King of the Cage
# King of the Cage

King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States.

## History

KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstream combat fighters.

KOTC has promoted a majority of its events at Native American casinos throughout the United States. KOTC also promotes events in Canada, Australia & Japan. King of The Cage events are also broadcast on most national pay-per-view platforms.

In September 2007, Trebilcock Jr. sold KOTC to ProElite. Two years later, in July 2009, he reacquired 100% ownership of KOTC and simultaneously entered into a joint venture agreement with Mark Burnett Productions ("Survivor", "Apprentice", "Celebrity Apprentice" and "The Contender") to begin the development of a reality television program. Bully Beatdown, a Burnett produced program, aired three seasons on MTV and featured several KOTC competitors.

On January 30, 2010, it was announced that KOTC would begin airing monthly shows on Mark Cuban's HDNet channel. The initial deal was for 36 events to air. The announcers included Michael Schiavello, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Maria Kanellis. The most recent event on HDNet aired on September 17, 2010 with No Mercy. There has been no further news regarding King of the Cage events on the channel. Only 6 events aired from February 2010 to September 2010.

In November 2012, MAVTV struck a 5-year deal with King of the Cage.

## Current champions

The weight division system of KOTC is in accordance with the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, but KOTC names its 145-pound division Bantamweight (instead of Featherweight), its 135-pound division Flyweight (instead of Bantamweight) and its 125-pound division Light Flyweight (instead of Flyweight). The only three weight classes not in accordance with the Unified Rules are a 165-pound division (Light Welterweight), a 195-pound division (Super Middleweight), and a 230-pound division (Cruiserweight).

| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Nationality |
| - | - | - | - |
| Men's divisions ||||
| Super Heavyweight | No limit | Ronny Markes | Brazil |
| Heavyweight | 265 lb (120.2 kg; 18.9 st) | Tony Lopez | United States |
| Cruiserweight | 230 lb (104.3 kg; 16.4 st) | Tomar Washington | United States |
| Light Heavyweight | 205 lb (93.0 kg; 14.6 st) | Jason Butcher | United States |
| Super Middleweight | 195 lb (88.5 kg; 13.9 st) | Vacant | |
| Middleweight | 185 lb (83.9 kg; 13.2 st) | Matt Lagler | United States |
| Welterweight | 175 lb (79.4 kg; 12.5 st) | Buddy Clinton | United States |
| Light Welterweight | 165 lb (74.8 kg; 11.8 st) | Richie Palomino | United States |
| Lightweight | 155 lb (70.3 kg; 11.1 st) | Blaze Gill | United States |
| Bantamweight | 145 lb (65.8 kg; 10.4 st) | Juan Beltran | Mexico |
| Flyweight | 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st) | Vacant | United States |
| Light Flyweight | 125 lb (56.7 kg; 8.9 st) | Chris Quiroga | United States |
| Women's divisions ||||
| Women's Flyweight | 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st) | | |
| Women's Light Flyweight | 125 lb (56.7 kg; 8.9 st) | Nicco Montano | United States |
| Women's Strawweight | 115 lb (52.2 kg; 8.2 st) | Loveth Young | United States |
| Women's Atomweight | 105 lb (47.6 kg; 7.5 st) | Jayme Hinshaw | United States |
