Everything you need to know about Jorge Masvidal's manager Malki Kawa

American sports agent and manager Malki Kawa is one of the most well-known names in the world of combat sports. Over the years, Kawa has represented and managed the careers of several high-profile athletes in mixed martial arts and American football.

Kawa is currently managing UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal, former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

In addition to these high-profile athletes, Kawa has also worked with the likes of B.J. Penn, Alistair Overeem, Anthony Pettis, Antonio Callaway, Benson Henderson, Carlos Condit, Demetrious Johnson, Frank Mir, Paige VanZant, Kendrick Norton, Reuben Foster, and Tyron Woodley over the years.

Before entering the world of sports management, Malki Kawa was involved in the real estate business with his brother, Abraham Kawa. During this time, Malki Kawa got certified as an NFL agent. A few years later, following their father's death, Abraham and Malki Kawa founded First Round Management.

Malki Kawa was named as the CEO of the company and still holds the position at First Round Management. He is a skilled veteran when it comes to high stakes negotiations with various sports agencies worldwide.

Jorge Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa details negotiations for #UFC251 main event and gives “Gamebred” all the credit in the world for taking the opportunity: “He holds that ‘BMF’ belt because only bad motherf**kers do what Masvidal does.” https://t.co/y7bqST7PAY

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 9, 2020

How does Malki Kawa manage to get his clients the best deals?

Kawa specializes in international transactions and global contract negotiations, and he used his experience wisely to ascend to the sport's pinnacle. The best talents in combat sports worldwide want to sign with First Round Management because Malki Kawa gets them unprecedented deals with the UFC.

Once they make a name for themselves, Malki Kawa gets them lucrative sponsorship deals by hooking them up with corporate giants such as Nike, Under Armour, Gatorade, EA Sports, Topps, and Adidas, among others.

Malki Kawa is best known in the MMA community for facilitating the first fighter trade between two independent mixed martial arts promotions in 2018.

Kawa was the man who arranged the exchange deal between ONE Championship and UFC, which saw Ben Askren being drafted into the American promotion, while Demetrious Johnson joined the Asian MMA promotion.

Malki Kawa has recently been trying to get his client Jorge Masvidal booked against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Since Usman himself is keen on facing Gamebred, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for Kawa to arrange a good deal for his client's next Octagon outing.

I will always fight to get my clients paid. It not personal, it’s business. It’s not fear of the opponent, it’s value... You’re calling us out because we are the money fight.

— malki kawa (@malkikawa) February 14, 2021