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Notes from the program directorDear ISU Sport Management Alumni, Students, and Friends,Redbird ConnectionsHave you been recently hiredor promoted? Help us maintainour records and continue buildingnetworking opportunities for bothour past and current studentswith Redbird Connections. Justvisit today!Or you can send us your updatedinformation or accomplishments toNels Popp (npopp@IllinoisState.edu)with your latest achievements andcontact information.Sport Management facultyBrent Beggs(309) 438-5753babeggs@IllinoisState.eduNels Popp(309) 438-3494npopp@IllinoisState.eduThank you for taking the time to check out the Illinois State SportManagement Program newsletter.We saw a significant change this year as previous director ChadMcEvoy started his new position at Syracuse, leaving the program inmy hands. Running the program continues to be a learning process forme, but I am very fortunate to have some great help from folks like Drs.Brent Beggs and Amy Hurd in the Recreation and Parks Administrationprogram and our fantastic adjunct professors featured in our coverstory. Todd, Liz, and Tracie bring great experience to our program andprovide outstanding mentorship for students.One of our initiatives this year was to ask for feedback from alumsand current students regarding our program. Over 57% of currentstudents and alums who were sent the survey link responded, whichdemonstrates the high level of interest graduates have in the program.This survey was part of a research collaboration between severalschools and analysis is still taking place. However, a quick scan of the data provided some very encouragingresults regarding ISU. For instance, on a 6-point scale, ISU respondents gave a satisfaction rating of 5.15 forthe program overall, a 5.66 rating for discussions of current topics and events, a 5.26 rating on opportunitiesfor hands-on projects, and a 5.08 rating for opportunities to network with industry professionals. All theseratings far exceeded the mean in the study, which is a great sign. We hope to publish the complete resultssoon.Another sign of our program’s growth was the effort put forth by students to gain experience atoutside events this past school year and summer. Here is a short list of some of the events current ISU sportmanagement students volunteered or paid their own way for in the past 12 months: MLB All-Star Fan Fest,National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators conference, Bellator MMA, John Deere ClassicPGA tournament, Western & Southern Tennis Open, FCS Championship Game, and the Illinois High SchoolShrine Football Game. Those experiences came on top of students “regular” work in graduate assistantshippositions with ISU athletics, Illinois Wesleyan athletics, and the Bloomington Blaze hockey team.Every year I am more amazed at what our students accomplish both in and out of the classroom. We arelooking forward to another great year in 2013, starting with a pre-semester tailgate at the St. Louis Ramspre-season game against the Green Bay Packers. This fall we will also be conducting a search for a new sportmanagement faculty member to join the team in 2014.Thank you for following the ISU sport management program. Go Redbirds.Nelsnpopp@ilstu.educontinued from coverexperience of selecting a location and managingevent planning for the IHSA’s inaugural state dancefinals. Sattler, meanwhile, had her class engagein a simulated collective bargaining agreementbetween major league baseball and the playersassociation. Just a few months earlier her formeremployer, the Blues, were caught in the middle ofa real life CBA negotiation that handcuffed the NHLfor several months.“I was really impressed with how engagedstudents were and how seriously they took thenegotiations,” said Sattler. “I enjoyed watchingthem battle for their positions and I think, to theirsurprise, they enjoyed it too.”Fischer, meanwhile, brought one of State Farm’sclients into the classroom.“We had the students conduct a businessanalysis for the Chicago Bulls corporate sponsorshipdepartment,” explained Fischer. “Studentsexamined business opportunities for the Bullsby dissecting a game through the aspects of thetelevision broadcast, digital/online experience andsocial media presence. I brought in some industryspecialists to help students break down each aspectand see the game differently as a business ratherthan a game. At the end of the project, the students’recommendations were provided directly to theDirector of Corporate Sponsorships at the Bulls forconsideration.”2Besides teaching students critical elements ofthe sports business, the adjunct professors werealso able to share insight regarding breaking intothe industry.“I was in their position just a few years ago, soI enjoyed watching them evolve and grow overthe semester,” said Sattler. “I felt I could providean interesting perspective to the students, with abackground that spans professional sports to parkdistrict recreation.”All three instructors shared their personalstories of how they broke into the business andthe tips they have picked up along the way toadvancing their careers.While students gained some great perspectivesand connections, the industry professionals werequick to point out they learned just as much fromthe classroom experience.“Being around 13 young, hungry studentslooking to break into the sports industry and aspireto do what I have been fortunate enough to doin my career is a great reminder of how blessedwe all are in this industry; to do what we do for aliving,” reflected Fischer. “Seeing your experiencesand situation through someone else’s eyes was agreat way to get re-energized and find the originalpurpose for why I decided to work in sportsmarketing. I am very thankful for what I learnedfrom the students and the passion they broughtout in me.”In fact, for Sattler, the experience provided hersome personal career direction. This fall, she plansto leave her position at Quail Meadows and startworking on her Ph.D. at Illinois State with hopes ofteaching sport management as a full-time job inthe near future. For Henry and Fischer, the biggestreward was seeing students find their own careerdirection.“My favorite part of teaching in the programthis past year was getting to know the students,”said Henry. “I loved hearing their career goals andplans and watching some of them land their firstjob or get the internship they had really workedhard for.”

Tracking the Redbirds—alumni updateAlumni Spotlight: Kristin Scott ‘06Employer: University of Minnesota AthleticsPosition title: Director of Development - Annual FundLocation: Minneapolis, Minn.1. How would you describe your job?My main responsibility is to raise annual funds forour 750 student-athletes and 25 sport programs,primarily to cover the $9.4M scholarship bill wewrite back to the University each year. However,our total 2013 fiscal year annual giving goal isroughly $10.4M. In order to accomplish this, wesend out an annual renewal and solicitationpiece to current, past and prospective donorsto Gopher Athletics. In addition, I meet withdonors and prospective donors to tell thestory of Gopher Athletics and discuss givingopportunities such as seat related gifts, capitalprojects, scholarship gifts and estate planning.2. What are some of the uniqueopportunities you have had withyour job?Personally, as a development officer I’m a littleunique in having spent four years in marketingat ISU. My goal is to one day oversee anexternal unit within college athletics; having abackground in marketing is a huge asset.From a development standpoint, I’ve beenfortunate to meet some extraordinary people.I’ve not only been able to share the stories of theinstitutions and student-athletes I’ve worked for,but learned the stories of our donors as well. Ourdonors come from all walks of life and choose tosupport college athletics for different reasons;however, they have a common theme in theirpassion for supporting their University.Being a former student-athlete, selling the storyof our current student-athletes is an easy one forme. I love the quote “love what you do, andyou’ll never have to work another day in yourlife.” I truly feel that way about working in collegeathletics.Lastly, working in college athletics has allowedme to be a part of some amazing experiences.Thinking back on some of the games and specialevents I’ve attended still gives me chills. I wouldsay my most memorable thus far is from my timeat Mizzou Athletics. We hosted No. 1 Oklahomafootball on homecoming day with CollegeGameday on campus and beat the Sooners 36-27. That was a great day!3. What is the toughest part of your job?The toughest part of my job is the hours. Manypeople have a misconception that workingin college athletics is glitz, glamour and golfcourses. There have been many days where wearrive before 8 am and do not leave until after11 pm when the game finishes. We work manynights and weekends. It’s difficult at times to findsome down time.4.What are some of your favoritememories from your time at Illinois State?I grew up in Bloomington, IL. I’m very fondof the Redbirds. My parents both graduatedfrom ISU. In fact, I started as a camper at JillHutchison’s basketball camp. I think I wentevery year growing up and then transitionedinto a camp counselor in college. My parentsheld men’s basketball tickets; I remember manyexciting games under Bob Bender, Kevin Stallingsand Tom Richardson. It was only natural I wouldreceive my master’s from Illinois State and my firstjob in college athletics at ISU.My memories are filled with wonderful people,learning experiences and great games. I learnedwhat it means to be an athletics administrator;that it’s truly about the student-athlete.5. What advice or recommendationswould you give to current ISU sportmanagement students trying to break into thesport industry?My advice is get into the business now. A degreein sport management isn’t enough. Whether thepassion might be in college athletics, professionalsports or the minor leagues, students need to getinvolved. College athletics and sports in generalare fast-paced. Those hiring are looking for directrelatable experience. There are many ways to getinvolved whether that is volunteering, internshipsor graduate assistantships. Be patient and bemobile. It may take some time to get into thebusiness and when you do, enjoy where you are.Learn everything you can. For those interestedin college athletics, it is a small world and thedepartments are even smaller. You may have tobe mobile to move up within college athletics.Lastly, don’t expect high pay. It’ll come, but it’lltake time. College athletics typically isn’t thehighest paying industry. If you’re looking to makebig money fast, look somewhere else.Where are they?Over the past 12 months, several Illinois Statesport management graduates have been hired orhave been promoted within the sport industry.Below is a list of a few of these individuals listedby their positionsJen Banks ‘11 – Operations Manager, FGS inc.Stephanie Barnes ‘12 – Assistant Track and FieldCoach, Wartburg CollegePat Bodame ‘11 – Fitness Coordinator, GurneePark DistrictKyle Brant – Groups Account Executive, OrlandoMagicElliott Charles ‘07 -- Assistant Athletics Director forCompliance, University of South FloridaLucas Cook ’13 – Owner, Warbird AcademyHannah Deutsch ’13 – Client ServicesRepresentative, Old Hat CreativeBritt Erps ’12 – Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach,Grand View University AthleticsMargot Frederick ’10 – Head volleyball coach,Loyola University New OrleansBryan George ‘09 -- Head Men’s and Women’sCross Country Coach, University of La VerneAndi Grindley ’12 – Sales and Marketing Assistant,Nashville SoundsDJ Haurin ’13 – Communications Assistant,University of Kansas AthleticsLiz Sattler ‘10– Adjunct Professor, Illinois StateUniversity Sport Management ProgramSean Johnson ’13 – Assistant DirectorDevelopment and Sales, Illinois State AthleticsLisa Juliano ‘13– Assistant Director of Marketing,Arizona State AthleticsScott Krapf ’11 – Law Clerk, USA Track and FieldMichael Lusson ’13 – Assistant Director TicketOperations, University of Arkansas Athletics3

Left: Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross was one of many industry members students had a chance to see on campus. Left-center: Students heard from a variety of professionals inthe classroom setting via Skype, including TeamWork online founder Buffy Filippell. Right-center: Quincy Henderson ‘14, Ashley Schrader ‘14, Buddy Sodemann ‘12, Sean Johnson ‘13 and Dr.Nels Popp met up before a men’s basketball game between Illinois Wesleyan and Loras. Right: In December, several students traveled to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., to watch theRedbird men’s basketball team take on the Cardinals. ISU nearly pulled off the upset, losing by just three points to the eventual national champions.Illinois State Sport Management updatesWhere are they?Lauren McLaughlin ’13 – Public RelationsManager, Bellator MMAKatie Nessling ’13 – Event ManagementInternship, ESPN Wide World of SportsSam Nichols – Director of Equipment Operations,Florida Atlantic AthleticsAndrea Travelstead ’12 – Event OperationsAssociate, Elite TournamentsClint Warren ‘08 – Assistant Professor – SportManagement, University of IowaJordan Watson ‘07 – Assistant Men’s BasketballCoach, DartmouthMike Williams ‘07 – Assistant Athletic DirectorCommunications, Illinois State AthleticsProfessional Practice:• Lucas Cook – Extra Innings• Hannah Deutsch – Old Hat Creative• Michael Lusson – University of IllinoisAthletics• Lauren McLaughlin – Bellator MMA• Kelvyn Hemphill – Illinois State Athletics• Marcus King – Roar Foods, Marketing• Christian Santoj – Illinois State Athletics• The Illinois State Sport ManagementProgram was represented this pastschool year at the 2012 LondonOlympics. Graduate Lucas Maniezo ’07travelled with the Brazilian contingentas a marketing manager for Nike.Maniezo works extensively with Brazil’snational football (soccer) teams,handling all of their Nike apparel andfootwear needs.• Several ISU alums have been buildingtheir personal brand through guestsport industry blog columns. KelbyWeiter ’12 and Hannah Deutsch ’13,who both work at sport marketingcompany Old Hat Creative, pennedseveral pieces for the popular MigalaReport website this past year. InFebruary, Katie Nessling ’13 alsoposted on column on the MigalaReport. Meanwhile, Brian Nystrom’11, took time out of his scheduleas Marketing Coordinator at theUniversity of Minnesota-Duluthto write a column for the NationalAssociation of Collegiate MarketingAdministrators online library.• Illinois State students had severalunique opportunities to hear face-tofacefrom sport industry heavyweightswithout leaving campus this pastschool year. Last fall, NFL Hall ofFamer and former Players Associationrepresentative Alan Page was oncampus to talk to students. Then thisspring, Olympic gold medal-winningsprinter and International OlympicCommittee Rule 40 opponent SanyaRichards-Ross spoke to several studentgroups on campus. In addition, ISU’sSchool of Communication hosted theirannual COM Week activites, whichincluded speakers Tom Sheridan, TomCrawford, and Kurt Pegler. Sheridan isthe Senior Director of Ticket Sales forthe Chicago White Sox, while Crawfordis the Vice President and GeneralManager of The Specialized MarketingGroup Inc. Pegler is a sports anchorwith CBS’ Peoria affiliate, WMBD 31.• In addition to hearing from industryleaders in-person, ISU sportmanagement students heard from avariety of speakers via Skype this pastyear. Notable names include BuffyFilippell, founder of sport job websiteteamworkonline.com; J.W. Cannon,Sponsorship Executive with UPS; PhilEsten, executive associate athleticdirector at Cal-Berkeley; and DaveBaldwin, manager of new business withthe Phoenix Suns.• In mid-November, ISU SportManagement alum Buddy Sodemann ’12made a return to Bloomington-Normalwith his Loras Duhawks men’s basketballteam as they took on Illinois Wesleyan.Current sport management studentsQuincy Henderson and Ashley Schraderare currently graduate assistants withTitan athletics (men’s basketball andmedia relations, respectively), whileSean Johnson ’13 is a former IWU player.All four individuals got together withNels Popp prior to the game.• Congratulations to Childress SportsConsulting, co-founded by ISU sportmanagement alum Andrea Mosher ‘08,as they continued their growth this pastyear working with student-athletes atboth the high school and college levels.Childress clients included some of thebiggest surprises in college sportsduring the 2012-13 campaign, includingNotre Dame football, Florida Gulf Coastathletics, and Cal-Berkeley women’sbasketball. To learn more about Mosherand Childress Sports Consulting, visitwww.childresssports.com.4

Left: Marcus King ‘13 caught up with Nancy Worley ‘83 following the 2012 NCAA Division I Volleyball championship match between Texas and Oregon. Left-center: Mike Williams ‘07 (right),currently Assistant Athletic Director-Communications at ISU, participated on a panel during the School of Communications’ ComWeek. Williams and his wife, Amanda, also welcomed their firstchild in June. Right-center: Dr. Brent Beggs (left) and Dr. Nels Popp (right) with Mike Brant ‘11 (center), who shared his experiences working with Red Frog events at the ISU’s Recreation and ParksAdministration Student Symposium in March. Right: Sean Johnson ‘13 presents a check at the 3rd Annual Uncle Bill’s Storage Golf Scramble to benefit the Miracle League of Central Illinois.• In December, Louisville hosted the2012 NCAA Division I Volleyballchampionships at the YUM! Center. Asthe volleyball media relations contactfor the University of Louisville, ISU sportmanagement alum Nancy Worley ’83was right in the middle of the action.Current ISU sport management studentMarcus King ’13 caught up with Worleyafter watching Texas defeat Oregon inthe championship match. Two weeksearlier, a crew of ISU sport managementstudents also travelled to Louisville’sKFC YUM! Center, this time to watchthe Redbird men’s basketball team falla bucket short of topping eventualnational champion Louisville in a Dec. 1matchup.• This spring, ISU sport management alumBrendan Reilly ’11 brokered the firstdeal between his company, EON Reality,and a major sport client, the Universityof Kansas athletic department. Reillyheads up EON Reality’s Sports Division,a company which develops 3D sportsimulators that can re-create gamesituations, allowing athletes to train invirtual reality. Some have comparedthe cutting edge technology to beingimmersed into a video game. To readmore about Reilly’s project, checkout this Fox Sports Kansas City story:http://www.foxsportskansascity.com/collegefootball/kansas-jayhawks/story/KU-bringing-virtual-3D-simulator-oncamp?blockID=886033• In March, ISU sport managementprofessors Nels Popp and Todd Fischerwere asked to be judges for the Big Tenathletics marketing awards. The tworated athletic department submissionsin 10 different categories, such as bestsponsorship activation, best studentpromotion, best social media campaign,and best schedule poster. Winners wereannounced at the Big Ten marketingmeeting in Chicago prior to the Big TenMen’s Basketball tournament.• Two of ISU’s sport management alums wereasked to visit campus this past school yearto speak to students aspiring to break intothe sport industry. Mike Brant ’11, now aRace and Sponsorship Director with RedFrog events, participated in ISU’s Recreationand Parks Administration StudentSymposium in March. Brant discussedhis experiences in event managementand sponsorship sales, including his pastexperiences with the Kansas City Royals,Anaheim Angels, and Normal CornBelters.Then in April, ISU’s Assistant AthleticDirector for Communications, MikeWilliams ’07, participated in the Schoolof Communications ComWeek to discussworking in sport media. Williams has alsoadded diaper changing to his skill set ashe and his wife, Amanda, welcomed anew baby to the family this past summer,Adalynn Lois.• ISU Sport Management alum Mike Schulte’10 had a historic season-opener in his roleas Director of Ticket Sales with the PeoriaChiefs. On April 4, the Chiefs posted theirlargest opening day crowd in 25 years,drawing 4,322 fans to O’Brien Field. Over thewinter, the Chiefs moved their single-A MLBaffiliation from the Chicago Cubs to the St.Louis Cardinals.• The ISU Sport Management and RecreationAdministration programs again hosted the3rd Annual Uncle Bill’s Storage Golf Scrambleto benefit the Miracle League of CentralIllinois. This year’s student-run event, hostedRedbirds Working in the NBAat the Bloomington Country Club, attracted136 golfers and raised over $9,000. Thefestivities included golf, meals, and a silentauction featuring some impressive sportmemorabilia such as autographed itemsfrom Brian Urlacher, Jonathan Toews, andAlexei Ramirez, as well as numerous ticketsto major league and college sporting events.• On May 19, second year sport managementstudents D.J. Haurin and Mike Spain heldthe second annual Marfan Mad Dash.The 5K event held at Tipton Trails Parkin Bloomington saw nearly 100 runnerscompete. The event generated $2,012, withproceeds going to the National MarfanFoundation. The Marfan Mad Dash wasfounded in 2012 by ISU sport managementstudent Stephanie Barnes ’12, whosebrother David was diagnosed with Marfan’ssyndrome.• ISU’s Director of Athletic Marketing, L.B. Nagle’10, and her team had an impressive showingin the 2013 National Association of CollegiateMarketing Administrators (NACMA) Bestof Awards. The Redbird staff enteredsubmissions in seven categories and tookhome one gold, one silver, and two bronzehonors. NACMA staff voted ISU’s Retro Game/Taste of the Redbirds event as the best entryin the “Single Day Attendance Promotion”category for group two schools, while theirCoach Campus Caravan initiative earneda second place showing in the “StudentPromotion” category.• The next issue of ISU’s alumni magazine,STATEside, will feature an article about ISUgraduates working in the sport industry.Anecdotes from several Sport Managementalums feature prominently in the story. Themagazine should be available in August.While presenting research at the Sport MarketingAssociation conference in Orlando this fall, Dr. Nels Poppwas able to catch up with former sport managementstudent Kyle Brant, who is now a group sales accountexecutive with the Orlando Magic. Brant gave Popp a tourof the recently constructed Amway Center, home of theMagic.Former sport management student Chris Mallen ’11 hungout with former program director Dr. Chad McEvoy beforea Philadelphia 76ers game this past January. Mallen, whois now a marketing coordinator with the Sixers, spoke toMcEvoy’s students from Syracuse, who were visiting Phillyfor a class immersion trip.This summer, Popp and McEvoy ran into sportmanagement alum Jessica Judge ’12 when the two werein Austin, Texas for the North American Society for SportManagement conference. Judge is a former accountrepresentative for the Houston Rockets and Austin TorosNBA D-League franchise.5

McLaughlin turns GraduateProfessional Practice into position inMMA industryBy Lauren McLaughlin, ‘13As a 24-year-old looking to make her mark in thesports industry, it was time to take a chance on myself. Ihad always been told making it in the industry would betough, but with a little risk taking and persistence, I wasable to get my chance.After I applied for a public relations job with BellatorMMA and made it as the final candidate, there was oneobstacle standing in my way; my age. The executivesat Bellator were concerned that my lack of years in theindustry and at the age of 24, I wasn’t qualified for thejob.I believe sport directly emulates life and has taughtme that in order to grow as an individual, it is vital to takea chance and test your boundaries as a person. I decidedto take a chance on myself and a conversation thatcould have been a make or break moment for my careerturned out to be my opportunity to prove to Bellator thatI was the candidate they were looking for.Bellator asked me to join the team for eight weeksto prove my worth and see how I fit within the industryand organization. Within a matter of three days, I packeda suit case, moved to the west coast and was engulfed inan industry sector that was completely new to me.Bellator MMA is the world’s largest tournamentbased mixed martial arts organization and was foundedin 2008 by Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. Knownas the “Toughest Tournament in Sports,” it features atournament-based, single-elimination format thatawards the winner of each eight-person tournament aguaranteed world title fight against the current BellatorWorld Champion in that weight class. At Bellator, fighterscontrol their own destiny through their performanceinside the cage. There are no biases throughmatchmaking or promoters, and Bellator prides itself ontitle shots being earned and not given.It’s most recent expansion happened in December2011, when Bellator sold a majority stake to Spike TVparent company, Viacom. Partnering with Viacom hasallowed Bellator to be aired in more than 110 countriesand 100 million homes weekly. Bellator events beganairing live as of January 2013 on Thursday nights onSpike TV.Throughout my interviews, my supervisor joked thatlife at Bellator was like a traveling circus, and he wasn’tfar off. For 12 straight weeks, the crew would travel to adifferent city each week and host a Bellator show.My basic weekly agenda consisted of a travel day onTuesday, preparation and live weigh-ins on Wednesday,fight night on Thursdays, and a travel day on Friday. Inmy first season I traveled to Thackerville, Okla., MountPleasant, Mich., Atlanta, Ga., Charlotte, N.C., Salt Lake City,Utah, Albuquerque, N.M., Pachenga, Calif., Bangor, Maine,Tampa, Fla., and Atlantic City, N.J.My primary duties consisted of coordinating andpromoting local market outreach for the events andcities Bellator traveled to. I would write and pitch storylines to national and local markets, as well as createpress materials for media members. I was able to workclosely with the athletes and served as the direct liaisonbetween the fighters and media outlets for variousappearances and interviews.In the days leading up to fight night there was a lotof preparation and coordinating with the operationscrew, athlete mangers and the Spike TV staff. Not onlydid I get to learn from a global sports organization, Ihad the chance to get an inside look at productiondetails and elements that go into a live show. I attendedproduction meetings every Wednesday night to discussthe layout and segments for the Spike TV show. Fromcommercial breaks and walk-out songs, to which corner(red or blue) will enter the cage first and ending the showbefore midnight to not lose viewers, it was eye-openingto be a part of the group who at the end of the day hasthe control over the success of the world-wide event.Life in MMA is unlike anything I had ever beeninvolved with. Mixed martial artists truly changedmy definition of an athlete. In a full combat sport, thefighters need to be skilled at all of the MMA techniquesin order to be successful. Being on the inside and seeingthe training, weight cut and dedication made me realizethat it takes a special person to be able to step into theBellator cage.One of the most eye opening aspects of MMA lifewas the respect level that the fighters have for eachother. When the athletes enter the cage, it is all business.The interesting part for me came after the fights wereover. After 15 minutes of brutal fighting and combat,one usually bruised and bloody, the two fighters wouldshake hands, exchange a hug and even hang out laterthat night. You can feel the levels of respect most MMAfighters have for each other, after they compete, and itwas like nothing I had ever seen at a sporting event.There is such a wide range of individuals thatstep into the Bellator cage, from former Olympians,all-American wrestlers, Brazilian jiu jitsu artists, businessowners to fathers trying to make a living for their families.I had a great experience working with the variousfighters and having the chance to learn their stories.At the end of my eight weeks, Bellator hired me fulltime, and I feel so fortunate to continue my professionaldevelopment with the organization. As the new PublicRelations Manager, the sports industry reputation doeshold true, that sometimes you need to step outside ofyour comfort zone to get what you want.When the cage is finally built and the banners havebeen raised, the anticipation builds, and I am eager formy next season with Bellator MMA.Bellator is the world’s largest tournament-based mixed martial artsorganization, and is known as the “Toughest Tournament in Sports”McLaughlin managed to step inside the octagon prior to fight night6Attending the weigh-ins every Wednesday was an integral part ofMcGlaughlin’s duties.