For the past 12 years, Brian Butler has staked his claim in the mixed martial arts management business by recruiting young fighters, building them up through the regional fight scene and eventually putting them into major promotions like the UFC or Bellator MMA.
In the current landscape, one way up and coming fighters get an opportunity like that is due to the willingness to step up on short notice when a replacement is needed.
That’s exactly the call Butler—who also manages former UFC champion Rose Namajunas and former Bellator champion Douglas Lima—received this past weekend when the UFC was seeking out a fighter to face Marlon Vera at UFC 239 after his original opponent Sean O’Malley was pulled from the card.