Blackzilians


The Blackzilians was a professional team of fighters in mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, amateur wrestling and catch wrestling located in South Florida. The team had included former UFC champions Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Eddie Alvarez and current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

History

Owned by Glenn Robinson, the super-camp, commonly referred to as the Blackzilians, started when MMA fighters Jorge Santiago, Danillo Villefort, Yuri Villefort, and Gesias Cavalcante decided to leave American Top Team. Glenn Robinson, CEO of Authentic Sports Management, which managed these fighters, found a small gym in Boca Raton, Florida that only had 6 athletes training in it. Robinson struck a deal with Imperial Athletics to take over rent payments on the gym, then relocated the team to the world-class training facility JACO Hybrid Training Center in Boca Raton. Rashad Evans met Robinson through one of his partners, John Rubenstein, and his manager at the time, Jervis Cole. Evans later asked Robinson to take over as his manager. Michael Johnson was brought in as a temporary training partner, and he liked the atmosphere so much he never left. The trend continued as they brought in training partners for upcoming fights. Many of the training partners who were brought in for a training camp decided not to leave, and the Blackzilians soon had a number of notable MMA fighters. The name 'Blackzilians' was coined when Strikeforce Middleweight Danillo Villefort was looking through their management's website and pointed out to Robinson that every fighter was Black or Brazilian.
It was reported on September 20, 2018 that Glenn Robinson, Blackzilians founder, had died of a suspected heart attack.

Instructors