For the inside scoop on this emerging MMA lifestyle clothing company, check out our Tough Talk Q&A with FORM Athletics, or take a closer look at the complete FORM Athletics collection including tees, fight shorts, hoodies and headwear.

Scroll down below for the press release regarding Benavidez’s addition to the FORM Athletics team.

FORM Athletics Welcomes Joseph Benavidez
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Laguna Beach, CA – July 6, 2010- FORM Athletics is proud to announce the addition of WEC Bantamweight Joseph Benavidez to the team!  FORM Athletics CEO and founder Mark Miller says, “We are all very excited to have Joseph join FORM Athletics. Joseph, like Urijah and Mark Munoz, exemplifies what FORM is all about – he is a great athlete, role model and fighter. To have a person of his caliber represent our company is a testament to what we do. We also wish Joseph the best of luck in his fight for the title on August 18th.”

Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1984, Benavidez was raised with a strong sense of family, which he still maintains today. Attending Las Cruces High School in New Mexico, Benavidez started wrestling and immediately excelled. Benavidez wrestled varsity for 4 years and, in 2000, became the State Wrestling Champion of New Mexico at 103 lbs during his sophomore year. He enjoyed the singular nature of his skills & will making it happen, and it started him thinking about ways to use his body and athleticism to make a living – much like the actors and athletes he idealized on television. He sometimes daydreamed of becoming a Hollywood stuntman. MMA turned out to be the perfect combination of everything Benavidez dreamt of.

Determination, and the fortuitous cancellation of a flight in 2007, led to a meeting between Benavidez and Urijah Faber, followed by a move to Sacramento, California. Unbelievably driven to make his dream a reality, Benavidez began training day and night. After fighting with smaller US-based promotions, Benavidez was offered a fight with Norifumi Yamamoto by Japanese MMA-promoter Dream in July 2008, where he was instead matched against Junya Kudo whom he defeated by guillotine choke submission. Benavidez was then signed by the WEC on December 3, 2008.

“Joseph Benavidez is,” as Urijah Faber puts it, “One of the most exciting fighters in the world. His style both inside and outside of the Octagon is entertaining and unique. The mix of explosive standup, dangerous submissions and his wrestling pedigree are all the reason he’s been wrecking shop at the Bantam weight class.” Benavidez has racked up many wins, such as the TKO of Rani Yahya at WEC 45 and recent defeat of former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres by submission (and Guillotine choke).

Joseph is proud to be part of the WEC and passionate about being “part of an elite group that will one day be considered the pioneers of the Bantamweight Division, every day setting the standard for future fighters through hard work and dedication, and with every fight raising the bar and leaving my mark on the history of this sport.” Benavidez draws a lot of inspiration from his family and seeks to continually bring them happiness and pride. When not training, he has an array of hobbies, including volleyball, bowling, golf, thrift shopping, movies…and a rather random music collection spanning Al Green to Elvis.

On joining the FORM Athletics crew, Benavidez says, “I love the group of people involved with FORM. It means a lot to have such a great brand have the faith in me to represent them. It’s also exciting because I think I am perfect to represent the brands style and what they stand for. I love the look of the clothes being casual, compared to so aggressive like most fight clothing, and I think that’s what will set us apart.”

Joseph Benavidez, we welcome you to the FORM Athletics family!

Since launching in early 2010, FORM Athletics has stood out in the MMA apparel industry with a range of athletic gear heavily inspired by California culture. In addition to the standard series of clothing and fight gear, Faber’s line has also launched a separate collection of FORM Athletics x AMP Energy x Urijah Faber fight gear, worn by “The California Kid” for his match with Aldo at WEC 48.

From the moment I touched down in California, the AMP Energy team kept the party rolling with three days filled with good times, a great card of fights, and of course, some great tasting energy drinks.

Starting things off, with no time to waste, we hit the pre-fight press conference that included the card’s four main fighters – Ben Henderson, Donald Cerrone, Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber. Witnessing the intensity in the air among all four fighters, fueled by the promotional prowess of Dana White, the press conference left me more than pumped to check out the action on fight night.

While I would have to wait two full days to finally check out all the action at ARCO Arena, the AMP Energy crew kept the party going with tons of activities including a group dinner with Bantamweight contender Joseph Benavidez, a MMA training session at Ultimate Fitness gym, as well as the official WEC 48 weigh-ins on the night before the fights.

On Friday afternoon, just prior to heading off to ARCO Arena for the weigh-ins, we paid a quick visit to Ultimate Fitness gym where Urijah was shedding a few last pounds prior to stepping on the scale. While Urijah worked on cutting weight, we were treated to a group MMA tutorial by Faber’s Team Alpha Male teammates Justin Buchholz, Danny Castillo and Mark Munoz. Showcasing a series of striking drills, grappling and a bit of ground-and-pound, the trio walked us through what it takes to live the life of a professional mixed martial artist.

After a great technical demonstration from the group, we made our way over to ARCO Arena to catch the weigh-ins. The crowd was pumped up, especially when “The California Kid” took the stage. Suffice to say, Sacramento loves Urijah Faber. Topping things off, we also had a chance to meet up with Urijah immediately following the weigh-ins for a little Q&A. One thing’s for certain, Urijah Faber is one of the coolest individuals in the sport. He even took some time to sign a few autographs for fans while leaving ARCO Arena after the weigh-ins.

Fast forward to fight night, having had the opportunity to experience a few live fights in the past, I can honestly say WEC 48 was one of the most exciting events I’ve been to in a while. With a card stacked full of fighters looking to impress on pay-per-view, there was literally no room for boring fights. Witnessing Leonard Garcia go toe-to-toe with Chan Sung Jung from about 10 feet away was an insane experience. Even crazier was seeing both fighters backstage 5 minutes after the fight being tended to by paramedics and then whisked away to hospital together, after rightfully earning their $65,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses.

When the lights dimmed and “California Love” dropped, ARCO Arena transformed from a MMA event into what seemed like a live concert. Out came Urijah, dressed from head to toe in his FORM Athletics x AMP Energy walkout gear, to the deafening cheers of a jam-packed arena. Not a fan in the building was sitting down, from the opening bell between Faber vs. Aldo, to the last few seconds of the fight.

Despite coming up short in his main event match with the Featherweight champion, Urijah Faber once again showed the heart of a true warrior, battling it out for five rounds, with a very obvious leg injury suffered at the hands of the Brazilian striker’s lethal leg kicks. Perhaps Faber didn’t walk away with the gold wrapped around his waist on April 24th, but he surely left the cage as Sacramento’s champion, the same way he stepped in.

With WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber officially in the books, looking back on the event, it’s safe to say World Extreme Cagefighting truly deserves to see more pay-per-view action in the near future. These smaller guys bring the fight to the cage each and every time. Although there’s been a bit of controversy in the world of mixed martial arts over the past few weeks with post-fight riots and middleweight champions clowning around inside the cage, WEC 48 reminded us all why MMA is the most exciting sport in the world.

Thanks to the team at AMP Energy for making it such a memorable experience.

Mike Pokutylowicz, Founder – FighterXFashion.com

To check out a full gallery of images from WEC 48 weekend, visit our Facebook Fan Page.

Topping things off, Urijah’s signature also appears on the back of the tee and on the right thigh of the fight shorts, resulting in two true signature styles for fans of Sacramento’s favorite fighter.

Product Name: FORM Athletics x AMP Energy x Urijah Faber WEC 48 T-shirt [BUY]

Price: $30.00

Product Name: FORM Athletics x AMP Energy x Urijah Faber WEC 48 Fight Shorts [BUY]

Price: $65.00

The AMP Walkout Shorts II hook directly with Urijah’s FORM Athletics x AMP WEC 48 Walkout tee, also bearing the same set of logos and color scheme.