| Industry | MMA, Skate, Surf, Motocross |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Area served | USA, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Australia |
| Key people | Mauricio Rua, Demian Maia, Roger Huerta, Diego Sanchez, Junior dos Santos, Mario Yamasaki, Paulo Thiago, Xande Ribeiro |
| Products | Apparel, Althletic Equipment |
| Website | http://www.badboy.com |
Bad Boy is an American alternative sport and lifestyle brand. They are notable for their presence in both fashion and performance equipment. [1]
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Bad Boy provides action sport and combat sport athletes with performance products and apparel. They first began producing T-shirts and shorts for local surfers, skaters and motocross riders in San Diego, CA in the early eighties. In the nineties Bad Boy launched a combat sports line, starting with their sponsorship of Rickson Gracie, son of the legendary founder of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Helio Gracie, for a seminar that he was giving in Rio de Janeiro. The seminar made the cover story in a national magazine and the cover photo featured Rickson wearing a Bad Boy kimono. As Jiu Jitsu continued to grow in Brazil, Bad Boy continued to sponsor both the Gracies and Jiu Jitsu tournaments.
Other martial art academies in Brazil, most notably Luta Livre, took notice of the success and popularity of Jiu Jitsu and a war of words began, wherein Jiu Jitsu was denounced as a fad and not as effective as was publicized. In order to settle the debate, the first Mixed Martial Arts tournaments, then called Vale Tudo, sprung up throughout Brazil and Bad Boy was first in line to support the sport.
As the sport grew, it became apparent that the gi and traditional gear were hindering the performance of many athletes. Bad Boy recognized this and created the first shorts designed for the needs of Vale Tudo fighters. The Vale Tudo (VT) shorts were based on the Sungão, which is the Brazilian word for the swim briefs favored on Brazil’s beaches. Bad Boy added legs to the garment and were made of durable yet comfortable polyamide.[2][3]
The Bad Boy branding is currently represented in the UK by http://www.badboy-uk.com selling MMA equipment and fight wear. From Bad Boy t-shirts to training equipment they have everything MMA related.
Bad Boy recently won Best Technical Clothing Brand in the 2010 and 2011 World MMA Awards.