HOOKnSHOOT
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Mixed martial artspromotion |
Founded | 1995 |
Founders | Jeff Osborne[1] |
Defunct | March 3, 2017 |
Headquarters | , United States |
HOOKnSHOOTwas amixed martial arts(MMA) promotion based inEvansville, Indiana,United States.[2]It was one of the earliest MMA promotions in the United States, and one of the first organisations in the United States to allowWomen's MMA.[3][4][5][6]
History
[edit]HOOKnSHOOT was founded in 1995 byprofessional wrestlingpromoter Jeff Osborne. After watching the tapes of the earlyUltimate Fighting Championships,he became interest in the nascent sport and sought to create his own event, forming HOOKnSHOOT at a gym in the small town ofBoonville, Indiana.[2]The name was chosen derived from Japaneseshoot wrestlingand the wrestling term "Shoot",to give emphasis to the" realness "of the event. Early events used different rules:shootfighting(similar toPancrase) and "NHB" ( "No Holds Barred",similar to theUFC), HOOKnSHOOT also became promoter ofShootoevents in North America for a time, even adopting its rules.[6]
HOOKnSHOOT saw the introduction and beginning of many future MMA stars, such asUFC Middleweight ChampionDave Menne,UFC Heavyweight ChampionFrank MirandAntônio Rogério Nogueira,Ian Freeman,Ivan Salaverry,Hermes Franca,Chris Lytle,Travis Lutter,Gesias CavalcanteandJeremy Horn.[7]
In 2002, HOOKnSHOOT put on an all women's card labeled ‘Revolution’. It was headlined byDebi Purcelland Christine Van Fleet. In 2005, they held an all-women, one-night-only tournament featuringJulie Kedzie,Jan Finney,andLisa Ellis.[8]According to Osborne, he was inspired to promote women's matches after seeing her daughter and wife watch with interest tapes ofMegumi Yabushitaand other female fighters at the ReMix tournament in Japan.[2]HOOKnSHOOT is considered the pioneer inWomen's MMA,[8]and Jeff Osborne has been referred as "The Godfather of North American WMMA".[6]
In 2017, Jeff Osborne announced the close of HOOKnSHOOT, citing the lack of interest for local shows and financial incentives, as well his own age.[7]HOOKnSHOOT did its last event March 4, 2017, titledHOOKnSHOOT - The Farewell Show.[9]Thus ending the run of the second longest-running MMA promotion in North America.[7]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Lisa Ellis(UFC)
- Jan Finney(Strikeforce)
- Megumi Fujii(Bellator)
- Julie Kedzie(UFC)
- Tara LaRosa(Invicta)
- Angela Magaña(UFC)
- Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc(Invicta)
- Miesha Tate(UFC)
- Kaitlin Young(Invicta)
- Yves Edwards(UFC)
- Jorge Masvidal(UFC)
References
[edit]- ^"Breaking Barriers".Sherdog.Retrieved2015-03-21.
- ^abc"From parking lots to the record books: Celebrating 20 years of HOOKnSHOOT".MMA Fighting.Retrieved2015-03-21.
- ^"HOOKnSHOOT full catalogue to be added to UFC Fight Pass".SI.Retrieved2015-03-21.
- ^"History Lessons: HOOKnSHOOT and the Early Miesha Tate and Kaitlin Young".MMA Corner. Archived fromthe originalon 2022-06-27.Retrieved2015-03-21.
- ^Jennings, L. A. (23 October 2014).She's a Knockout!.ISBN9781442236448.Retrieved23 March2016.
- ^abc"One of the longest-running MMA promotions is almost finished, but will its history die with it?".21 February 2017.Retrieved22 February2017.
- ^abcAl-Shatti, Shaun (24 February 2017)."HOOKnSHOOT may be coming to an end, but its influence is everywhere".Retrieved25 February2017.
- ^ab"The Male Gaze in Women's MMA - Part 1: Genesis, Gina, and getting past Dana".Retrieved31 October2017.
- ^"HOOKnSHOOT - HnS | MMA Promoter".Tapology.Retrieved2022-07-13.