Draft:Daniel James Knight

Daniel James Knight (born April 12th, 1983) is a black belt kickboxer, martial artist, and entrepreneur.

Early life and education
Daniel James Knight was born to Jim and Susan Knight in Brighton on April 12th, 1983. Knight grew up in Woodingdean, Brighton, and attended the Rudyard Kipling Primary School and Longhill High School. He enjoyed being creative and drawing but struggled to focus in school and wanted to open his own business as a teenager.

Knight was keenly interested in martial arts and combat sports from a young age. Knight’s mother was a karate practitioner which inspired him to find and join a kickboxing gym. Daniel’s brother Paul had also taken up the martial arts with his discipline of choice being Judo.

Knight’s mother helped him find a club that was originally named ‘Sama’ but was later renamed to ‘Kicks’ and run by instructor Chris Kent. Knight earned his black belt over six years under former world kickboxing champion Jim Caldecourt and competed on the amateur circuit.

Career
Knight qualified for an apprenticeship at a Ford main dealership and became a Ford automotive refinisher after leaving school and at 23 opened his first company, a vehicle repair center called Auto Colorworx. However, Knight was not satisfied with his line of work and he sold his shares to his business partner and chose to follow his dream and founded Sidekick Boxing 2010, a kickboxing equipment company.

Knight qualified as a professional kickboxing referee in 2011 and his new company sponsored the World Kickboxing Federation (WKF). A world title fight was held in Newcastle between Marlon Hunt and Jamie Bates. Bates won the bout and was signed by Knight as the first sponsored fighter of Sidekick. Bates also later represented the brand in 2017, fighting in Glory kickboxing in Copenhagen.

Sidekick gained popularity and became a renowned name in the kickboxing industry and Knight was interested in pursuing Mixed Martial Arts for business purposes and personal interest. Sidekick designed new equipment for MMA and Sidekick apparel was used in promotions across the country and endorsed by athletes. BAMMA held its 11th event in 2012 which was the largest promotion in Europe and to be televised on UK TV. Both of the fighters, including celebrity Alex Reid who headlined the show, were sponsored by Sidekick.

Knight continued investing in martial arts and sponsored events such as Stand & Bang kickboxing and Full Contact Contenders (FCC) and fighters on Glory Kickboxing and Bellator.

Knight came across Andrew Tate on his Facebook profile and knew that he was onto something. Knight and Tate became close friends and worked together for multiple years with Tate promoting the Sidekick brand. They stopped working together when Tate moved to Romania. Now since the phenomenal rise in Andrew Tate, Knight too has risen in fame, having been featured in many publications, interviews, and documentaries, including Channel 4’s ‘I am Andrew Tate’.