Who is Trent Cotney and why does he sponsor so many MMA fighters?

If you watch even a cursory amount of MMA, you’ve probably seen a fighter on some show wearing a white T-shirt with the name “Trent Cotney” written on it. And if you’ve seen said T-shirt, you’ve also probably wondered who the hell Cotney is, what he does and why he sponsors MMA fighters.

Cotney is not an apparel brand or a supplement manufacturer or an energy drink. He’s unlike any of your typical, run-of-the-mill MMA sponsors.

Cotney is just a regular guy and huge MMA fan who runs his own law practice in Tampa, Fla. He says he gets “zero business” from sponsoring fighters. But he does it anyway. Quite a bit, actually.

Which brings us to our next question: Why?

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“For me, it’s about giving back to them,” Cotney said. “It’s almost like charity, even though I don’t get a deduction for it. It’s just like, let me do something to help these guys out, because I know what their life is like, I know how hard it is. They’re just not making a lot of money. They’re really not making anything. It’s real tough on them. I just want to let them know that there’s support out there.”

Cotney sponsors or has sponsored some high-profile fighters like former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and top flyweight Henry Cejudo, an Olympic wrestling gold medalist. But the vast majority of his roster consists of up-and-comers or fighters competing in the middle of the card.

Among the names of fighters who have been sponsored by Cotney are Tim Means, Brad Tavares, Tamdan McCrory, Corey …

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