MC Hammer gets into the MMA business with management/branding firm

Here comes the Hammer.

Stanley Burrell, also known as MC Hammer, announced today that he's getting into the MMA business with Alchemist Management, a new management and "brand-building" firm based out of Los Angeles.

"I've been a fan of combat sports for years," MC Hammer stated today in a press release. "MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and this is a great opportunity for us to launch a full-service management company."

Known for 90s mega-hits such as "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit" and his trademark Hammer Pants, MC Hammer's rise to fame and sudden bankruptcy were perfect fodder for VH1's "Behind the Music." The hip-hop artist later became a minister and continued to work on a comeback while appearing on VH1's "The Surreal Life."

MC Hammer was most recently seen on A&E's reality series "Hammertime," which profiled his life as a family man and entrepreneur. It ran for 12 episodes in 2009.

In his new MMA venture, MC Hammer will take the reigns as CEO of Alchemist while managers Lex MacMahon and Nima Safapour will join the company as President and Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel, respectively.

The firm has amassed several high-profile MMA names, including former UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt and veterans Vladimir Matyushenko, Jorge Rivera, Jared Hamman, Antoni Hardonk and James McSweeney. Current Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy has also signed on.

Safapour and McMahon previously managed several of the competitors now inked to Alchemist.

"Alchemist Management will leverage its relationships and resources for the benefit of fighters, the sponsors, and the industry at large," MC Hammer stated.

In social networking terms, you could say Hammer's star is too legit. An early advocate of Twitter, Hammer has 1.8 million Twitter followers to White's 1.1 million-plus.

Koco