Team Nogueira’s Thiago Goncalves (“Jambo“) 17-3-0, is on a 5 fight win streak with his recent 26 second KO victory over Shingo Suzuki in Tokyo Japan’s Pancrase 253. Reign Sports has had their eye on the TUF Brazil 2 Alumni for a while now and has signed a 2 fight sponsorship deal as Jambo has his sights set on the Pancrase Welterweight Championship. The bout is not confirmed as of yet, but with Jambo recently announced as the #2 contender the odds are well in his favor.
Jambo is a BJJ Black belt under renowned Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and trains with some of the most prominent athletes including UFC Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Being a veteran of multiple promotions, including Shotoo, Cage Warriors, Jungle Fight, MFC and Pancrase, Jambo has literally fought world-wide in Brazil, US and Europe.
We sat down with Reign Sports CEO Jason Culley to talk about his recent recruitment and he had this to say;
“Reign Sports has spent the last 5 years working hard to grow the brand and supporting athletes wherever we can, with over 130 sponsored athletes to date. We love to support local, but with our brand expanding in Canada from BC to Nova Scotia and now into 3 States, local has become N. America. Our sites are on Brazil and Europe next and we have been following Jambo for quite some time. With a 17-3 record I can’t believe he is not in the UFC. I met Jambo through Matt “Riot Maker” Baker, a good friend and also a Reign Sports sponsored Pro Athlete. Jambo has been coming to Canada to train with Baker and his team at his gym in Kamloops BC, Mata-Leao MMA and Fitness. From there we spoke as friends and with our recent growth and focus on International expansion, it made sense to sponsor Jambo. We also have our new high end Reign Sports Kimonos (BJJ Gis) line launching soon and Jambo will be a big part of our campaign. So our relationship is multi-faceted. We are very excited to have him on board and will soon be a brand in countries beyond N. America.”
Jambo’s next fight will be in Brazil for the Fight Now promotion, opponent yet to be announced. The fight takes place on Jan 30 -2013. Look for him to be sporting his new Reign walkout tee and shorts in his first fight as a member of the #ReignArmy.
Looks like Reign Sports, known for its continued local athlete support is now expanding its horizons in both business and in sponsorships. With the recent acquisition of Takedown Distribution as their master distributor for USA and Canada, Reign Sports is branching out to retailers all over N. America and soon globally. Looks like there is always something new and exciting going on with Reign Sports. It will be great to see our local MMA brand succeed in the industry we all love so much.
For a look at what new at Reign Sports, head over to their website http://www.reignarmy.com/
