The New York Times magazine column “Consumed” has a post today about the growth in brands seeking to tap into the popularity of the sport by promoting the “MMA lifestyle”, whatever that is. The writer is pretty clueless about MMA and all of the usual cliches are here including the “Stairway to Heaven” of clueless hack journalist MMA quotes, the John McCain “Human Cockfighting” canard. Still, its pretty interesting if you’re into the marketing of the sport:

Clothing brands associated with mixed martial arts (or M.M.A.) are “spawning a new category of lifestyle apparel,” the garment-trade publication DNR recently suggested. A standout example to date is Tapout, which makes T-shirts, shorts and other items invariably slathered with its heavy metal-ish logo. (“Tapping out” is a gesture of submission used by a fighter locked in a hold of excruciating pain.) The company claims 2007 revenue of around $22 million and distribution in 20,000 stores, including Champs and Dillard’s. And there are other brands: a three-day trade show this week in San Diego, called Virtue, will also include about 40 others vying for the attention of retail buyers. Virtue is a spinoff of ASR, a trade show focused on “action sports” like skateboarding and surfing. Andy Tompkins, the group-show director for ASR, says Virtue will feature “brands that speak to the M.M.A. lifestyle.”

Ultimate Branding @ NY Times