American Kickboxing Academy
 | |
| Est. | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Javier Mendez[1] |
| Primary owners | Javier Mendez |
| Primary trainers | Javier Mendez Bob Cook Rosendo Sanchez Leandro Vieira Daniel Cormier |
| Prominent fighters | Daniel Cormier Khabib Nurmagomedov Islam Makhachev Usman Nurmagomedov B.J. Penn Cain Velasquez Luke Rockhold Josh Thomson Jon Fitch Mike Swick |
| Training facilities | San Jose, California, U.S. Phuket, Thailand |
| Website | www.akakickbox.com |
The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) is a mixed martial arts gym based in San Jose, California. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts (MMA). In 2014, AKA opened the AKA Thailand gym in Phuket, Thailand. Prominent trainers include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Leandro Vieira, Bob Cook, Derek Yuen, Javier Mendez, and Andy Fong. Within the facility, Muay Thai, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing classes are taught. Additional programs include conditioning and circuit training with TRX Suspension and Combat Circuit. The AKA is one of the top professional MMA training camps.
Dispute with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
[edit]In 2008, the AKA was involved in a brief dispute with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White over the exclusive license rights for a UFC video game.[2] Members of the AKA who were signed with the UFC, including Jon Fitch, Christian Wellisch, Josh Koscheck, and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, refused to sign an exclusive lifetime contract for their video game licenses over to the UFC, causing them to be cut from the UFC's roster. Within 24 hours, the dispute was resolved and all fighters signed back into the organization.[3]
AKA has also been criticized by MMA fans and journalists, as well as by Dana White, for what is perceived as an excessively high rate of training injuries leading to fight cancellations among its stable of fighters.[4]
Notable fighters
[edit]Mixed martial artists
[edit]Current
[edit]- Islam Makhachev (UFC Lightweight Champion)
- Usman Nurmagomedov (Bellator Lightweight Champion)
- Umar Nurmagomedov (UFC)
- Shawn Bunch (Bellator)
- Islam Mamedov (Bellator, WSOF)
- Liam McGeary (Former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion)
- Cung Le (strikeforce)
- Ed Ruth (Bellator)
- Germaine de Randamie (Former UFC Women's Featherweight Champion, Strikeforce)
- Marius Žaromskis (Bellator, Strikeforce)
- Zubaira Tukhugov (UFC)
- Ruslan Magomedov (UFC)
- Brianna Fortino (UFC)
- Dan Ige (UFC)
- Deron Winn (UFC, Bellator)
- Ousmane Thomas Diagne (Bellator, Strikeforce)
- Arjan Bhullar (ONE FC Heavyweight Champion)
- Tony Johnson (Bellator, One FC)
- Tai Tuivasa (UFC)
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov (UFC, PFL, WSOF)
- Tagir Ulanbekov (UFC)
- Gabriel Benítez (UFC)
- Kyle Crutchmer (Bellator)
Notable alumni
[edit]- Luke Rockhold (Former UFC Middleweight Champion, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion)
- Daniel Cormier (former UFC Heavyweight Champion, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov (former UFC Lightweight Champion)
- Cain Velasquez (former 2-time UFC Heavyweight champion)
- B.J. Penn (former UFC Lightweight Champion, former UFC Welterweight Champion)
- Brian Johnston (1st UFC Fighter from AKA, Strikeforce, New Japan Pro Wrestling)
- Leon Edwards (former UFC Welterweight Champion)
- Jon Fitch (WSOF, UFC)
- Josh Thomson (UFC, Strikeforce)
- Josh Koscheck (UFC)
- Frank Shamrock (UFC, Strikeforce)
- Cung Le (UFC, Strikeforce)
- Bobby Lashley (Bellator, Strikeforce)
- Sean Sherk (UFC)
- Daniel Puder (Strikeforce)
- Billy Evangelista (WEC, Strikeforce)
- Muhammed Lawal (Bellator, Strikeforce)
- Miesha Tate (UFC, Strikeforce)
- Bethe Correia (UFC)
- Mike Swick (UFC)
- Ron Keslar (Bellator, Strikeforce)
- Kyle Kingsbury (UFC)
- Andre Fialho (UFC)
- Tyson Griffin (WSOF, UFC, Strikeforce)
- Todd Duffee (UFC)
- Phil Baroni (UFC, Bellator)
- Gray Maynard (UFC)
- Lavar Johnson (Bellator, UFC, WEC, Strikeforce)
- Justin Wilcox (Bellator, Strikeforce)
- Mike Kyle (WSOF, Strikeforce, UFC, WEC)
- Trevor Prangley (KOTC, WSOF, Strikeforce, UFC)
- Herschel Walker (Strikeforce)
- Paul Buentello (WSOF, Strikeforce, UFC, Bellator)
- Nate Moore (Strikeforce)
- Rich Crunkilton (WEC)
- Christian Wellisch (UFC, WEC)
Kickboxers
[edit]- Travis Johnson
Boxers
[edit]- Ricardo Cortes
- Matt Jannazzo
Wrestlers
[edit]Awards
[edit]- MMAJunkie.com
- 2015 Gym of the Year[5]
- CombatPress.com
- 2018 Gym of the Year[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "About". American Kickboxing Academy. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "Jon Fitch, Christian Wellisch and possibly others cut by UFC". MMAMania.com. November 19, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ Martin, Damon (November 20, 2008). "24 Hours Later; Jon Fitch Back with UFC". MMAWeekly.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ "A Gym Culture of Injury? American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)". mmalatestnews.com. May 1, 2015. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ "2015 Gym of the Year". Mmajunkie. December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ Matthew Petela. "AKA founder and head trainer Javier Mendez put together a run in 2018 that clearly established the American Kickboxing Academy as the premier MMA gym in 2018". CombatPress.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.