Hollywood Image-Makers Work Their Magic on U.F.C. Brawlers
At press events, Mr. McGregor, who not long ago worked as a plumber in his native Dublin, wears loud, snugly tailored custom suits made for him by David August Heil, the founder
and creative director of David August in Costa Mesa, Calif.
“If two guys walk into a room and one guy is wearing a suit
and the other guy is wearing a polo and chinos, you always look at the suit,” Mr. Heil said.
But aside from the bantamweight fighter Ronda Rousey
and the lightweight champion Conor McGregor — who is scheduled to fight the boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nev., on Aug. 26 — U. F.C.
“What we bring to the mix for these athletes is a global network of talent, events, brand
and media partners across sports, entertainment and fashion to help enhance their profiles,” said Mark Shapiro, a co-president of WME/IMG.
“Football, it’s all about stats — a lot of the athlete’s value is derived from how well he performs athletically,”
said Mr. McGregor’s agent Audie Attar, who also represents National Football League players.
Mr. Heil, the suit maker, acknowledged there is some tinkering to be done with Mr. Garbrandt’s look: “Cody doesn’t have
the swag to wear the same kind of suits as Conor, so we’re working on things for him now to recreate his image.”
Mr. Shapiro, of WME/IMG, said the company goes with an individually tailored approach for each fighter.
