Kumite Classic Entertainment

Last updated
Kumite Classic Entertainment
Company typePrivate
Industry Sports, fitness, martial arts
Founded1999 [1] [2]
Founder Bill Viola Jr [1] [2]
Headquarters Pittsburgh, PA [3]
Subsidiaries Allegheny Shotokan Karate [4]
Website kumiteclassic.com

Kumite Classic Entertainment (KCE) is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based sports production company. It was established in 1999 by Bill Viola Jr. KCE specializes in fitness, martial arts, and multi-sport competitions. [1] [2]

Contents

The Kumite Classic

“Kumite” is a Japanese term meaning “fighting.” [5] The company's flagship event, the “Kumite Classic,” is an annual series of combat sports tournaments, widely recognized as a hub for martial arts in the Pittsburgh area. [2] [6] [7]

The Kumite Classic includes diverse competitions such as strongman, powerlifting, bodybuilding, fitness, figure, and model contests. [1] [2] It also features traditional and open tournaments in karate, tae kwon do, tang soo do, kung fu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Grappling. [8] [3]

Prominent figures from martial arts and sports, including Royce Gracie, Franco Harris, Antonio Brown, Lynn Swann, Ice-T, and Kurt Angle, have graced the Kumite Classic. [9] [6] [10] [11] Angle’s “Ultimate Teen Challenge,” a strength competition, debuted at the 2005 Kumite Classic and later expanded to the Arnold Sports Festival. [12] [13] [14]

In 2016, Kumite Classic Entertainment acquired ownership of Allegheny Shotokan Karate. [15]


Pittsburgh Fitness Expo

Kumite Classic hosts the annual Pittsburgh Fitness Expo, a full scale consumer convention that promotes health and wellness in the Western Pennsylvania region. The expo is held at the Monroeville Convention Center over Memorial Day Weekend. [1] [2] [8] [3] [16]

Publishing

In 2013, the company established Kumite Classic Press and released Godfathers of MMA , a mixed martial arts non-fiction book inspired by the life of Bill Viola Sr. and the rise and fall of CV Productions and the Tough Guy Contest. [6] [17] The book is the subject of the documentary film Tough Guys (2017) produced by MinusL Inc. [18] [19] [20]

Kumite Classic published a commemorative edition of Godfather's of MMA retitled Tough Guys (2017) which peaked at #1 on the Amazon best sellers list in the individual sports category. The launch was synchronized with the network television debut of Tough Guys on Showtime. [21] [22] [23] [24]

Published works

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Schrecengost, Dave “Kumite Classic event is back in Monroeville”. Pittsburgh Tribune Review, May 23, 2013
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kelly, Jack (April 16, 2007). “Festival puts emphasis on physical fitness”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kumite Classic Expo, Pittsburgh PA Memorial Day WeekendKumite Classic". Kumiteclassic.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  4. ↑ Staff. Forging a Path for Half a Century. Black Belt Magazine. (September 12, 2019).
  5. ↑ Schofield, Melissa (November 1, 2000). “Former karate champion makes transition to music video”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. E5.
  6. 1 2 3 Love, Mike (May 20, 2012). “Fitness and martial-arts enthusiasts pack Monroeville Convention Center for Kumite Classic”. Tribune-Review.
  7. ↑ Cloonan, Patrick (May 25, 2005). “North Huntingdon Twp. Promoter heads Pittsburgh Sports and Fitness Festival”. The Daily News, p. 11.
  8. 1 2 Love, Michael (May 19, 2015). “Pittsburgh Fitness Expo returning to Monroeville”. Tribune-Review.
  9. ↑ Cartey, Richard (November 2012). “Tough guy Contest: The Real Beginnings of MMA in America”. Fighters Only.3: 72.
  10. ↑ "About the producer of Pittsburgh Fitness Expo: Bill Viola Jr". Pittsburghfitnessexpo.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  11. ↑ "2012 Kumite Classic | Sports | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Photos". Photos.triblive.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  12. ↑ KurtAngleBrand. "The Ultimate Teen Challenge". Kurtanglebrand.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  13. ↑ "The Ultimate Teen Challenge". The Ultimate Teen Challenge. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  14. ↑ "2015 Arnold Sports Festival schedule, map | The Columbus Dispatch". Dispatch.com. 2015-03-05. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  15. ↑ Bowen, Jessie (2017). Who’s Who in the Martial Arts. Elite Publication. ISBN   978-13-87161-53-9
  16. ↑ "15th Annual Pittsburgh Fitness Expo". Guidetogoodhealth.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  17. ↑ MMA Latest. "A Review of Godfathers of MMA: The Birth of An American Sport | MMA Latest - Bringing you worldwide MMA news". Mmalatestnews.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  18. ↑ Kanew, Jeff (1986-10-03), Tough Guys , retrieved 2016-02-24
  19. ↑ Steele, Jerin (2015-09-13). "Before MMA, Tough Guys wowed fans in A-K Valley, throughout state". TribLIVE. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  20. ↑ Pickels, Mary (February 8, 2015). “Martial arts are a family affair”. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, p. B3.
  21. ↑ "Showtime's 'Tough Guys' documentary explores MMA's early roots in 1980s Pittsburgh". September 13, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Tough Guys MMA Book reaches #1 on Amazon best sellers list". September 19, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Two Pittsburgh Tough Guys Made MMA Safe for Everyone But Themselves". MEL Magazine. May 14, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Showtime documentary proves Pittsburgh-area early mixed martial arts fighters were 'Tough Guys'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  25. ↑ Viola, Bill Jr.; Adams, Fred (November 5, 2014). Godfathers of MMA: The Birth of an American Sport. CV Productions. ISBN   9780996163309 – via Google Books.
  26. ↑ Bill Viola, Jr; Domasky, Dominick; Lauffer, Doug (5 May 2016). Go Ask Your Dad: Questions, Answers and Stories about Fathers, Fatherhood and Parenting. Kumite Classic Entertainment. ISBN   978-0-9961633-1-6. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  27. ↑ Viola, Bill Jr. (August 22, 2017). Tough Guys. CV Productions. ISBN   9780996163323 – via Google Books.
  28. ↑ Bill Viola, Jr (28 July 2020). CommonSensei: Sensei Says. Kumite Classic Entertainment. ISBN   978-0-9961633-4-7. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  29. ↑ Viola, Bill Jr. (July 28, 2020). CommonSensei: Goal Pagoda. Kumite Classic Entertainment. ISBN   9780996163354 – via Google Books.
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