WHO WE ARE ::
Lion Gear exists to glorify the Lion of Judah, Creator and King of the Universe, Jesus Christ and to provide high performance, excellent quality, great looking athletic apparel and gear for MMA and beyond.
THE LION ::
The Lion. It stands alone as the most recognizable animal symbol in history. It represents strength, power, courage, bravery, valor and royalty. The lion is commonly known as the “king of the jungle’ and the “king of beasts.” However, the lion stands for so much more…
Circa: 2,000 B.C. A man named Jacob1 delivers a fervid prophecy over one of his sons, Judah, that he will be a “lion”, and will rule with strength and power (Jacob’s 12 sons become the 12 tribes of Israel). The prophecy is strikingly fulfilled a millennia later when the tribe of Judah secures Jerusalem around 1000 B.C. Part two of this astounding prophecy becomes even more captivating, when Jacob proclaims that his son, Judah, will have the obedience of the “nations.” Little did Jacob know that his words would transcend his son’s reign and become a parallel prophecy about the one from the lineage of Judah called Jesus, the Christ, who enters Jerusalem yet another 1000 years later, as a servant of humanity and as the sacrificial Lamb, giving His life to pay for the sins of the world. Jesus Christ, the true “Lion of Judah2,” Creator, and the King of the Universe revealed!
Fast-forward to today. It has come down to this moment… we now live in a period of grace in which we are given the opportunity to decide whether or not we will submit our lives to Jesus and receive His love and forgiveness for our sins3. At the end of days, all things will culminate in a massive conflagration4 as He returns to the city of Jerusalem, conquering His enemies and judging the living and the dead5. Our choice is one of allegiance and of relationship. We must be for Him or against Him. We must either submit ourselves totally to the Lion of Judah and be consumed by His furious Love…or ultimately be decimated by His wrath along with His enemies6.
1: You may know Jacob as the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham - the” father of many nations.”(Genesis 17:5, Genesis 49:8-10)
2: “…the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." (Revelation 5:5 - NIV)
3: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9 - NIV)
4: “…they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:14-20 - NIV)
5: “For we will all stand before God's judgment seat” (Romans 14:9-12 - NIV)
6: “…It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.” (I Samuel 2:9-10 - NIV)
I have been involved in sports as long as I can remember. My personal interest in Mixed Martials Arts really pre-dates the current promotions. I grew up a wrestler in a small Wisconsin school. I started wrestling in 4th grade and continued throughout high school (graduated in 1985) and continued a little bit afterwards. I guess you could say I have somewhat of a bias toward the sport (as any wrestler would probably understand). As a wrestler, I personally think there is a tendency for us to "know" that we can "take" anyone out there at any time ☺. Into the late 80's I began to wonder how a wrestler would do in no-holds barred fight competition against a fighter of another discipline (as we all know now, scores of others were apparently interested in the same thing ). Then in 1990, a Tulsa promoter and fighter, Dale "Apollo" Cook, scheduled a fight between an Oklahoma freestyle wrestler and a Thai kick boxer. Of course, I was there. This fight would eventually turn out to be called a draw (although anyone watching could obviously see who was winning and who was running!). Now, I'm sure there were other such exhibitions around the country during those days and prior to that…but for me, this was the official beginning of my interest in MMA. UFC 1, which was held about 3 years later on Nov. 12, 1993, was another building block of my interest in the sport. Naturally it grew from there and included Pride and other promotions over the years….and naturally, the wrestlers did great!
Growing up, I was never afraid of contact sports…having wrestled for 10 years and then having played rugby for 4 years during college (I was a scrummy: lock and 8th man). In the early days of MMA (in the 90's), I began to look for a gym where I could perhaps learn the sport. At that time, such facilities were scarce in Tulsa (and I imagine they were in other cities as well). I settled for an abbreviated stint as an amateur heavyweight boxer. I had one fight and trained for a 2nd (that time receiving no match) and learned a few things from a couple of aspiring pro boxers. Life's paths took me elsewhere, but my interest in the sport continued. Over time, MMA gyms did start springing up around Tulsa (and all over the world). I did eventually end up spending some time learning some of the evolving MMA skills (at over 40 years old*)….of course, my interest in the sport continues.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have had many folks inspire me in my faith over the years. This includes members of my own family, friends, pastors and athletes (athletes like Comstock, WI hometown Olympic champion wrestlers John and Ben Peterson; MMA fighters Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin and others). In recent years, I have especially inspired by authors and leaders such as John Piper and Chuck Colson. John Piper's book "Don't Waste Your Life" really spoke to me about not wasting any time or talent that God has given us. Every breath and heartbeat we have is a gift from Jesus Christ. He owes us nothing. We owe him everything. We should use it all for His glory! Thus, the inspiration for Lion Gear. Lion Gear, LLC was officially formed on September 14th, 2010.
At Lion Gear, we like to inspire others to give their lives to Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ and live fully for His glory. We believe that in order to have and display the heart of a lion, we need to have the "Lion of Judah" in our hearts! As you can imagine…that is what the "Lion" symbol in our logo stands for. So I ask you, is the Lion within?
God Bless,
Stu Bents
LION GEAR Founder/CEO
