The first rule of business: relationships. That’s according to Tim Simpson, who’s making waves managing some of the biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts.
Simpson formed his own Management company earlier this year after previously being the director of MMA management at Paradigm Sports. His new venture, ‘Chosen Advisory,’ is a boutique-style management company. Simpson told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour that he prefers to manage a smaller caseload of stars, enabling him to allocate more time to each fighter, which in turn builds meaningful relationships with the athletes.
One of these stars is the current UFC Middleweight Champion, Israel Adesanya, who has been in New York with Simpson promoting the film ‘Stylebender’ which documents Adesanya’s childhood and rise through the professional ranks of combat sports.
Helwani asked Simpson about how long he had envisioned working with Adesanya prior to representing him:
”Honestly, when I started in this industry, I actually went and met the guys from Paradigm the first time, back in 2015. In that meeting, they were like, ‘Who’s the guy next up from Australia [the next big fighter].’ I said there was no one in Australia in my mind, but there’s this kick-boxer from New Zealand who’s had like three or four MMA fights, and I guarantee you this guy is going to be a megastar.”
Simpson said he started messaging Adesanya on Facebook during his days at University when he was just a fan. He stayed in contact over social media and, when he began working in MMA, asked to manage Adesanya but was politely knocked back. Fast forward a few years later and both men are posing for pictures together on the red carpet at the Tribeca film festival.
Other fighters on Simpson’s star-studded roster include the UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards, Jiri Prochaska, Max Holloway and Tai Tuivasa. It’s certainly a lot to take on for someone as young as Simpson; he has only just recently turned 31. Helwani asked him why he made the decision to branch out on his own:
”There’s a lot that went into it [the decision] and a lot that I don’t want to air publicly. Some things transpired over time. I’d say that the fundamental difference(s) [between Simpson and his former employer] was a difference in vision and a difference in values. I guess that is what started wearing on me and realizing that [Paradigm] may not be the place for me anymore. I was there for eight years almost, from [the age of] 23 to 30.
Simpson said that he gave everything to the job during early adulthood, and it took a toll on his relationships and personal life generally. He was grateful for the time he had at Paradigm, but it consumed all of his time, and it started to affect him negatively. Most people source another job before handing in their notice; however, when Simpson decided to leave Paradigm in December 2022, he didn’t have another plan in place. He was even prepared to leave MMA entirely; he was at peace with whatever life threw at him.
After leaving Paradigm, some of the fighters he represented contacted him to pledge their allegiance to him if he decided to continue working in the MMA business. Considering that he represented many big names, who would have had countless options regarding agents and management, this shows how highly he is thought of in the MMA world; the loyalty is a testament to his work over the previous eight years. This is how ‘Chosen Advisory’ was born.
The newly formed management company has a small team, just Simpson and another Australian lawyer, Daniel Maudsley, who was hired by Simpson at Paradigm just four months before his departure. Like many of the ‘Chosen Advisory’ fighters, Maudsley followed. With just two people running the day-to-day, Simpson does not wish to expand his client base to more than ten fighters in order for him to be able to build and maintain close relationships with his fighters, something which he has achieved with Leon Edwards:
”Working with Leon, someone who is so close to me personally, we’ve really built a lot in finding the right accountant, financial manager, cleaning up his money, properties, investments. I feel like I understand how to holistically put someone in a position for the rest of their lives. Leon is a great example; from being born in a tin shack in Jamaica, he’s in a position now where we have these pieces in place where I know that guy [Edwards] is going to be good for life.”
Edwards’ second title defense is yet to be confirmed, and his manager stated that he is willing to fight anybody, anywhere. Uk fans will be disappointed to hear that a stadium show in Cardiff, Wales is likely off the agenda due to the logistical issues with traveling to and from the event via railway. He also stated that there is a lack of hotel rooms in the Welsh capital and a general reluctance from the UFC to hold stadium shows due to the viewing experience for fans both in attendance and watching at home.
Simpson’s biggest client is most likely Israel ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya. He confirmed that the UFC Middleweight Champion is being targeted to fight on September 10 at UFC 293 in Sydney. The plan is for him to fight the winner of Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290, which takes place just ten weeks before. The original target for Adesanya was for him to fight Du Plessis so that another rematch with Whittaker could be avoided due to the champion wishing to face new blood.
The primary aim of Simpson’s ‘Chosen Advisory,’ which gets him out of bed in the morning, is to provide the foundations for the fighters he represents to put themselves in a position where they benefit from generational wealth. He has a long-term vision for his clients and aims to achieve the above for all of them. He thinks this would be too difficult to achieve should he represent, say, fifty.
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