Phenix Salon Suites, the fastest growing salon franchise in the nation, has just signed to sponsor MMA fighter Rick Hawn for his Bellator Welter-Weight Title Fight to be held April 18 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The event is set to be televised on Spike TV to over a million viewers.
Hawn will wear the distinctive Phenix logo for the title fight as part of the sponsorship by Colorado Springs-based Phenix Salon Suites, founded by Jason and Gina Rivera.
“I’m proud to wear the Phenix brand,” Hawn said. “I’ve known Jason since 1996 when I moved to Colorado Springs to train for the U.S. Olympic judo team.” That was Hawn’s passion, competing at the Olympics, before launching his successful career as a mixed martial arts fighter.
“Jason and I were teammates and training partners at the U.S. Olympic Training Center there,” Hawn recalled. Rivera became a nationally ranked judo fighter. Hawn was a four-time national champion, a member of the U.S. World Team and 2004 U.S. Olympic Judo Team that competed in Athens.
“Rick Hawn is one of the most driven, devoted athletes I’ve ever met,” said Jason Rivera. “We’re all about that at Phenix, people who are passionate and focused about what they do. Gina and I have known him for a long time. It’s great to have him on board, and I can’t wait to be ringside cheering for him at the title fight.”
Taking floor-pounding throws for each other in judo, athletes get to know their training partners pretty well. “Jason is a great guy. It’s exciting to see him doing so well,” said Hawn, who knows hard-fought success with a professional MMA record of 18-2 including 11 wins by knock out and TKO. Hawn will face Douglas Lima, (25-5) in the title match for the vacant 170 lb. Bellator division.
Phenix Salon Suites now has more than 50 franchise locations hosting 2,000 salon professionals across the country. The company expects to surpass 100 locations prior to the end of this year. Phenix Salon Suites was recently named among the top 500 franchises in the United States by Entrepreneur Magazine and is quickly becoming a household name in the beauty industry.
“These guys are like family, and it’s great to be working with them again,” Hawn said.
For more information, contact Sherrie Wilson, Director of Public Relations & National Events at 719.491.9682 or via email at swilson@phenixsalonsuites.com