 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports, fitness, martial arts |
| Founded | 1999 [1] [2] |
| Founder | Bill Viola Jr [1] [2] |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, PA [3] |
| Subsidiaries | Allegheny Shotokan Karate [4] |
| Website | kumiteclassic |
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]
“Kumite” is a Japanese word referring to “fighting.” [5] The company's self-titled “Kumite Classic” is an annual series of combat sports tournaments, widely regarded as the mecca of martial arts in the Pittsburgh region. [2] [6] [7]
The Kumite Classic has traditionally featured strongman, powerlifting, body building, fitness, figure, and model competitions. [1] [2] The Kumite Classic showcases traditional and open karate, tae kwon do, tang soo do, kung fu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling tournaments. [8] [3]
Notable martial arts and sports celebrities including Royce Gracie, Franco Harris, Antonio Brown, Lynn Swann, Ice-T and Kurt Angle have appeared at the Kumite Classic. [9] [6] [10] [11] Angle's “Ultimate Teen Challenge,” a strength competition, was launched at the 2005 Kumite Classic and has also expanded to the Arnold Sports Festival. [12] [13] [14]
Kumite Classic Entertainment took ownership of Allegheny Shotokan Karate in 2016. [15]
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]
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]
Karate (空手), also karate-do, is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While, modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
Frank William Dux is a Canadian-American martial artist and fight choreographer. According to Dux, a ninjutsu expert named Senzo Tanaka trained him as a ninja when he was a teenager. He established his own school of ninjutsu called Dux Ryu Ninjutsu, and has said he won a secret martial arts tournament called the Kumite in 1975. His alleged victory at the Kumite served as the inspiration for the 1988 film Bloodsport starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dux's victory at the Kumite has been disputed, as has the existence of both the Kumite he described and Senzo Tanaka.
Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts film directed by Newt Arnold. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, with a supporting cast of Leah Ayres, Forest Whitaker, Donald Gibb, Roy Chiao, and Bolo Yeung. The film centers on Frank Dux, a United States Army Captain and ninjutsu practitioner who competes in an underground full-contact martial arts tournament called the Kumite in Hong Kong. Based on Dux's real-life claims, the film was marketed as a true story. It was one of Van Damme's first lead roles and showcased his abilities, launching his career as a mainstream action star.
William Wayne Blanks is an American actor, martial artist and fitness personality. He was a nationally ranked competitor in semi-contact and point karate during the 1980s, winning a bronze medal at the 1981 World Games, before creating the Tae Bo exercise program.
Taimak Guarriello, known mononymously as Taimak, is an American actor, martial artist and stuntman, known for his lead role as Leroy Green in the 1985 martial arts film The Last Dragon.
Daniel DeWayne Severn, nicknamed "the Beast", is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed martial arts and the first true world-class wrestler to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is best known for his success in the early years of the UFC where he became the first UFC Triple Crown champion in history by winning the UFC 5 tournament, Ultimate Ultimate 1995, and UFC Superfight Championship. Severn has also competed in King of the Cage, PRIDE FC, Cage Rage, WEC, RINGS and MFC, and holds a professional MMA Record of 101–19–7.
Becky Levi is an American female mixed martial artist.
Fight Network is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The network broadcasts programming related to combat sports, including mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, and professional wrestling.
CV Productions, Inc., is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based mixed martial arts company, founded in 1979. It is considered the first MMA based company in the United States and responsible for creating the blueprint for modern mixed martial arts competition. The company promoted the first regulated league of mixed martial arts style competitions beginning in 1980 with the intention of creating a new mainstream sport. The league events pitted combatants from all fighting disciplines including boxers, kick boxers, martial artists, wrestlers, grapplers, and all around “tough guys.” Competitors could win by opponent’s submission, knockout or judges' decision. The competitions were promoted as “Anything Goes - striking, throwing, grappling, punching, kicking, ground fighting, and more.” The shows were immediately dubbed by the media as “Organized, Legalized, Street Fighting,” a phrase coined by KDKA TV's Dave Durian.
William Viola II is an entrepreneur, martial arts instructor, and mixed martial arts pioneer credited by some as the co-creator of the sport of MMA. In 1979, he co-founded CV Productions, Inc., the first mixed martial arts company in America and the Tough Guy Contest. His life is the subject of the book Godfathers of MMA and the film Tough Guys.
Tapout Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures sports clothing, casual apparel, and accessories headquartered in Grand Terrace, California. It was the largest distributor of MMA merchandise in the world by 2007, and became one of the dominant brands in activewear and fitness culture.
William "Bill" Viola Jr. is an international martial arts champion, promoter and author. He is the producer and founder of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based Kumite Classic.
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 632, often referred to as the Tough Guy Law, became a legislative act that outlawed the sport of mixed martial arts. The Tough Guy Law was the first legal precedent for MMA in the United States, approved November 3, 1983.
The Tough Guy Contest, founded in 1979 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by CV Productions, Inc., introduced regulated mixed martial arts competition in the United States and established the first MMA league.
Allegheny Shotokan Karate is a Western Pennsylvania-based martial arts school established in 1969 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The dojo was founded by Bill Viola Sr., who the Heinz History Center references as a co-creator of the modern sport of mixed martial arts. The school is currently located in Irwin, Pennsylvania, North Huntingdon Township and operates under the name "Viola Karate."
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the United States. Mixed martial arts largely developed in the 1990s, and has achieved popularity in the early 21st century. Many companies promote MMA cards, with the U.S. based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) the most dominant.
Tough Guys is a 2017 documentary film that explores the development of mixed martial arts as a mainstream sporting event in the United States from 1979-1983. The principal characters are Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri, who founded CV Productions together. The film made its debut at the AFI Film Festival of 2017. Its first network television showing premiered on Showtime, September 15, 2017. Filming took place at 18 locations throughout Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida including Allegheny Shotokan Karate and Denny's restaurant.
The International Sports Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is a section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2012 by Dr. Robert M. Goldman to honor exceptional athletes and sporting figures for their accomplishments and dedication to furthering the fields of sports and physical culture.
Tough Guys is non-fiction mixed martial arts book inspired by CV Productions Inc., and the Tough Guy Contest. The book was written by Bill Viola Jr., and Dr. Fred Adams and published by Kumite Classic Entertainment in 2017. It was the basis for the 2017 film Tough Guys which made its network television debut on Showtime.