Charles Lewis Jr.
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Charles Lewis Jr. (June 23, 1963 – March 11, 2009) was an American businessman, promoter and entertainer. Known by his nickname "Mask", Lewis founded the Tapout clothing line in 1997, which eventually became a multimillion-dollar clothing company. Mask was inducted into the
UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In a ...
in July 2009, becoming the first non-fighter to enter the UFC Hall of Fame.


Career


Tapout

In 1997, Lewis and his two friends began selling
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
apparel from the back of their
Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...
. By 2007, the company, " Tapout", had
revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...
of $22.5 million, with a 2009 target of $225 million. Lewis was known as "Mask", because of stripes of facepaint he frequently used.


Death

Shortly before 1:00 am on March 11, 2009, Lewis died in a high-speed car crash in
Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...
. His Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, a race version of the
Ferrari 360 Modena The Ferrari 360 (Type F131) is a two-seater mid-engine rear-wheel drive sports car manufactured by Ferrari from 1999 until 2004. It succeeded the Ferrari F355 and was replaced by the Ferrari F430 in 2004. Development history Ferrari partnered ...
collided with a 1977 Porsche before hitting a light pole. It is presumed that the two vehicles were traveling alongside one another at high speed. Lewis was declared dead at the scene. Twenty-three-year-old Lacy Lynn White, a female occupant of Lewis's Ferrari, was ejected from the vehicle and was taken to a hospital. She suffered a fractured elbow and lacerations. The driver of the Porsche was arrested for "alcohol-related gross vehicular manslaughter". As a tribute to his contributions to the UFC, Lewis was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at the
UFC 100 ''UFC 100'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 11, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event was the most bought UFC pay-per-view of all time with a buyrate of 1.6million, until UFC 202 brok ...
Fan Expo, and Lewis's name was made a permanent feature on the inside of the door to the Octagon. He is buried at Mountain View cemetery in
San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...
, California.


Legacy

In 2009, Lewis was featured in the video game ''
UFC 2009 Undisputed ''UFC 2009 Undisputed'', also known as ''UFC Undisputed 2009'', is a mixed martial arts video game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship properties and fighters developed by Yuke's and published by THQ. The game was released for PlayStation 3 ...
'' as an unlockable fighter along with "Skyskrape" and "Punkass" all not dressed in standard UFC attire but in TapouT clothes including hats, shirts, and shoes. Unlockable by achieving three consecutive submission victories in Career mode, he fights in the Light Heavyweight class. In 2010, Lewis was also featured in '' UFC 2010 Undisputed'' alongside "Skyscrape" and "Punkass". All of them were still featured fully dressed in their TapouT clothing. This time they were unlockable by a code that can be entered in the main menu. Released September 2011, the film ''
Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...
'' was dedicated "In loving memory of our friend, Charles 'Mask' Lewis Jr.". The role of the fight promoter in this movie, played by co-producer and director Gavin O'Connor, was meant to be played by Charles Lewis Jr., had Lewis not been killed just before the shooting of the movie. A new film by British director Bobby Razak chronicles the life and death of Charles Lewis. Razak founded the media portion of TapouT and TapouT films. Mask is the first non-fighter to be inducted into
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
Hall of Fame.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Charles Jr. 1963 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Participants in American reality television series Road incident deaths in California Mixed martial arts people People from San Bernardino, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters