MMA enthusiast bags global endorsement
Jason Schalkwyk’s love for combat sports has inspired him to become a media mogul.
Waking in the early hours of the morning as a young boy to watch Mike Tyson fights with his dad happens to be one of Jason Schalkwyk’s fondest memories and the beginning of his love for combat sports.
“My father was an amateur boxer and a boxing enthusiast. Our time together was spent talking about boxing and watching fights and I remember vividly that from a young age all I wanted to do was be a part of blood sports,” said Schalkwyk.
Fast-forward to 2018, where the love of combat sports has landed him an endorsement with a leading sports brand in the United Kingdom, two television shows and an insurance company. Schalkwyk has used his love for combat sports to inspire his career path.
Schalkwyk was born in Cape Town and moved to Germiston at the age six.
Growing up in Germiston, he attended Colin Mann Primary School and matriculated at Germiston High School.
ALSO READ: Discipline and talent help Engelbrecht build a reputation
“One could say combat sports followed me around all my life,” Schalkwyk jokes.
“My step-father was Johnny Wood, a professional boxer from Germiston who won the middleweight title in July 1995, so whether I was with him or my father, we always found time to catch live fights.”
In his juvenile years, Schalkwyk was either home or you could find him at the closest boxing club. One he was fond of was the Elsburg Boxing Club.
“I never went into boxing as a career. I went into IT (information technology) instead, but I would always be in the gym in my free time and one day a friend, Dino Bagatin, asked if I could manage his MMA (mixed martial arts) career and I agreed,” said Schalkwyk.
When Jason took on the role of Bagatin’s manager he registered a management company in 2015.
The management company soon fell through the cracks and he ended his role as Bagatin’s manager and focused solely on the media company, Ruckus Media.
“During that time, I was able to land an endorsement from RDX Sports, a UK brand that supplies fitness and MMA gear,” said Schalkwyk.
By scoring the RDX endorsement, Schalkwyk became the first South African RDX Sports ambassador and he used this opportunity to grow his media empire.
“Through Ruckus Media and the RDX Sports endorsement I was able to land a radio show on YFM for three months,” he said.
The attention they got from the show prompted the idea to get two television shows on Starsat, the second leading satellite TV network in Africa under Scuffle Media, which I started in 2017.
ALSO READ: Feel the ‘Thunder’ as Pietie Coxen takes to the EFC 67 hexagon
“Under Scuffle Media we have the Undisputed MMA Show, which is a weekly magazine show aimed at showcasing raw talent in the MMA, nutrition, gyms and trainers. Searching for a Scrap (#S4S) is a talent show which deals with amateur boxers to draw out the best of the bunch,” said Schalkwyk.
According to Schalkwyk, the MMA does not have a lot of sponsorship and athletes rarely make it to big fights abroad because of lack of sponsorship which is why he and his sister Chantelle Kading sponsored Nkosi ‘King’ Ndebele who participated in the 2017 IMMAF World Championships in Bahrain and reigned supreme as the lightweight champion.
“I find it sad that we have raw talent in our country and because of lack of sponsorship our athletes can never get the recognition they deserve,” said Schalkwyk.
“Even if they have sponsorships, not much is publicised about their achievements, which is why my media company is important and relevant to the sport.
“We are growing, we have even registered an insurance company, called Sports Person Insurance Brokerage, to cater for all athletes in blood sports, be it rugby, MMA or boxing.”
In an effort to better the MMA society providing health insurance for combat sport athletes, Schalkwyk wants to take his social responsibility further by teaming up with Epworth Children’s Village in the fight to eradicate bullying in schools.
“I lived down the road from Epworth and many of my friends lived there.
“I remember inviting all my friends from the home to come live with my family at my house because I felt they all deserved to have a family just as I had,” said Schalkwyk.
“The work we have put in this anti-bullying campaign has cost us a lot of money but we believe the results will be effective.
“We will be working with 13 schools and we have made a full curriculum for the teachers and learners that will include comic books for the children and we’re hoping to get a mobile gym up to inspire children to learn more about channelling their aggression.”
Schalkwyk maintains that the MMA in Africa is an untapped market and five years from now the continent will have more champions and leading MMA shows which the world will want a piece of and he’ll be at the forefront of it all.
Have a story?
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.zaor Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za
Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:
Or add the GCN on WhatsApp 079 406 1181 or BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137) today, to get all the latest news.
Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers Bedfordview Edenvale News, Alberton Record and Kempton Express.
