EC Management announces additions, expansion

(PRESS RELEASE) -- For the first time in the company's history, Extreme Challenge Management, the longest existing mixed martial arts management company in the nation, has announced staff additions and a plan to expand its client list.

Founded by promoter/manager Monte Cox in 1996, Extreme Challenge Management has been helping MMA prospects develop and achieve their goals for more than 15 years. During that time, ECM has managed a Who’s Who of MMA stars, including seven UFC champions.

“We’ve managed fighters the old fashioned way,” says Cox. “We help them in the early years when they can’t find fights, move them along through the mid-level events, then place them in the major events where they have a chance to achieve their goals.”

Joining the ECM team are longtime Midwest promoter/manager Chas Bowling and former newspaper editor turned promoter Greg Swanson.

“Bowling has all the connections for the mid-level shows and is a great judge of talent,” Cox said. “He will be our head of scouting and will travel around the country looking for guys we can develop.

“Swanson is the organized guy on the team. He will handle fighters’ medical and travel needs and help with commission and promoter issues.”

Swanson also teams with promoter Chad Bergmeier to run Extreme Challenge, the second-longest running MMA event in the world.

“One of the things that has made us successful is we promote around 40 events a year of our own,” Cox said. “We just held Extreme Challenge 200, so if we have trouble keeping prospects busy in other shows, we always have our own to keep them on track.”

Among the top guys to develop under the ECM system are: Matt Hughes, Pat Miletich, Rich Franklin, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver, Dave Menne and Sean Sherk – all of whom became UFC Champions.

The current roster still boasts Franklin, Sylvia and Pulver, but also features Robbie Lawler, Jeremy Horn, Jake Ellenberger, Joe Doerksen, Rich Clementi, Ben Rothwell, Zach Makovsky, Mike Russow, Drew McFedries, Aaron Rosa, Phil Baroni, Tim Boetsch, Houston Alexander, DaMarques Johnson, Quinn Mulhern, Forrest Petz, Tara LaRosa, John Salter, Kurt Pellegrino, Nik Lentz, Jacob Volkmann, Pablo Garza, Jeff Curran, Chase Beebe, Justin Edwards, Paul Bradley, Lloyd Woodard, Brock Larson, Jeff Monson, Mike Whitehead, Travis Wiuff, Terry Martin, Rory Markham, Jorge Gurgel, Waylon Lowe, Sara McMann, Sean McCorkle, Bubba McDaniel, Anthony Lapsley and Matt Jaggers.

“We have a lot of guys in the UFC, StrikeForce, Bellator … But we are looking to take on some new clients and expand the group,” Cox said. “In just the last year, we’ve booked clients in Japan, Sweden, Australia, Poland, Russia, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, China, Brazil and Puerto Rico.”

To inquire about management, contact Chas Bowling at 765 520-5555.