wrestling fans are well aware of Johny and his on-the-mat persona, he’s either revered or reviled, but the guy is a warrior. He’s got that cocky confidence that’s going to translate well into the MMA realm and I don’t doubt that his desire to win and his ability and predator-like sense of attack will give him a solid base. His wrestling talents are unquestionable.” A Booming Business. So what exactly is MMA? Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that combines judo, boxing, karate, Muay Thai, kickboxing, tae kwon do, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), and of course, wrestling. The Associated Press recently called MMA “a booming business,” with good reason. There’s the new, publicly-held IFL (International Fight League), which recently announced a partnership with USA Wrestling, the national governing body of amateur wrestling. The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships), whose pay-per-views bring in hundreds of millions. The Ultimate Fighter television series on Spike TV. And, the Pride Fighting Championships, the leading Japanese version of MMA, recently purchased by the UFC owners. MMA taking off like a Rocket Ship. The IFL has a TV deal in place with MyNetworkTV, and sponsorship deals with many leading national brands, including Coca Cola's Vault energy drink, Suzuki, and Microsoft's Xbox. The UFC is already challenging WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and HBO’s boxing in pay-per-view profits. According to a recent AP story, the UFC had ten pay-per-view events in 2006 that, combined, generated more than $200 million in revenue. It took the now-well-established WWE 16 events to generate that same amount, and HBO’s 11 boxing events had combined revenues of only $177 million. One of the best examples of college wrestlers who have achieved success in MMA is Josh Koscheck (mentioned above), a 2001 NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion at 174 pounds, out of Edinboro (Pennsylvania) University. On the most recent UFC pay-per-view card, his pairing was second from the top, and drew more interest than any of the other matches. The fact that in only two years a wrestler can rise to the top of MMA demonstrates that the Team Takedown strategy is viable. UFC World Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture added this about Team Takedown, “I believe this is the trend for the future, definitely an idea that will work.” “I don’t think what we’re doing here is rocket science,” says Ted Ehrhardt. “You have a sport that’s spreading like wildfire. You find the people with the most critical base talent for MMA, which is the wrestling component. Then you do what it takes to add the other ingredients.” Looks like this modern-day Midas has found yet another way to harvest gold.