King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States.

King of the Cage
Company typePrivate
IndustryMixed martial arts promotion
Founded1998; 26 years ago (1998)
FounderTerry Trebilcock
Headquarters,
Websitehttp://www.kingofthecage.com

History

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KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr.[1] KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstream combat fighters.

KOTC has promoted a majority of its events at Native American casinos throughout the United States. KOTC also promotes events in Canada, Australia & Japan. King of The Cage events are also broadcast on most national pay-per-view platforms.

In September 2007, Trebilcock Jr. sold KOTC to ProElite.[2] Two years later, in July 2009, he reacquired 100% ownership of KOTC and simultaneously entered into a joint venture agreement with Mark Burnett Productions ("Survivor", "Apprentice", "Celebrity Apprentice" and "The Contender") to begin the development of a reality television program. Bully Beatdown, a Burnett produced program, aired three seasons on MTV and featured several KOTC competitors.

On January 30, 2010, it was announced that KOTC would begin airing monthly shows on Mark Cuban's HDNet channel.[3] The initial deal was for 36 events to air. The announcers included Michael Schiavello, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Maria Kanellis. The most recent event on HDNet aired on September 17, 2010 with No Mercy. There has been no further news regarding King of the Cage events on the channel. Only 6 events aired from February 2010 to September 2010.

In November 2012, MAVTV struck a 5-year deal with King of the Cage.

Current champions

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The weight division system of KOTC is in accordance with the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, but KOTC names its 145-pound division Bantamweight (instead of Featherweight), its 135-pound division Flyweight (instead of Bantamweight) and its 125-pound division Light Flyweight (instead of Flyweight). The only three weight classes not in accordance with the Unified Rules are a 165-pound division (Light Welterweight), a 195-pound division (Super Middleweight), and a 230-pound division (Cruiserweight).

Division Upper weight limit Champion Nationality
Men's divisions
Super Heavyweight No limit Ronny Markes   Brazil
Heavyweight 265 lb (120.2 kg; 18.9 st) Tony Lopez   United States
Cruiserweight 230 lb (104.3 kg; 16.4 st) Tomar Washington   United States
Light Heavyweight 205 lb (93.0 kg; 14.6 st) Jason Butcher   United States
Super Middleweight 195 lb (88.5 kg; 13.9 st) Vacant
Middleweight 185 lb (83.9 kg; 13.2 st) Matt Lagler   United States
Welterweight 175 lb (79.4 kg; 12.5 st) Buddy Clinton   United States
Light Welterweight 165 lb (74.8 kg; 11.8 st) Richie Palomino   United States
Lightweight 155 lb (70.3 kg; 11.1 st) Blaze Gill   United States
Bantamweight 145 lb (65.8 kg; 10.4 st) Juan Beltran   Mexico
Flyweight 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st) Vacant   United States
Light Flyweight 125 lb (56.7 kg; 8.9 st) Chris Quiroga   United States
Women's divisions
Women's Flyweight 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st)
Women's Light Flyweight 125 lb (56.7 kg; 8.9 st) Nicco Montano   United States
Women's Strawweight 115 lb (52.2 kg; 8.2 st) Loveth Young   United States
Women's Atomweight 105 lb (47.6 kg; 7.5 st) Jayme Hinshaw   United States

See also

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Yearly event Wikipedia pages:

References

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  1. ^ "Looking back at King of the Cage Wet & Wild and The Return". socaluncensored.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  2. ^ "Pro Elite Acquires King Of The Cage". mmanews.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "HDNet to air live monthly King of the Cage events starting next month". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
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