Sherrod Sports Visas

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Exceptional martial artist Scott Askham receives O-1 visa

Sherrod Seward

Exceptional martial artist Scott Askham receives O-1 visa

We take much pride in announcing yet another successful O-1 petition! We successfully petitioned for an O-1 visa for martial artist Scott Askham. 

Managing Member of the firm, Sherrod Seward successfully presented the petition proving eligibility on many counts for the O-1 visa, as a world class Martial Artist to USCIS. He provided as many documents as possible for each of the criteria satisfied by the athlete. 

The Athlete

Born and raised in West Yorkshire, Mr. Askham began training in mixed martial arts as a teenager and took part in several amateur fights before turning professional in 2010. Prior to his professional career, he held an amateur MMA record of 3–0. He made his professional debut competing as a middleweight for various regional promotions across Great Britain, including stints in Cage Warriors and BAMMA. He was able to compile an undefeated record of 12–0 along the way, finishing a large portion of his fights in the first round. 

Mr. Askham went on to fight with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Absolute Championship Berkut (now Absolute Championship Akhmat), and Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), a prestigious MMA promotion in Europe. He has numerous honors to his credit, including the KSW Middleweight Championship Final, Performance of the Night bonuses, Fight of the Night, and Knockout of the Night. 

The Petitioner

SDS Sports Agency was founded by Sherrod Seward, an award-winning international businessman, sports attorney, and industry professional, in North Carolina in 2020. SDS Sports Agency is a talent management company that focuses on the needs of niche sports and entertainment professionals. SDS Sports Agency helps maximize the branding potential of its clients in the United States by providing access. SDS Sports Agency works with international talent agents and entertainment related companies to market athletes and sports professionals that are renowned internationally. SDS Sports Agency clients routinely have their competitions and engagements viewed all over the world through well-established media networks. SDS Sports Agency prides itself on facilitating to clients the opportunity to be successful in the United States and looks forward to continuing to grow while serving the needs of the world’s best talent. 

Sherrod Seward, the founder of SDS Sports Agency, has a vast history in international sports business and marketing. Sherrod learned the sports management/marketing business through mixed martial arts. His international management career began through independent research with one of the best sports law attorneys in the nation and co-managing/consulting with the area’s best fighters such as Brian Rogers (Bellator Middleweight), Jessica Eye (#2 Flyweight in the world), Stipe Miocic (former UFC World Champion), and many others. Sherrod has also served as a liaison between mixed martial arts and corporate America as the Corporate Partnership Director for North American Allied Fight Series and a business consultant for many promotions all across the nation. In his role as Corporate Partnerships Director, he facilitated sponsorship activations in new markets, VIP experiences at events, negotiated broadcast agreements, and much more. 

The O-1 Petition

We demonstrated that SDS Sports Agency, the petitioner, would like to extend the O-1 status upon the beneficiary, whom they consider to be an exceptionally talented martial artist.

In the petition, we showcased the world-class excellence of the beneficiary. The O-1 visa requires that we provide evidence of the athlete meeting at least 3 out of 10 criteria. We established that the beneficiary is highly deserving of this visa, by providing evidence for 4 criteria:

I. Internationally-recognised Awards

We proved that the beneficiary is a person of extraordinary ability in the field of Football by showcasing his awards. The following are some of the most prestigious international honors and awards won by him: 

  1. KSW Middleweight Championship, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, 2019 

  2. Knockout of the Night, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki 2017 & 2018 

  3. Fight of the Night, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki

  4. Performance of the Night, UFC Fight Night, 2016

  5. Fight of the Night, Absolute Championship Berkut, 2017

  6. BAMMA Middleweight Championship, BAMMA, 2013 (defended title in 2014)

  7. UCFC Middleweight Championship, Ultimate Cage FC, 2013

We proved that each of the above honors is internationally recognized through their coverage in the respective websites and in reputed publications. 

We also shared the following rankings for Mr. Askham on prominent MMA ranking portals: 

  1. Current rank of #54 Best MMA Middleweight Fighter worldwide on Tapology.  Tapology is a mixed martial arts fighter ranking system. Tapology differs from other sources publishing MMA rankings, because instead of reflecting the opinions of a single observer, the site automatically takes into account all of its members rankings. This creates consensus MMA rankings that are more democratic and encompass a broader range of views. 

  2. Current rank of #22 in the world in the Middleweight category on Fight Matrix. Historical rank of #12 in the world earlier this year in Middleweight category. 

Fight Matrix is an independent, comprehensive, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. This ranking system is results based. Only up to 650 fighters per weight division who have fought in the previous 450 days are considered for this ranking system which compares results, strength of competition, championships, and other factors.

We included information on the two ranking systems to confirm his essential role and press coverage to support this distinction. 

II.Performances in a leading or critical role for organizations with a distinguished reputation

We included evidence of the following critical roles played by the athlete in organizations with a distinguished reputation. 

To strengthen the petition, we proved that the athlete is part of teams which require outstanding achievements of their members. We included extensive documents and supporting letters for each of the following. The petition also included documents about the associations/organizations so as to bring out their prestige and stature. 

  1. Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW)

Mr. Askham has a contract with Konfrontacja Sztuk (KSW), a prestigious MMA promotion in Europe. He first signed for a 3-fight contract with KSW in 2017, which went on till 2019. He won all three fights of this contract, the last of which was at the KSW Middleweight Championship. Mr. Askham’s contract with KSW has again been renewed in 2020, as a testament to his growing eminence as a much sought-after fighter. 

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (“Martial Arts Confrontation” in English), better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. Several fighters who have been successful in KSW have signed on to more well-known promotions such as the UFC. 

2. Ultimate Fighting Championship

Mr. Askham was signed by the UFC after he stacked up an impressive professional MMA undefeated record of 12-0 in various prominent promotions. He fought with the UFC from 2014 to 2017. He also won the celebrated Performance of the Night bonus at one of these fights. The Performance of the Night bonuses are awarded to the athletes who put on the best and most exciting individual performances at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is owned and operated by Endeavor Group Holdings along with Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and MSD Capital via Zuffa, LLC. It is the largest MMA promotion company in the world and features some of the highest-level fighters in the sport on its roster. 

3. British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA)

Mr. Askham fought at BAMMA, a prominent mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. He was part of a total of 3 fights at BAMMA, winning all 3. He won the BAMMA Middleweight Championship in 2013 and successfully defended it in 2014. BAMMA is famous as ultimate Mixed Martial Arts fight promotion of the United Kingdom. Promoting the cream of upcoming British talent alongside international stars at arenas across the country, BAMMA showcases stunning entertainment from the world’s fastest growing sport. 

4. Absolute Championship Akhmat (Absolute Championship Berkut)

Mr. Askham participated in and won the Absolute Championship Berkut 70: The Battle of Britain fight in 2017. Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. ACB runs the majority of its shows live on a variety of TV networks (Match TV, Polsat Sport) throughout Europe. 

5. Cage Warriors 

Cage Warriors was one of the first promotions which Mr. Askham was part of. He was signed up for a fight at this prominent promotion after a stellar track record of 7 straight wins in his professional MMA career. He competed at Cage Warriors 50 in Scotland and won the fight. Cage Warriors is Europe’s leading and longest running mixed martial arts. Over the last decade, it has built the careers of the world's leading MMA superstars. Cage Warriors events are world renowned and enjoyed live at iconic arenas across Europe and in high definition globally through TV and digital broadcasts as well as on demand. 

We shared detailed evidence about each organization as proof of their reputation. We established it takes a person of extraordinary talent to be able to perform in a leading role in these organizations. 

III. Internationally-recognised publications

The firm established that Mr. Askham was featured in numerous publications of international repute, testifying to his exceptional talent and incredible career. We provided an exhaustive list of such publications and the respective articles, sharing the title, date, and author of the title. We also included excerpts of the articles to give a preview of the content, along with notes on their wide readership.

The articles included in the petition were:

  1. ‘Welcome to the UFC Scott Askham’ – Bloody Elbow, June 24, 2014

  2. ‘UFC veteran Scott Askham signs three-fight deal with KSW’ – MMA Fighting, December 10, 2017 

  3. ‘KSW 52 results: Champions Scott Askham, Salahdine Parnasse shine in Gliwice’ – MMA Fighting, December 7, 2019 

  4. ‘KSW champion Scott Askham on resurgence: ‘I was cut too early from the UFC’’– MMA Fighting, December 4, 2019 

  5. ‘Scott Askham on his KSW resurgence: ‘They thought I was a can to be crushed’’ – MMA Fighting, May 24, 2019 

  6. ‘Scott Askham vs. Mamed Khalidov set for KSW 52’ – MMA Fighting, September 14, 2019 

  7. ‘Luke Barnatt and Scott Askham will headline second ACB Sheffield event’ – MMA Plus, July 16, 2017

  8. ‘Magnus Cedenblad-Scott Askham Middleweight Tilt Added to UFC Fight Night Sweden’ – Sherdog, July 31, 2014

  9. ‘Scott Askham-Mamed Khalidov Rematch to Headline KSW 55’ – Sherdog, September 14, 2020

  10. ‘UFC Fight Night London Bonuses: Bisping, Silva, Askham, Packalen Earn 50K’ – Sherdog, February 27, 2016

  11. ‘Mamed Khalidov Wipes Out Scott Askham to Regain Middleweight Title at KSW 55’ – Sherdog, October 10, 2020

  12. ‘UFC signs undefeated Brit Scott Askham to face Magnus Cedenblad in Stockholm’ – MMA Weekly, August 1, 2014

  13. ‘UFC Fight Night 69 results: Scott Askham stops dos Santos Jr. with knees, punches’ – MMA Junkie, June 20, 2015 

  14. ‘Scott Askham vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr. added to UFC Fight Night 69 in Germany’ – MMA Junkie, April 10, 2015

  15. ‘UFC Fight Night 84 results: Scott Askham head-kicks way past Chris Dempsey’ – MMA Junkie, February 27, 2016

  16. ‘Cezar Ferreira in for Scott Askham at TUF 23 Finale in Las Vegas vs. Anthony Smith’ –MMA Junkie April 28, 2016

  17. ‘UFC Fight Night 53 results: Magnus Cedenblad survives to beat Scott Askham’ – MMA Junkie, October 4, 2014

  18. ‘UFC Fight Night 93 results: Jack Hermanson wins UFC debut, outworks Scott Askham’ – MMA Junkie, September 3, 2016

  19. ‘Brad Scott-Krzysztof Jotko, Scott Askham- Chris Dempsey set for UFC Fight Night 83’ – MMA Junkie, December 21, 2015  

  20. ‘UFC Fight Night 107 results: Brad Scott edges Scott Askham via split decision in slugfest’ – MMA Junkie, March 18, 2017

  21. ‘Scott Askham vs. Krzysztof Jotko set for UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin’ – MMA Junkie, August 3, 2015

  22. ‘UFC Fight Night 76 results: Krzysztof Jotko takes split decision from Scott Askham’ – MMA Junkie, October 24, 2015

  23. ‘3 fights added to TUF 23 Finale in Las Vegas, including James Krause vs. Ross Pearson’ – MMA Junkie, April 6, 2016

  24. ‘KSW 42 results: Tomasz Narkun rallies to beat fellow champ Mamed Khalidov’ – MMA Junkie, March 3, 2018

  25. ‘KSW 45 results: Phil De Fries taps out Karol Bedorf to keep heavyweight title’ – MMA Junkie, October 6, 2018 

Along with the excerpts, we shared details about the background of the publications, the kinds of stories and features they cover, their readership base, social media reach, awards won, and other significant information. This helped us establish that the publications are of international repute and pursue extremely high standards.


IV. Memberships in prestigious organizations

To strengthen the petition, we proved that the athlete is part of teams which require outstanding achievements of their members. We included extensive information about the organizations so as to bring out their prestige and stature. 

  1. Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW)

Mr. Askham has a contract with Konfrontacja Sztuk (KSW), a prestigious MMA promotion in Europe. Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (“Martial Arts Confrontation” in English), better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. 

Several fighters who have been successful in KSW have signed on to more well-known promotions such as the UFC. KSW has its own fight team, the KSW Team, which consists of some of the promotion's elite fighters, such as Mamed Khalidov, Jan Błachowicz, Krzysztof Kulak, Łukasz Jurkowski or Antoni Chmielewski. KSW co-operates with many other promotions in Europe by exchanging fighters, for example WFC and The Cage. KSW runs the majority of its shows live on a variety of TV networks (Polsat Sport, Polsat Sport Extra) throughout Europe. Since KSW XI, the promotion runs its shows live on nationally available private television Polsat. 

2. Ultimate Fighting Championship

Mr. Askham fought with the UFC from 2014 to 2017. He also won the celebrated Performance of the Night bonus at one of these fights. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the largest MMA promotion company in the world and features some of the highest-level fighters in the sport on its roster. The UFC produces events worldwide that showcase twelve weight divisions (eight men's divisions and four women's divisions) and abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. As of 2020, the UFC has held over 500 events. Fighting with the UFC is one of the biggest aspirations of any MMA fighter.

The UFC is owned and operated by Endeavor Group Holdings along with Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and MSD Capital via Zuffa, LLC.  The first event was held in 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship competitions was to identify the most effective martial art in a contest with minimal rules and no weight classes between competitors of different fighting disciplines like boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, wrestling, Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo. In subsequent events, fighters began adopting effective techniques from more than one discipline, which indirectly helped create a separate style of fighting known as present-day mixed martial arts. In 2016, UFC's parent company, Zuffa, was sold to a group led by William Morris Endeavor (WME–IMG), including Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and MSD Capital for US$4.025 billion. With a TV deal and expansion in Australia, Asia, Europe, and new markets within the United States, the UFC has increased in popularity, and has achieved greater mainstream media coverage; the promotion brought in a total revenue of US$609 million in 2015, and its next domestic media rights agreement with ESPN was valued at $1.5 billion over a five-year term.

3. British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA)

Mr. Askham fought at BAMMA, a prominent mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. He won the BAMMA Middleweight Championship in 2013. BAMMA is famous as ultimate Mixed Martial Arts fight promotion of the United Kingdom. Promoting the cream of upcoming British talent alongside international stars at arenas across the country, BAMMA showcases stunning entertainment from the world’s fastest growing sport. 

Based in the United Kingdom, BAMMA premiered on 27 June 2009. BAMMA has since attained unprecedented TV viewing figures for its arena events in the UK. Their events are broadcast on 5✪ and Channel 5 in the UK, AXS TV in the US, Setanta in Africa, Red Media in Russia, The Fight Network in Canada, and TDN in Latin America. BAMMA 4: Reid vs Watson reached a live domestic audience of 865,000 on Bravo TV in 2010 and BAMMA’s broadcasts on 5✪ and Channel 5 have also attracted unrivalled domestic viewing figures.

4. Absolute Championship Akhmat (Absolute Championship Berkut)

Mr. Askham participated in and won the Absolute Championship Berkut 70: The Battle of Britain fight in 2017.  

Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial art, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been hosted in Grozny, Russia. ACA also hosted events in other Russian cities, as well as in Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Several fighters who have been successful in ACA have signed on to more well-known promotions such as the UFC. 

ACA has its own fight team, the Fight Club Berkut, which consists of some of the promotion's elite fighters, such as Beslan Isaev, Magomed Bibulatov, Musa Khamanaev and Aslambek Saidov. ACB co-operates with many other promotions in Europe by exchanging fighters, for example KSW and The Cage. ACB runs the majority of its shows live on a variety of TV networks (Match TV, Polsat Sport) throughout Europe. The promotion runs its shows live internationally on its Facebook page. The 2017 campaign of ACA featured 27 events spanning across thirteen countries, including United States, Austria, Poland, England, Tajikistan, Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Australia and Russia.

5. Cage Warriors 

Cage Warriors is Europe’s leading and longest running mixed martial arts. Over the last decade, Cage Warriors has built the careers of the world's leading MMA superstars, including every European UFC Champion in history: Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Their ambitions are backed by a strategic board of highly accomplished industry experts and investors. Mr. Askham won his Cage Warriors fight to much praise and acclaim. 

Cage Warriors events are world renowned and enjoyed live at iconic arenas across Europe and in high definition globally through TV and digital broadcasts as well as on demand. Their Professional Prelims are broadcast live via the SportBible Facebook page (250k - 900k views). Following the Prelims, their Main Card is then broadcast live on BT Sport (50k - 80k views), UFC FightPass, Viasat, Eleven Sports and more. Once the events finish, they are available on demand to UFC Fight Pass subscribers worldwide, making this promotion widely watched and followed. 

The supporting evidence for each of the above helped prove the high level of excellence required to be a member of these exceptional promotions. 

Thus, we provided clear and persuasive evidence that the athlete meets multiple criteria and qualifies for the O-1A visa. We, therefore, successfully demonstrated that he is unambiguously qualified to be classified as a O-1 athlete of Extraordinary Ability.

For more information on how we help support professional athletes and coaches with O-1 and P-1 visas, please contact our offices at 310-209-8545.