Blackzilians chief not leaving the business, but open to sale of Jaco brand

Henri Hooft

After rumors of financial woes and the approaching end of the team he started, Glenn Robinson said the Blackzilians aren’t going anywhere.

Robinson today released a prepared statement to MMAjunkie that refuted a report of serious financial troubles within the team and its gym in Boca Raton, Fla.

“There is no truth to the article for the exception that I told everyone I would consider selling Jaco under the right conditions,” Robinson wrote to MMAjunkie.

Jaco became a ubiquitous presence in the UFC under Robinson’s ownership but has since faded from visibility due to the promotion’s long-term apparel deal with Reebok. Many of the fighters who train at the Blackzilians gym, formally called the Jaco Hybrid Training Center, also represent the Jaco brand inside and outside the cage.

But without the UFC’s platform, Robinson stated, business conditions are growing more difficult. A recent health scare also prompted him to consider selling the brand.

“I was recently sick for almost 90 days and during that time I reflected on my life and decided – I want to spend more time with my family and enjoying life and maybe building a clothing company is not the best use of my time,” wrote Robinson, who acquired Jaco in 2012.

Robinson, who served as the Blackzilians leader and figurehead on the FOX Sports 1-televised “The Ultimate Fighter 21,” did not disclose his illness. But he said his time off brought into perspective the costs of trying to run several businesses at the same time.

“Many of us take life for granted and I realized during that time how precious life is and how fast it can go away,” he wrote. “I love my family and also my athletes and while I would never leave the MMA business. Selling Jaco could free up my time so I can watch some of my daughter’s soccer games instead of working.”

The report, from a little-known website, smackhisface.com, quoted an unnamed fighter that said Robinson was liquidating assets, including Jaco and his stake in a tool company, Iron Bridge Tools, to pay fees owed to coaches on the Blackzilians team.

Henri Hooft, a staff coach who works with a bevy of UFC stars, said he’s had no trouble collecting what’s owed. While he couldn’t speak to the team’s financial state or Robinson’s operations, he said the news took him by surprise because he felt the Blackzilians remain a strong team.

“From what I see, we’re doing very, very well,” he said. “Everybody’s training. Everybody’s happy. I don’t know where these rumors come from. I’m not at the top of the business, but I know Glenn is doing good. He was sick a little bit in the past couple of months, but he’s getting better. He was (at UFC on FOX 17).

“I’m the busiest coach, and I got paid every time, on time. If I wasn’t paid on time, I wouldn’t cry to the press. I would just go to Glenn and say, ‘Give me my money.’”

Robinson claimed the website’s owner was a person he once spoke to regarding possible work for the team and was unable to come to terms. In an email, Smackhisface.com editor Isaac Kesington acknowledged working for Robinson five years ago, but said he had “no bad feelings” toward the manager. He said the report was based on an interview of a Blackzilians fighter earlier this month in Las Vegas.

The report also claimed several Blackzilian fighters also reached out to American Top Team and were turned down. The teams share a rivalry documented by “TUF 21,” which pitted Robinson against ATT owner Dan Lambert.

Lambert confirmed to MMAjunkie it is the team’s policy not to accept fighters from the Blackzilians, but added it’s common for fighters from both sides to reach out to one another when they were unhappy. He cited Kevin Souza, a UFC featherweight, as a fighter who signed with the Blackzilians after being unable to come to terms on a management agreement with ATT.

“He wanted extras from the gym we said no, and they said yes,” Lambert said.

Blackzilians, however, have also lost several high-profile fighters, including UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem, who joined the Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA team, and former champ and perennial title contender Vitor Belfort, who opened his own gym in South Florida.

Here is Robinson’s statement in full:

“Today information was printed on a website called (www.smackhisface.com). The website did an extremely poor job of journalism and will pay the price for what they have done. The website is owned by a man that we spoke to once in regard to doing work for us, but we could not come to terms. I can only guess that he thought defamation was the way to go.

“There is no truth to the article for the exception that I told everyone I would consider selling Jaco under the right conditions. I was recently sick for almost 90 days and during that time I reflected on my life and decided – I want to spend more time with my family and enjoying life and maybe building a clothing company is not the best use of my time.

“Many of us take life for granted and I realized during that time how precious life is and how fast it can go away. I love my family and also my athletes and while I would never leave the MMA business, selling Jaco could free up my time so I can watch some of my daughter’s soccer games, instead of working.

“In short, the article is completely false and we will be filing a defamation suit against the owner of the site.”

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