DUB MAG MAY / JUNE 2009

38 DUB MAG MAY / JUNE 2009
WORDS: NICK HALILI PHOTOS: GREG B.
MASK’S OFFICE IS A COMBINATION OF SUPERMAN’S
“FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE” AND KING ARTHUR’S ROUND
TABLE, FEATURING A GLASS ROUND TABLE; HUGE, WHITE
THRONE-STYLE CHAIRS; AND GLACIER-LIKE SCULPTURES
ON THE SOFT BLUE WALLS.
Never Submit
T
apouT. To those who know mixed-martial
arts (MMA), this word signifies the action
of one fighter making the other submit.
But it’s actually one thing Charles “Mask”
Lewis Jr. and his long-time friends and business
partners, Dan “Punkass” Caldwell and Timothy
“Skyskrape” Katz, have never done. At a time
when they were selling shirts out of the back of
a car, when they had to drive all night long just
to promote the company at the next event, when
MMA was on the verge of dying out altogether,
the founders of TapouT never submitted, gave up
or quitted. And, although, Mask recently passed
away in a tragic auto accident, his determination
and his tenacity have been forever imbued in his
MMA clothing company founded more than a
decade ago. In his final interview, he shared his
dreams, his passion for his sport and his love for
the company he built with his closest friends.
The company is so inextricably linked to
the history of MMA, that to discover its roots
you must go to the very origins of the sport in
North America itself. It all started in 1993, when
the man, later-to-be-known-as “Mask”, saw
a pay-per-view event on TV that changed his
life forever. It was a no-holds-barred fighting
tournament where a skinny, Hispanic-looking
guy wearing, what appeared to be, plain white
pajamas proceeded to dismantle opponent
after opponent—all of whom were far bigger
and stronger than he was. That man was Royce
Gracie. His martial art was named Brazilian JiuJitsu, and the event was UFC 1. “Did you watch
this thing on pay-per-view? You gotta check
this out!” Mask exclaimed to his close friend,
Punkass. At the time, both were already training;
Punkass studying boxing, while Mask practiced
kickboxing. However, once they discovered that
Royce and his brother, Rorion Gracie, had a
Torrance, California academy about an hour away
from their San Bernardino hometown, they had
to check it out for themselves.
“After he beat us both up, we signed up that
same day. We fell in love with the sport right
away,” Punkass recalled. The Gracies, who helped
start the UFC to prove the superiority of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), were huge influences on Mask and
THE INNER SANCTUM OF TAPOUT’S WORLD
HEADQUARTERS IS LIKE ANOTHER REALITY. EVERY
FACET OF THEIR OFFICE HAS A UNIQUE LOOK, BUT
ALL SHARE THE TAPOUT THEME.
Punkass in more ways than just fighting. “When
I met Royce and Rorion, I’d never met nicer guys
in my life,” Mask stated. “And, if you look at us
three to this day, whenever we meet and greet
fighters, that’s where the handshake and the
hug comes from.” The inspiration to make MMArelated clothing also came from the Gracies. “I
remember buying every Gracie shirt there was
because, man, I just wanted to be affiliated
with it,” Mask declared. “Inevitably, that just
transferred into wanting to do a shirt for just
MAY / JUNE 2009
DUB MAG 39
SKYSKRAPE
me and my boys [while] training in the garage
[because we] wanted to identify with the sport.”
In 1997, they had become friends with
Skyskrape and started making and selling
T-shirts at MMA events. The guys had then
adopted their larger-than-life personas—“Mask,”
“Punkass,” and “Skyskrape”—in order to have an
iconic look that would not be easily forgotten by
fans. However, by that time, the landscape of
MMA had changed. Fighting styles, such as Muay
Thai kickboxing, wrestling and boxing were being
more closely incorporated with Jiu-Jitsu to make
MMA an entirely unique sport. However, even as
the sport was evolving, it teetered on the brink of
extinction. Lawmakers, such as John McCain, had
declared that it was too barbaric to continue. UFC
events were being taken off of pay-per-view. The
sport was still not legally sanctioned by many
state athletic commissions all over the country.
It was a treacherous climate in which to start
a business. But, the brazen attitude that has
always defined TapouT could not be denied. The
three friends fondly look back at those formative
years, and not only marveled at how they got
by with so little, but treated those days as scars
of battle that helped forge them into who they
became. “I remember going to Compton, and it
was in this big warehouse. It was a U-Haul rental
place. You’d go up there like you were renting a
U-Haul and give them some password. They’d
let you in, you’d go in the back and there was
a cage setup. That’s how underground MMA in
Southern California started,” Punkass recalled.
“And cops would come in and bust us, and we’d
all pretend like it was a wrestling exhibition or,
like, a kickboxing match,” added Skyskrape.
Punkass recalled a seminal moment when he
got arrested, as the police raided an underground
fight in their hometown where they were selling
their clothes. “We had so much gear on the table.
(I thought) I’ll stay here and try to walk out with
it, like, I’m not leaving all this sh*t here. We
couldn’t afford to at the time. We had no money.
This was our savings here. It was all we had. I
started trying to get it out of the place, and they
caught me.” Skyskrape recalled the event and
remembers Punkass’ arrest. “He actually has
the ticket from being arrested framed,” he said
jokingly. Punkass then continued to describe
what that arrest symbolized. “It was that time in
our lives, you know—that was how small it was.
It was us, two bins and some clothing showing
up on a table. Life was simple, but it was
complicated because we had no money, and you
would just put one foot in front of the other and
just keep going no matter what happened.”
But they soldiered on, not allowing most
fans or even fighters to see their struggles
through all their challenges. Long after the
Gracies had left the UFC, TapouT kept close
ties to the organization. By UFC 18 in 1999, they
were sponsoring fighters, such as former UFC
champion, Pat “The Croation Sensation” Miletich.
Punkass remembered how the early fighters
reacted to their sponsorship offers. “They were
like, ‘Oh, sh*t! I get free clothes and free shorts?’
So, we’d give them free clothes and like $300,
and they’d wear our sh*t in the UFC. And people
would be like, ‘Aw, man. I’ve seen your clothes
on the UFC.’ They didn’t know he [pointing at
Mask] was sleeping in his car.” Slowly, but surely,
their little company started to prosper. In 2001,
casino owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought
the UFC and put their close associate, Dana
White, in charge, who worked tirelessly to get
MMA sanctioned and on TV. The TapouT crew
continued to work closely with the new owners,
just as they had the previous ones.
Then, in 2005, the pivotal moment that shot
the MMA world and TapouT into the stratosphere
occurred on the very same night. The live season
one finale of UFC’s reality show, “The Ultimate
Fighter,” aired on Spike TV. “That finale hit and
had Rich Franklin wearing a camouflage [TapouT]
T-shirt with a white logo. And, Diego [Sanchez]
was fighting, and his pop was wearing the same
shirt in the crowd,” Skyskrape explained.
Punkass continued describing the historical
moment in the company’s history. “It was
crazy. At one point, we were getting like 3,000
orders an hour. And, it literally just collapsed our
website. We were on the phone until, like, four
in the morning, trying to get the site back up and
capture those credit cards.” Mask smiled broadly
and continued telling the story. “Now, we weren’t
doing 500 [orders] a day before that.”
SKYSKRAPE’S 1963 CHEVY BEL AIR WITH ORIGINAL 15-INCH
RALLY WHEELS, AND HIS FAVORITE RIDE, A 1966 CHEVY NOVA.
TRULY A GEARHEAD, SKRAPE WRENCHES ON HIS CLASSICS
WHENEVER HE GETS A CHANCE.
40 DUB MAG MAY / JUNE 2009
“When you
finally get
some good
money, you end
up buying cars
cause that
was the sh*tty
sh*t about
your life.”
PUNKASS
“Five-hundred a day?” Punkass laughed as
he commented on Mask’s remarks. “We were
doing maybe 40 [orders] a day. It just went out
to space that same night, and we would never
be the same after that. Obviously, we had been
working hard and growth was there. Our company
has always had, 3-to 500-percent growth every
year since it’s inception. So we’ve always been
growing. But at that point—when that show
aired—it put us on another playing field. America
finally knew what MMA was about.”
Four years later, as one of the founders
of the now $100-million company, Punkass
explained what his current collection has to do
with his past struggles. He recalled his youth, as
he showed his black 2009 Mercedes-Benz S63
AMG with 21-inch MHT Fuego wheels, saying
that his family would have names, such as “Blue
Bomber” or “Yellow Lemon” for the old beaters
they’d owned through the years. “When you
finally get some good money, you end up buying
cars ’cause that was the sh*tty sh*t about your
life. Pulling up to school, making your parents
drop you off a block away, so your friends didn’t
have to see what kind of car you were driving
up in,” Punkass said. That embarrassment is
something that is no longer a concern when
pulling up in his black 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo,
with its custom carbon fiber Cargraphic exhaust.
His black 1999 Hummer H1 is influenced by the
military-like mentality he and the guys had when
fighting to keep their company and dream alive.
In addition to his impressive fleet, he rides a
custom built CFL-framed, flat-black West Coast
Choppers motorcycle. He made the point of
saying not only how sick it looked, but that he
got it for a great deal. As much as Mask was the
42 DUB MAG MAY / JUNE 2009
PUNKASS GOT HIS CUSTOM-BUILT CFL-FRAMED,
FLAT-BLACK MOTORCYCLE FROM WEST
COAST CHOPPERS. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE “13S” ON THE SADDLE, HE
JUST GRINNED AND SAID, “IT WAS MADE FOR
SOMEONE ELSE, BUT THEY ENDED UP NOT LIKING
IT. I JUST THOUGHT IT LOOKED COOL, AND I GOT A
GREAT DEAL ON IT.”
PUNKASS IS NO LONGER ASHAMED BEING SEEN IN HIS
RIDES, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE OPTS TO ROLL IN HIS 2006
LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO, WHICH IS FITTED WITH A
CUSTOM CARBON FIBER CARGRAPHIC EXHAUST.
dreamer, the visionary that got TapouT off the
ground, Punkass was the sharp business-mind,
the realist that kept it going through lean times.
When asked about his tendency to keep his
mods subtle, he answered with another question:
“Why mess with perfection?” His signature mod
since high school was always making sure all his
rides were “murdered out” in all black, to match
his own clothing and menacing persona. “Shows
like Knight Rider…ninjas are black…black belt…
everything about black is hard.”
Skyskrape also recounted how his own
childhood in laid back Southern California is
reflected in his taste in cars. “My dad was the
one that got that old school car-thing instilled
in me,” he stated as he showed his dark-blue
1963 Chevy Bel Air, which features a custom
painting on plexiglass inside his trunk. The
undisputed gearhead of the trio explained how
he does almost all the wrenching on his own cars
whenever he has the time. Similar to Punkass,
he keeps exterior mods to his cars to a minimum,
down to the original 15-inch Rally Wheels he
sports on his favorite ride: a red 1966 Chevy Nova
PUNKASS’ 1999 HUMMER H1 IS INFLUENCED BY THE MILITARY-LIKE MENTALITY OF ALL THE GUYS, WHILE HIS
2009 MERCEDES-BENZ S63 AMG IS BLACKED-OUT LIKE THE REST OF HIS RIDES AND FEATURES A RENNTECH
LOWERING MODULE, 21-INCH MHT FUEGO WHEELS WITH MICHELIN PILOT SPORT TIRES AND SMOKED TAILLIGHTS.
Wagon. As a future project, Skrape plans on
dropping an LS1 Corvette engine in it. Now, that
doesn’t mean that Skrape is completely averse
to modern cars. He did roll up in a black 2007
Mercedes-Benz S550 AMG that he considers
his “business suit” (since he never wears a suit
to work). The one theme that ties all his cars
together is the TapouT logo, either stitched to
the headrests of his seats or even replacing the
Mercedes’ stock hood emblem.
Although Mask didn’t link his childhood
experiences to his preference in rides, as he
showed off his red 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S
Cabriolet, he did tell a heartfelt story behind his
black 2004 Bentley Continental GT. “I gotta put
Chuck ‘Iceman’ Liddell on blast,” he began. Mask
explained how he was looking for his first car
in nine years. Chuck, who was a good friend for
many years, offered to help him find a car. Mask
had singled out a base-model Mercedes-Benz
that he had his eye on, but his credit was no
good, and his business had not yet completely
taken off. However, “The Iceman” called him up
one week and told him that his credit was good
now and to come down to a nearby San Luis
Obispo dealership. Chuck had put down $55,000
on the 2005 Bentley Coupe for him, adding
that with the down payment, Mask would now
be able to make his monthly payments. He
admitted to beginning to cry at this gesture,
saying, “I try to pay him back all the time, but
he says, ‘Give me what you want; I’m going to
take the check and rip it.’” As he proudly showed
off his 22-inch matte-black HRE Wheels with
black polished lips, and the custom stitched
black-and-brown interior, he made one final
comment about his favorite car—which he
swore that he would never sell. “Whether
he’s with me or not, I feel like I’ve got ‘The
Iceman’ rolling with me whenever I’m in
the ‘Batmobile.’”
That type of pride and affection Mask
felt for those close to him was abundantly
clear throughout the conversation that
day. “Nobody can replace these two guys in
the world for me. They couldn’t!” he proudly
exclaimed in his distinctive booming voice.
“Punkass…19 years. Skrape…12 years. This
kid [Punkass] brings out sh*t in me; always
believes in me when everybody else doesn’t!
He, [Skyskrape] makes me comfortable doing
all the far-fetched, crazy sh*t that I do!” Earlier,
MAY / JUNE 2009
DUB MAG 43
“Whether he’s
with me or not,
I feel like I’ve
got ‘The Iceman’
rolling with me
whenever I’m in the
‘Batmobile.’”
VISIT DUBMAGAZINE.COM FOR MORE TAPOUT PHOTOS & VIDEO
MASK
2005 PORSCHE TURBO S
WHEELS/TIRES: CUSTOM 19” MATTE GREY CENTER/
GLOSS BLACK OUTER ZONE RACING WHEELS WITH
MICHELIN PILOT SPORT TIRES
PERFORMANCE: H&R COIL OVER, DTE SYSTEMS
ENGINE SOFTWARE, THROTTLE BODY KIT AND TUBI EXHAUST SYSTEM
INTERIOR: TWO-TONE RED & GREY LEATHER INTERIOR W/ TAPOUT HEADRESTS,
SUEDE STEERING WHEEL
2005 BENTLEY COUPE
WHEELS/TIRES: 22” HRE 948R WHEELS WITH SATIN BLACK CENTER AND GLOSS
BLACK OUTER WITH PIRELLI P ZERO NERO TIRES.
PERFORMANCE: CARGRAPHIC ELECTRONIC LOWERING MODULE, FABSPEED
EXHAUST SYSTEM AND DTE SYSTEMS ENGINE SOFTWARE
EXTERIOR: BLACKED OUT EXTERIOR TRIM, CUSTOM ROOT BEER COLORED BRAKE
CALIPERS, MANSORY REAR DECK SPOILER
INTERIOR: CUSTOM DIAMOND-TUCKED 2-TONE LEATHER SEATS DRIVER SIDE IN
BLACK AND CARBON TAN AND PASSENGER SIDE IN CHOCOLATE AND CARBON TAN
WITH TAPOUT LOGO EMBROIDERED ON HEADRESTS, SUEDE STEERING WHEEL
he had recounted what made him start dressing
and acting in that far-fetched and crazy way
mentioned earlier. He described a show he
went to, of when he passed out his stickers and
saw those stickers thrown nonchalantly on the
ground. He heard people ask, “What’s TapouT?”
And, it made him want to cry. That day, he
swore he’d never go anywhere again and have
somebody say, “What’s Tapout?”
TAPOUT
WWW.TAPOUT.COM
MHT WHEELS
WWW.MHTWHEELS.COM
PIRELLI
WWW.US.PIRELLI.COM
UFC
WWW.UFC.COM
WEST COAST CHOPPERS
WWW.WESTCOASTCHOPPERS.COM
RENNTECH
WWW.RENNTECHMERCEDES.COM
MICHELIN TIRES
WWW.MICHELINMAN.COM
CARGRAPHICS
WWW.CARGRAPHIC.DE
SHORELINE MOTORING
WWW.SHORELINEMOTORING.COM
HRE WHEELS
WWW.HREWHEELS.COM
ZONE RACING WHEELS
WWW.ZONEWHEELS.COM
44 DUB MAG MAY / JUNE 2009
Despite his outlandish clothes, face paint,
over-the-top personality or attention-getting
laugh, Mask will always be remembered in
MMA history and culture for his devotion to the
sport he dearly loved. All the friends he made
throughout his days on this Earth will ensure that
Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr. will never be forgotten,
while TapouT continues the legacy that the Mask
help start.