Top prospect Lowen Tynanes in dispute with KOTC involving alleged forged contract

Lowen Tynanes has made a name for himself recently as one of the top prospects in the sport. After going unbeaten in the amateur circuit, the state wrestling champ burst out of the Asian scene by stopping Filipino URCC champ, Eduard Folayang in just his second MMA bout. He immediately followed up with three equally impressive wins, which included finishes against more experienced stars such as Vuyisile Colossa and Felipe Enomoto.

The Hawaiian had 4 massive wins in a span of 6 months, where he claimed a KOTC title and established himself atop the ONE FC lightweight ladder, all before his 23rd birthday. People were expecting big things from Tynanes, but suddenly this prodigy's very active calendar became stagnant. He hasn't competed since May 2013, and the reason behind it is a contract dispute with KOTC.

This wouldn't be your average dispute either, as Tynanes claims that he never signed a contract with the promotion, alleging that King of the Cage is forcing him to honor a 3-year contract with his forged signature.

Tynanes had fought with KOTC as an amateur, and it was from those connections that got him separate deals with Asian promotions such as URCC and ONE FC.

"I originally signed a 6-fight deal with ONE FC over 2 years, which my coach Kai Kamaka and KOTC owner Terry Trebilcock set up." Tynanes told Bloody Elbow as he spoke about his situation, "Me not knowing how close they really were was naive!"

Following huge wins over Eduard Folyang at URCC 22 and Vuyisile Colossa at ONE FC 7, Lowen's stock rose, and he was offered a shot at the KOTC Jr. Welterweight (160 lbs) belt on April 2013.

"I was offered a title fight by Terry and immediately took it. I was not thinking of pay or opponent, (nor did I) think my coach would handle things like he did, because I trusted him," Tynanes explains, "After winning that bout, I got paid 1000 to fight and 1000 to win. For a KOTC title fight, I felt like I got ripped off, so I told Kai 'I don't want to compete for KOTC, they're cheap'."

"Out of thin air, KOTC sends me emails and text messages telling me I'm obligated to KOTC with contract, and I need to compete. Me not knowing, I was kinda laughing because they sounded silly," he recalls, "They then sent me a copy of the contract that looks nothing like my signature, telling me 'We have you for three years. We have first rights over you and ONE FC can't do anything unless KOTC says so'."

"I feel violated and hopeless trying to find an attorney that wants to go to war with me. I haven't heard anything from ONE FC yet but I don't think I will be competing anytime soon"

Bloody Elbow has since obtained copies of the said contracts and the signatures clearly aren't the same. Here's a photo of Tynanes' actual signature from ONE FC:



Compared to a snapshot from the KOTC contract with the signature in question:



Being stuck for three years in a contract he did not sign, Tynanes has been trying to seek legal counsel to try and get out of this bind, but to no avail.

"I'M 1000% SURE I DIDN'T SIGN ANYTHING WITH THEM. I WAS SET UP IN A BAD WAY"
"When I told my attorney the situation, he sent KOTC a letter asking to be released due to a false contract or we will be forced to sue them for forgery. They didn't reply with care, simply stating they have full rights no matter what." Tynanes explains, "KOTC simply won't budge. They don't feel threatened enough to do anything. That is why I am on the bench"

Despite fighting professionally for the promotion once, Tynanes maintains he never signed any deals with KOTC. He also states that he has also severed ties with his coach, after feeling that both Kamaka and KOTC were involved with the 3-year contract which was set up without his consent.

"I have never signed anything with KOTC! I got offered the title fight, fought, and then they tried to make me fight again but I refused," Tynanes states, "Honestly, I don't know who signed the contract with KOTC, but I'm being punished for it. Terry and Kai were working together, and they worked out something behind my back, but I'm 1000% sure I didn't sign anything with them. I was set up in a bad way."

"Also that is highly possible that things were set up before hand. KOTC owner Terry and my coach Kai Kamaka are really close"

Documents obtained show that the disputed contract was signed on December 12, 2012, and was indeed set up long before his lone KOTC bout on April 11, 2013. It also predates the ONE FC contract he did personally sign on December 21, 2012.

"I am no longer with that coach Kai Kamaka. I got away from him after finding out everything," Tynanes said, "I haven't talked to him, but my father and his attorney has, and he says he has no clue about anything."

This is where statements clash. Bloody Elbow has contacted KOTC about the issue, and officials claim that it was Kamaka who signed for Tynanes.

"On January 15, 2014, Lowen made a statement on his Twitter account that 'KOTC forged a contract with my signature...' This was the first that we had heard of this claim and we immediately investigated," said Bobby Burguland, the KOTC attorney and VP of Marketing, "It was at this time that we learned that Kai Kamaka, Lowen's manager/trainer at the time, had actually signed Lowen's name to the KOTC contract. Kai maintains that he acted with Lowen's permission."

In multiple statements sent to Bloody Elbow, KOTC officials acknowledged that they already know that the signature was forged, but they will still hold Tynanes to it.

"From a legal perspective, our position is that although Lowen did not actually sign the KOTC contract, whether or not he disputes that Kai had permission to sign his name, he began performance on the contract and as a result accepted its terms," Burgland continued, "He also acknowledges the KOTC contract when he signed the ONE FC contract, which he also began performance on."

Burgland also stated they've reached out to Tynanes' former manager, Jason House in an attempt to "get Lowen back in the cage ASAP". They claim to have offered to "significantly reduce the duration of the current contract", however, discussions never amounted to anything as House had ceased to represent Tynanes.

KOTC founder Terry Trebilcock also weighed in as he spoke about the situation.

"The story Lowen's father would like to tell you is that Lowen is a victim," Terry Trebilcock states, "They claim that his manager and trainer Kai Kamaka of the 808 fight factory signed the KOTC contract, on his behalf, so they feel they are not obligated to fulfill it"

"What they don't tell you is: 1. Lowen has followed and competed under the terms of the contract, as if the contract was enforceable, and 2. Not only did Lowen acknowledge the KOTC contract (in his ONE FC contract) but he signed and reaffirmed with his initials that he understood he was presently under a three year contract with King of the Cage"

"KOTC will at all cost continue to exercise its rights that Lowen has signed and initialed for more than once," Trebilcock said.

The initials mentioned by both officials is next to a clause on the very end of Tynanes' long contract from ONE FC.



The hand written clause on the bottom of the contract states that "By signing this agreement, ONE FC understands that in no way does this diminish or make null and void any of my obligations or rights I have already granted to King of the Cage Inc. (In deference to my 3 year contract that expires in 2015)"

Right on the bottom is an 'X' mark signifying where Lowen Tynanes was to scribble his initials, "LT", at the time the deal was signed. The same marks are seen at the end of every page of ONE FC's 25-page fighter agreement contract.

As it stands, both contracts state that while the ONE FC agreement is an exclusive deal in a sense, KOTC's non-exclusive contract that predates it still has priority in fight bookings. This leaves Tynanes in a bind, and KOTC is looking to have him complete for them again before he can even be offered another fight with other promotions like ONE FC.

"The plan was for KOTC and ONE FC to work together, and for Lowen to fight regularly for us both. His next fight was supposed to be with KOTC following his 5/31/13 ONE FC fight," KOTC's Berglund said, "I think ONE FC agrees that his next fight should be with KOTC. Once that is completed, I am certain they will immediately schedule him."

If Tynanes' disputed KOTC contract is followed, he will be under contract up to December 2015.
Bloody elbow.com

In an official statement to Bloody Elbow, Lowen Tynanes' former coach, Kai Kamaka admits to have signed the KOTC deal in question, but maintains that it was done with his former student's full consent. Read the full statement here.

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One of King of the Cage's champions is currently in a dispute with the promotion, with Lowen Tynanes saying he is currently stuck in a 3-year deal contract he did not sign. Although not specifically named by the talented prospect, KOTC representative Bobby Burguland did state Tynanes' former coach, Kai Kamaka, as the person who signed the deal for him.

Shortly after the report ran on this site, Kamaka has decided to release an official statement. He maintains that while he did sign the dotted line, it was done with Tynanes' consent.

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"I asked if he was able was able to email back the contract to KOTC and he replied "No, because I don’t have a scanner". I asked him if he wanted me to sign for him and email it back for him and he replied, "If can coach", meaning yes," Kamaka tells Bloody Elbow as part of his statement, "I told Lowen that I would do it since I had a scanner."

Kamaka also disputes that this was all done without his fighter's knowledge, alleging that Tynanes' contract with KOTC was discussed with him on numerous occasions. As for motivation for bringing up this forgery issue, Kamaka speculates that Tynanes may simply be looking to "capitalize on the moment" after breaking out as an MMA star.

"I would like to see Lowen in the cage as well. I believe he has the potential to be the next BJ Penn for Hawaii and I have said this time and time again. I honestly believe things just moved a lot faster then he expected and now that it has, he is trying to capitalize on the moment."

"If it were not for KOTC opening up opportunities for Lowen, he would still be fighting in small amateur shows. KOTC kick started his career by giving him the URCC fight and the ONEFC contract to represent KOTC. With that being said, I wish Lowen all the best for his future."

More details from Kamaka are available on full statement below where he airs his side of things:

There is a lot of missing pieces to this story. The only part being exposed is that Mr. Lowen Tynanes is the victim and had no knowledge of the contract and so forth. I want to clarify that Terry Tribelcock and I are very close and our relationship is not only based on fights, though it started that way. It is through my relationship with Terry that all my fighters get to fight across the US and abroad. So our relationship was well known to my fighters, including Lowen; as far back as when Lowen competed as an amateur for KOTC. I want to take you back to square one from where this all started.

Terry called me with a URCC fight opportunity in the Philippines against Eduard Folayang. Terry asked if I had a 155 lber that could take the match. Terry asked me to take a look at the fighter’s profile and to let him know what I thought, and if I could give him a name of whomever I chose to take this fight. I initially offered Ray "Bradda" Cooper, my nephew, as he is THE best 155 lber I know in Hawaii. After discussions with Ray, it seemed that he was going in another direction. I then called Lowen to offer him the fight as this opponent was perfect for Lowen’s style and the opponent had a name that would boost Lowen’s career if he fought him. I went on to tell Lowen that URCC was offering $2000 to show, and an additional $2000 to win, including flight and hotel. His response was "Shoots coach, let’s do it". Lowen wins this fight and his fight purse totaled $4000.

The day after the URCC fight, Terry took both Lowen and I to the other side of the Philippines to do some shopping. Terry checked us in to a fully paid 5-Star hotel suite that included room charges, and then headed to eat lunch. During lunch, Terry informed Lowen and I that there was another fight opportunity, but Lowen needed to be "on the team" and if he didn’t want to, it would still be "cool". Basically, Terry wanted a fighter that would represent KOTC well in this organization. At the same time, Terry told Lowen and I the terms of the KOTC contract in full detail, the plans and steps we would take to make Lowen a MMA star and what was expected from KOTC. After beating Eduard Folayang like we knew he would, Lowen became an instant STAR in Asia. Then Terry continued to tell Lowen and I that we got an offer from One FC but didn’t have the full details at the moment but they really wanted Lowen to fight for their circuit. Lowen’s response was "I’m down for whatever, I just like fight".

Back in Hawaii, Terry emails me the KOTC contract which I forwarded to Lowen. Couples of weeks go by and Lowen still has not returned the contract. During this time, an interview form from a MMA website was sent with the contract. I received an email from KOTC regarding the status of Lowen’s contract. It stated that we couldn’t move forward until this is done. I called Lowen regarding the interview form and Lowen tells me that his girlfriend, Logan, was finishing the up the interview. He then asked if I could finish filling up the rest of the interview because he didn’t know how to respond to some of the other questions. I told Lowen that I could finish up his interview for him. I asked if he was able was able to email back the contract to KOTC and he replied "No, because I don’t have a scanner". I asked him if he wanted me to sign for him and email it back for him and he replied, "If can coach", meaning yes. I told Lowen that I would do it since I had a scanner.

Next was the OneFC contract, which Lowen initials and signs during practice, which was about 9 days later after sending the KOTC contract. In the contract, there was a section KOTC put in there that stated that OneFC contract will not conflict with the KOTC contract which I explained to him in detail. While we went over EVERY PAGE, he initialed that section and continued through the rest of the ONEFC pages. Since we were at our training facility (Powerhouse Gym Aiea) I e-faxed it from the gym office. Lowen was given a copy of that contract and took it home. Then the bout agreement for the Colossa fight came in (which was Lowen’s FIRST OneFC fight). Lowen signed it, we emailed it back. Lowen wins the $2000 to show, $2000 to win, and an additional $1000 finish bonus. Victor Cui was so impressed with his performance; they sent Lowen an additional $1000 " locker room" bonus when he got home. This was a total of $6000 in his 3rd pro fight.

During this time I referred him to a manager, Jason Karpel, of Elite Management. I told Lowen that he would need a manager because "I know you will blow up and these guys can help you get more sponsorship money and into the big shows". At this point, Lowen is going into his 2nd OneFC fight against Felipe Enomoto making $2500 to show, $2500 to win, with a finish bonus of a $1250 and a 20% increase off the whole sum for every win. Lowen wins and purse totals $6250. I told Lowen that I have taken him as far as I could and at the next level he would need a manager. So Jason Karpel talks with Lowen and his father, Myles, and begins to work on Lowen’s behalf in good faith that Lowen will sign with Jason Karpel. Karpel then went on to get Lowen sponsored by Jaco Clothing and some other main sponsors. I was able to land him a local sponsor (Pound 4 Pound), which paid for Lowen’s gym membership as well as travel money when he fought. Lowen VERBALLY agreed to sign with Karpel. He ended up NOT signing with Karpel after he already received sponsorship and gear for his first OneFC fight. It was 9 months later and well into both contracts that Lowen finally signs with Karpel.

Meanwhile, during this time Karpel is still working on behalf of Lowen with only a verbal agreement. Lowen then fights in California for the KOTC World Title; again signing a contract IN FRONT of the California Commission at weigh-ins acknowledging his commitment and fulfillment of his KOTC contract. Lowen wins the title, his KOTC purse is $1000 to show, $1000 to win (after California commission taxes and licensing, he walks away with $1600). We all go out to dinner with Terry Trebilcock. There is about 8-10 of us on the dinner table (Kai Kamaka, Lowen Tynanes, Logan Garcia, Kaleo Kwan, Nathan Thorell, Ian Dela Cuesta, Myles "Boonie" Tynanes, Hawaii Promoter Jay Bolos). Terry once again is explaining the plan for Lowen and the rest of the team for their KOTC fights. This is when we learn about Lowen’s next fight, which was setup for OneFC versus Felipe Enomoto.

So, as you can see there were numerous occasions when Lowen and Terry had discussions about his contract. So the next morning we were driving from LA to Las Vegas for Ian Dela Cuesta’s tryout for the 135lb Ultimate Fighter. On our way to Las Vegas, Terry calls and informs me that he arranged and paid for our group have 3 rooms paid by him for 3 days so we could all be comfortable and have fun.

Two months later, we head to back to Manila for the Enomoto fight.

Next fight was scheduled for July 5, 2013 in KOTC in Manila, which Lowen unexpectedly pulled out due supposedly to a nose injury and needed surgery. This info was given to my by his teammate at the time, Ian Dela Cuesta. LOWEN DID NOT TELL ME AT ANY TIME that he did not want to fight for KOTC. On Saturday, 6-22-13, Lowen’s father contacted me to say that Lowen didn’t want to fight for KOTC because "KOTC is cheap". I immediately scrambled to find him a replacement and did with Kaleo Kwan, another teammate at the time. Since that day Lowen has not trained with the 808 Fight Factory.

All Tynanes brothers are great athletes and very humble kids. I would like to see Lowen in the cage as well. I believe he has the potential to be the next BJ Penn for Hawaii and I have said this time and time again. I honestly believe things just moved a lot faster then he expected and now that it has, he is trying to capitalize on the moment. In conclusion, if it were not for KOTC opening up opportunities for Lowen, he would still be fighting in small amateur shows. KOTC kick started his career by giving him the URCC fight and the ONEFC contract to represent KOTC. With that being said, I wish Lowen all the best for his future.
Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow as we keep you updated on this story.

It seems to me like Lowen signed the contract and then didn't want to fight with them anymore because One FC paid him more and offered him better exposure. KOTC have been doing what they've been doing for a long time, and they let go of fighters when their contracts are finished.

I just want to see him fight again.