
- Despite being a fighter in the hyped and highly commercialized MMA Industry Randy Couture still maintained his traditional Martial arts values

I have been involved in the martial arts business for over seventeen years, during this time I have seen many changes. The martial arts business, like any business has ebbs and flows with various trends taking the lead then vanishing in the face of the next new thing – Tae Bo fits that description. We are now experiencing something that is more than a flash in the pan or a trend. I submit that it has altered martial arts and its pursuit permanently.
That wave (a tidal wave) is Mixed Martial Arts or MMA.
The history of MMA has been well documented and, for most martial arts enthusiasts, witnessed first hand with its genesis occurring in the early 1990s. With its resuscitation from near extinction in the early 2000s, the exponential growth of the sport has put it in a path to possibly replace boxing as the nation’s favorite combat sport.
As an owner of a martial arts business, I have benefited from MMA visionaries, most notably Dana White, in bringing MMA into the mainstream creating a desire by many to pursue training and competition in this dynamic sport. I have seen the pursuit of the black belt supplanted by the pursuit of competition in the octagon as the primary goal of martial arts practitioners.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Thai Boxing, and general Mixed Martial Arts gyms are sprouting up at a faster rate replacing Tae Kwon Do as the fastest growing segment of martial arts schools in the country. More states are sanctioning MMA in the hopes of drawing revenue from the popularity of this sport. All these things seem amazing and positive on the surface…
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