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Harvick adds UFC star Miesha Tate to group

By WTOP Staff

DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

Kevin Harvick flexed his business muscle and added UFC star Miesha Tate to his growing roster at KHI Management.

Tate, the UFC’s second-ranked female fighter in the 135-pound division, is scheduled to fight Rin Nakai on Sept. 20 in Tokyo.

She’s also the second UFC fighter to join Harvick’s athlete-representation company. Harvick’s group already includes fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Cerrone fights fellow 155-pound standout Bobby “King” Green in the co-main event of UFC 178 on Sept. 27 in Las Vegas.

KHI Management’s lineup also includes NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, PGA Golfer Jason Gore and country music artists Jake Owen and Matt Stillwell.

Tate was a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate” in 2013. Tate is 14-5 but has lost twice to Ronda Rousey.

“Everyone’s really close-knit and I can tell it’s going to be a great working atmosphere,” Tate said.

Tate, a former Strikeforce Women’s bantamweight champion, is based and trains in Las Vegas. The 27-year-old Tate made her UFC debut in April 2013, taking on Cat Zingano in “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finale, which marked the second women’s MMA matchup in the UFC.

KHI Management and Tate agreed to a multiyear deal.

“We wanted to represent one of the top names in UFC,” Harvick said. “We wanted a female athlete to kind of fit in a group of athletes and artists that we currently have in the KHI Management family.”

Like Rousey, perhaps UFC’s biggest star, Tate wants to expand her career outside of the cage. She appeared in the ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue in 2013 and would like to see her career blossom in other areas of entertainment.

“I want to branch out beyond MMA,” she said.

There’s at least one route for MMA-NASCAR cross promotion: NASCAR and UFC both have TV deals with Fox.

“UFC has a younger demographic. NASCAR doesn’t have quite the reach UFC does,” Harvick said. “It took us a little bit to figure out exactly how we wanted to activate sponsors at a UFC fight. But in the last three fights, we’ve kind of taken a different approach and we’ve had great participation from all the sponsors we’ve entertained.”

Harvick leaves the bulk of the business side of KHI to his wife, DeLana, and director of business development Josh Jones. Harvick said his wife urged him to target an elite female athlete.

“She was the first one to say you better make this happen,” Harvick said.

Tate also credits a significant other for striking the deal — boyfriend and fellow UFC fighter Bryan Caraway urged her to seek out KHI.

“It’s the best thing I’ve done, I think, in my career,” Tate said

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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