Tapout Sugarpine cap - black/red

In 1997, entrepreneurs Charles Lewis, Jr. and Tim Katz noticed a huge gap in the marketplace when it came to merchandise tailored to MMA fighters and fans of the sport. That's when they came up with the idea for Tapout and brought in investors and creative thinkers, one of which was Dan Caldwell who would take the helm as the CEO of Tapout later in the same year.

The brand remained small and centered on sales at smaller MMA events and training centers until the sport's popularity began to explode in the United States and other parts of the world. The minds behind Tapout Clothing took advantage of the growth of the sport and the lack of merchandise marketed towards fans and fighters to increase sales and dominate the MMA clothing market.