Charles 'Mask' Lewis

[Steve]

I had recently heard about this and it was very upsetting. Charles 'Mask' Lewis, founder of Tapout clothing was killed mid-march in an auto accident.

I remember when I first saw their show I was like what the heck is this! What's with the guy in the face paint. But I watched. I watched a lot of his episodes. It amazed me how into the promotion of their clothing line these guys got. No one did a better job than them. They were into this. They were into the sport of MMA, they were into helping new fighters with sponsoships and they were into promoting their clothing line.

Look at these guys. They stand out. They took it to an entirely new level. This is what we all should shoot for. The outrageousness of their promotions has set a new bar for all of us.

Think you can't be this outrageous. Think again. You can do it. I hope they inspire you. Search more and read more about their company and see what their example can offer you.

It's such a shame Charles is gone but it's good to know he was free and did what he wanted to do. We should all be so lucky.

What is your view on their company and their promotions? What is your view of Charles and what he had done?

TapouT tries to go on after the death of founder Charles 'Mask' Lewis - In a dozen years Charles "Mask" Lewis built TapouT from an outfit that sold T-shirts from car trunks to a $50-million company that became the official apparel choice of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his relentlessly positive outlook defined the Inland Empire company's rise, say his former partners.

Lewis, 45, was killed last Thursday when his Ferrari collided with a Porsche on Jamboree Boulevard in Newport Beach. The Porsche driver, Jeffrey David Kirby, 51, of Costa Mesa, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and driving under the influence.

[Steve]

Here is his last interview.

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[drola3]

I can remember seeing those guys way back when mma was a minor sport at best. I thought those guys were absolutely crazy, especially Mask. In reality though, he was brilliant. He made Tapout synonymous with the UFC and mixed martial arts in general.

[Steve]

When you reflect on all of that, do you feel there are lessons you could take from what he did and apply it to what you are doing?

I can remember seeing those guys way back when mma was a minor sport at best. I thought those guys were absolutely crazy, especially Mask.

Are there any stories that stand out in your mind you could share with us?

[drola3]

Well, I can remember watching the UFC back in 98-99 and seeing those guys in the stands. If you remember back then there weren't a lot of people watching the UFC, but the Tapout guys were still there promoting their stuff. I saw an interview that Mask gave once, and he was saying how he traveled the country going to any mma event that he could find just to try a sell his product.

If there's anything to take away from Mask and Tapout, in my opinion, is there is no substitute for hard work. Even with the whole "comic book" look those guys have, they wouldn't have made Tapout what it is today without hard work.