MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) is considered the fastest growing sport in the world, MMA Fitness owes its roots to the development of the UFC and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Our full history and development is:

ALL THE WAY FROM INDIA

• Buddhist Monks in India created a form of self-defense that leverated the body and did not reply on pure strength or the use of weapons
• Jiu-Jitsu spread to China and Japan with the expansion of Buddhism
• The art was further developed in Japan, becoming an extremely popular method

 TO JAPAN & BRAZIL

• 1914: Japanese Jiu-Jitsu Master Esai Maeda Koma, part of a travelling fighting troupe through Europe and America, arrived in Brazil and settled there, bringing Jiu-Jitsu with him
• Carlos Gracie assisted Master Koma in settling in Brazil and in return Master Koma trained Carlos Gracie in the Jiu-Jitsu methods
• 1925: Carlos Gracie and his family opended the first Jiu-Jitsu school in Brazil "Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu"
• Helio Gracie, the youngest of Carlos' brothers, although restricted from practising Jiu-Jitsu due to his small and weakened body, becomes a keen observer of classes and training
• 1928: Helio steps in to teach a class on behalf of Carlos who is running late.  He realizes in the session that he is too small and weak to beat his much larger opponent with the techniques he has memorized - he begins adjusting the techniques to allow leveraging, timing and natural body movements to work to the advantage of a smaller contendor.
• 1931: Helio defeats Antonio Portugal, a much heavier boxer, by submitting him in minutes.  He demonstrates that it is possible for a smaller opponent to defeat a larger opponant and continues to develop technique modifications to further develop this.
• 1947: Helio issues a challenge to ex-heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis to a no-holds barred fight to refute a Readers Digest article advocating boxing as being superior to jiu-jitsu.  Although Louis' camp refused the invitation, Helio shows his belief  in the system he has develped, being willing to prove its worth against larger fighters.
• 1951: Helio fights Japans best jiu-jitsu fighter Masahiko Kimura - a world champion - using his modified techniques.  Masahiko is 80 pounds heavier than Helio and declares that if Helio could last 3 minutes he should be declared the winner.  Helio held Masahiko at bay for 13 minutes before Helio's brother Carlos stopped the fight to protect Helios from serious injury from a shoulder lock which to this day bears Masahiko's name.  So impressed was Masahiko with Helio's modifications that he invited Helio to share them with his Japanese peers.
• 1955: retired Helio accepts a fight challenge from ex Gracie student Waldemer Santana - 20 years his junior and 40 pounds heavier.  This was the longest non-stop, no holds barred fight in history.  After fighting for 3 hours and 40 minutes Helio became disorientated and Carlos again stopped the fight to protect his brother. Although Helio lost, his ability to fend of a younger, heavier, highly skills fighter for such a long amount of time saw an influx of students to the Gracie Academy and appreciation of the effectiveness of Helios modifications.

 AND THEN TO THE USA

• 1978: Helios eldest son, Rorion, leaves for the USA, determined to share his fathers fighting system with the rest of the world.  Turned away by every martial arts school he approached, Rorion began teaching in his garage by offering a free lesson to everyone he met.  He soon had a dedicated following.
• 1980: Rorion derives the Gracie Challenge out of frustration with Americas belief in flashy martial arts that use flying kicks and brick breaking to try and demonstrate their superiority.  He invites anyone of any size and discipline to fight him so he can demonstrate the effectiveness of the Brazilian form of Jiu-Jitsu.  Many flock to the challenge and none defeat Rorion.
• 1989: The Gracie's open their first offical school in America in California. 
• 1993: Rorion seeks to put an end to the on-going debates over the most superior martial art by developing and launching an 8-man single elimination tourament called the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  In this no-holds barred setting of masters of different martial arts Rorion, the smallest and most unassuming fighter in the competition, was victorious. 

 THE UFC IS BORN

• After shocking the world in the first UFC, Rorion went on to claim the next 2 UFC titles, proving that size did not matter in a fight.  Many martial arts styles start to incorporate ground fighting based on leveraging - the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) - and the basis of mixed martail arts was born.
• MMA evolved into a sport with gloves, safety rules and time limits.
• 2001: the UFC sold for 2 million dollars and today is worth more than 3 billion dollars.  It is considered the fastest growing sport in the world.

 MMA FITNESS STARTS IN AUSTRALIA

• 2003: Marcelo, co-founder of MMA Fitness, moves to Australia from Brazil to spread his passion for the fighting style.  Marcelo studied under Carlos Gracie and opened the first Gracie school in Australia in Brookvale Sydney
• 2008:James, joins Marcelos Gracie school in Brookvale in search of expanding his martial arts knowledge beyond Thai Boxing and Karate.  James had worked as a Thai Boxing coach and Karate instructor as well as accrediting Fitness Instructors in safe and effective Boxing and Kickboxing pad techniques for the fitness industry.
• 2008: James and Marcelo begin experimenting with a hybrid of stand-up strikes and BJJ techniques as a way of increasing the fitness of the Gracie fight team.  These concepts and ideas give birth to the MMA Fitness Level 1 course.
• 2009: MMA Fitness' Level 1 course is given the double thumbs up by Fitness Australia, the national accrediation body for the fitness industry, and MMA Fitness begins training Fitness Instructors and Personal Trainers in effective MMA inspired Pad Training techniques modified for the general public.
• 2010: Virgin Active includes MMA Fitness classes on their timetable on their flagship Sydney CBD club.  The classes prove extremely popular and are constantly booked out.  The popularity of the classes propells MMA Fitness to finalize new techniques for their Level 2 course.
• 2011: MMA Fitness launches its MMA Fitness Lvl 1 APP for the Windows platform & iPhone/Pad, a revolutionary way to deliver education.
• 2011: MMA Fitness' session is booked out at Filex 2011 - over 100 fitness professionals experience the adrenaline from this simple, dynamic way of pad training.
• 2011: MMA Fitness submits its Level 2 course to Fitness Australia for approval.  The uniqueness of the product and popularity of MMA style training within the fitness industry prompts Fitness Australia to create a new accreditation catergory and guidelines.
• 2011: MMA Fitness launches its Affiliate program.
• 2011: MMA Fitness launches its Level 1 course via distance learning.

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