Tapout Founder Charles "Mask" Lewis Dies in Auto Collision

A pioneer in the MMA clothing industry has passed away.

Charles "Mask" Lewis, founder of Tapout, was pronounced dead on the scene as his Ferrari Modena crashed head-on with a utility pole in the early hours of March 11 in Newport Beach, California.

According to multiple sources, another vehicle was involved in the accident. It isn't clear whether the two were racing or if it was an attempted pass.

The second car, an older Porsche which was driven by 51-year-old Jeffrey David Kirby of Costa Mesa and his passenger 32-year-old Lynn Marie Nabozny, initially left the scene and was later apprehended by authorities just a few miles away with minimal damage in comparison to Lewis's Ferrari, which by reports was split in two.

It has been reported that the driver of the Porsche, Jeffrey David Kirby, has been arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

In my opinion, Charles "Mask" Lewis was the first successful entrepreneur in the Mixed Martial Arts industry. A former fighter himself, Lewis found in the beginning stages of his MMA training that there wasn't really clothing that was suitable and durable for fighters.

He wanted something that represented what the sport was all about—tough, hard, rugged, and rough around the edges clothing that screamed "I'm a bad ass."

So he took his idea and ran with it.

Since then, Tapout has been the most profitable clothing business not only in MMA, but in the United States clothing industry.

In 2007, Tapout made itself more known to the public when they launched a successful reality television series, also called Tapout on Versus. The show featured fighters from training camps all over the United States being backed by a Tapout sponsor and personally chauffeured by the Tapout crew to their fights.

Most fans know the crew by their nicknames: Mask, Punkass, and Skyscrape.

This is a tragedy in the Mixed Martial Arts industry. Charles "Mask" Lewis was very close to the majority of UFC fighters and other fighters outside the UFC who were sponsored by Tapout.  Lewis was also an inspiration to many, as he had stated in many episodes of his hit reality show that he faced hard times while growing up.

Mask, rest in peace. You will be missed, and unlike the words to the slogan you created for Tapout "Bad for the Sport,"  you were great for the sport.