Combat IQ partners with UFC, a Block Dojo success story

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It was two years ago—almost to the day—when I first met Tim Malik, CEO of Combat IQ, a Block Dojo Cohort 2 graduate. We were in East London at the Block Dojo Showcase, and I watched him go up on stage to introduce his company, an advanced data analytics platform using AI with a special focus on combat sports. 

For those who are not familiar with it, the Block Dojo is a global blockchain venture builder featuring 12-week in-person programs in London and the Philippines with more locations on the way. Back when Combat IQ was in the program, I remember hearing from the Block Dojo London team there was something special about Malik. After that night at the showcase, it was easy to see why they had faith in him as a founder.

It turns out the Block Dojo was right. On August 13, 2024, Malik announced Combat IQ’s partnership with the UFC, meaning their technology will be broadcasted to over 900 million people annually across 175 countries. This is a huge accomplishment for Combat IQ and a testament to the solid job they have done to successfully fill a gap in the market.

🔥 New Partnership Announcement! 🔥

We’re excited to share that Combat IQ is now an official data partner of the UFC! 🥊🌍

We can’t wait to show the 900M fans what we can do. 🚀#SportsTech #UFC #Partnership #CombatIQ #Innovation #Startup pic.twitter.com/z9aDAP0W6l

— Combat IQ (@teamcombatiq) August 13, 2024

I was so happy for Malik when I heard the news. He is so likable and full of passion; no one deserves it more than him. I took the opportunity to speak with Malik and James Marchant, Executive Chairman of the Block Dojo, to get some backstory on Combat IQ’s success.

“From a Block Dojo perspective, it’s great to see portfolio startups go on to such great successes in all forms,” Marchant shared.

“Startups do take a little while to get going, but now that we are a few years in, we are seeing more and more startups that we incubated a couple of years ago reach the maturity where these sort of partnerships and commercial successes become big news,” he said.

“Of course, all credit to Tim and team for getting up and fighting (pun) each day! More and more, I confirm my own view that sometimes those that make it versus those that don’t are simply those that didn’t give up!” Marchant added.

Giving up does not exist in Malik’s vocabulary, that is for sure.

As always, Malik was quick to carve out time for me in his hectic schedule to discuss the new deal with UFC, which was in the making for quite some time. He explained how the UFC was interested in positional data—data that educates and engages fans, information that puts context to the images they are seeing.

“UFC is very interested in that and they had been trying for years with ESPN, with some Israeli companies, and they just couldn’t solve those problems. So they gave us a shot, and we did our first pilot for UFC Fight Night in October of last year,” Malik shared.

The pilot went so well that UFC asked for more pilots, which of course, Combat IQ delivered.

“We started delivering some pretty unique stuff that the NFL, NBA, NHL still don’t have today. So really cutting edge, right out of academic research. They loved it so much that we now signed on to actually replace the stats that they said they would never let us replace,” Malik revealed.

“So we’re doing all of the regular striking stats, we’re doing all of the unique new stats that we’re going to be doing for broadcast and digital screens. And then we’re also positioning ourselves as a key R&D partner, so we’re working on some long-term projects,” he said.

“Our goal is to use the data to create strong media narratives heading into an event to sell more pay-per-view purchases,” Malik added.

What separates Combat IQ from its competition is the advanced technology they are using. One of their biggest advantages is data extraction from dynamic cameras vs. static cameras, cutting way down on logistical costs and allowing for more flexibility to create unique data points.

After running their algorithms off of this data, Combat IQ can reconstruct fights in 3D in real-time with sub-second latency, which is where AI comes in.

“We built a deep neural network that understands mixed martial arts actions, combat sports actions. If somebody were to punch somebody, anybody can track that, but to then convert that into meaningful data, what does it mean? That’s what we’ve done successfully. And when I say successfully, best in the world,” Malik said.

There is only one way to achieve “best in the world” status, and it goes back to what Marchant shared earlier…the overarching differentiator between startups that succeed and startups that fail is never giving up. In fact, when asked how he initially made contact with the UFC, Malik’s response was, “I’m like the cold calling king.”

Malik came into the tech world with a degree in history and no network. He had to build relationships from scratch. According to Malik, he’s successfully raised about half a million off of cold calls and zero “warm intros.”

“That same principle that I used for fundraising I used for business development. I tried to e-mail 10 people per company with a 10% conversion rate, so I just need one of them to respond,” he said.

Securing customers and potential business partners for startups within the Block Dojo program is something Marchant regards as a necessity for setting these companies up for success once they graduate. Malik’s mantra is a perfect example of why this mindset leads to great things.

“Moving quickly, having as many conversations as possible, especially with potential customers, is key. Too many startups focus on securing investment as a picture of success. Raising investment is itself not going to make you a success. Securing clients and building a product people want to use combined with not giving up is critical,” said Marchant.

“It is more and more clear that those startups that focus on securing early commercial traction outlive and outpace those that do not,” he added.

Malik is incredibly grateful for his experience with Marchant and the Dojo team, which he calls a “monumental moment in Combat IQ’s history.” He credits the program with believing in him despite his lack of experience in the technical world. He said the Dojo set him up for success and gave him the confidence to try to achieve the vision he wants to achieve with Combat IQ.

“I just won’t stop. Even if I run out of money, I’m going to keep going for another year. It doesn’t matter. As long as I can keep going, I will keep going. If I have no clients, I’ll keep going. If I have all the clients, even with this UFC thing, I’m looking to new sports,” he said.

Another reason why Malik is so passionate about Combat IQ and relentless in his pursuit of success is because of the amazing team surrounding him, an essential element in any startup’s success story.

“One of the most important things with this Combat IQ journey has been the people. Some of the people behind what we’ve done are just the most incredible people that I ever had the opportunities to encounter,” Malik said.

“I look at one of our biggest competitors annual reports, and one of the biggest risks they see is they say, ‘if one of our competitors finds a way to grab a niche and make our data collectors useless, it will materially hurt our business,'” Malik said.

“Well, I found my niche. I’ve grabbed it. I’ve made their data collectors useless. And now my goal is to materially hurt their business. And I have the team to do so and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing,” he added.

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