While Lucas Lutkus once worked with Darren Till, these days, the UFC star is under the MTK MMA banner. Also the CEO of Aspera FC, Marcelo Brigadeiro II is a Head of International Business Development for MTK MMA Global.
How did you get into MMA?
MB- “I trained in martial arts since I was 6 (I am 37 now), so I believe life lead me this way”.
What got you into wanting to be a manager and how did it happen?
MB- “When I retired as a fighter I made the transition to becoming a coach. I moved from Brazil to England and started coaching at Team Kaobon. After some time I had a great pool of talent in my hands but I didn’t know of any managers I could trust enough to let them take care of my guys so I decided to do it myself.”
How do you go about finding new fighters to sign? Are you actively watching the regional scene, maybe even watching ammy fights?
MB- “Yeah, I am scouting regularly. I like to do it and I believe that is what keeps your essence as a manager. I know everything that is going on in all different regions of the planet.”
What are some mistakes made by other managers you notice?
MB- “Treat fighters as simple numbers, forgetting that we deal with people’s lives and dreams is a critical and unforgivable mistake. Getting fighters tied up in contracts with bad promotions is another.”
What are some ups and downs of being a manager?
MB- “We get involved with our fighters so we celebrate and we suffer together with them at every win or defeat.”
Let’s say you have a young fighter get an offer against an experienced fighter in a “dangerous fight? Are you more of a slow build like Michael Page or a fast push like Aaron Pico?
MB- “There is not one single answer to this question. To answer it, a good manager has to question himself with many other questions like what is my fighter profile? how is the market for a fighter like this one? which direction is the market going for in his weight class? how urgently does he and his family are to make things happen to his career?…”
What is your opinions on fighters managing themselves? How important do you think it is for a fighter to have a manager?
MB- “I think that it’s the biggest mistake a fighter can make. A fighter is a fighter, he will always be up for a fight, it’s up to the manager to guarantee that the fighter will only take the fight if the conditions are good enough for it. Also, a fighter does not have time to study the market deeply enough to have a real idea of what are his possibilities in the future.”
What is some advice you have for someone looking to get into the industry as a manager or someone just now starting?
MB- “Be honest at all times and remember that this is a very serious job and not one you can make as a hobby or as a part-time job. You are dealing with lives and dreams and this is very serious and demands a lot of time and effort to be done properly.”
What is the toughest challenge as a manager?
MB- “Constantly generate opportunities for fighters who sometimes do not have the most attractive profile or fight style.”
Who is a client/prospect you have on the team that is for the most part, unknown but you thing has a high ceiling?
MB- “We have over 150 MMA fighters signed with MTK MMA and we are fortunate enough to have loads of diamonds in our roster.”
What is a goal you still haven’t reached but still something you want?
MB- “My main goal is something that you can never say its reached… my goal is continuous and it’s being able to help true warriors to make a good living from fighting. That’s what they deserve and that’s what makes me feel happy!”
