American Kickboxing Academy
Encyclopedia
The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) is a martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 gym located in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 (MMA). Prominent trainers include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

 and Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

 master Dave Camarillo, Bob Cook, Derek Yuen, Lynn Schutz, Ted Lucio and Javier Mendez.

Dispute with the Ultimate Fighting Championship

In 2008, the AKA was involved in a brief dispute with Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

 (UFC) President Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...

 over the exclusive license rights for a UFC video game. Members of the AKA who were signed with the UFC, including Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch
Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...

, Christian Wellisch
Christian Wellisch
Christian Wellisch is a Hungarian-American former mixed martial arts fighter. He most recently competed as a light heavyweight in the UFC.-Mixed martial arts career:...

, Josh Koscheck
Josh Koscheck
Josh D. Koscheck is an American mixed martial artist from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, a former collegiate wrestling champion and is currently fighting at welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his debut with the organization on the first season of the reality television show,...

, and Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
Cain Ramirez Velasquez is an American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa...

, refused to sign an exclusive lifetime contract for their video game likenesses 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.

Mixed martial artists

Phil Baroni
Phil Baroni
Philip George Baroni is an American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 14–14–0. Baroni has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he holds a record of 3–7–0. Also he has fought in the PRIDE FC where he holds a record of 4–2–0...

 Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier is an undefeated American mixed martial artist and a former Olympic wrestler. He is currently signed to Strikeforce, fighting in the heavyweight division...

 Richard Crunkilton
Richard Crunkilton
Richard Allen Crunkilton is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division. He defeated Sergio Gomez on March 26, 2008 at WEC 33. He was scheduled to face Donald Cerrone at WEC 34, but was forced off the card with an injury. Crunkilton was forced to withdraw from his...

 Kelly Dullanty Mark Ellis
Mark Ellis
Mark Ellis is the name of:* Mark Ellis , Canadian actor* Mark Ellis , Major League Baseball player* Mark Ellis , English footballer who played for Bradford City...

 Billy Evangelista
Billy Evangelista
Billy Evangelista is an American mixed martial artist who has fought for World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce in his career. His most notable wins are over former UFC fighters Luke Caudillo, Jorge Gurgel and current UFC fighter Nam Phan.-Early career:...

 Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch
Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...

 Kyle Kingsbury
Kyle Kingsbury
Kyle Loren Kingsbury is an American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. Currently, Kyle is signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championships , fighting in their light heavyweight division.- Early life :Kingsbury attended Monta...

 Josh Koscheck
Josh Koscheck
Josh D. Koscheck is an American mixed martial artist from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, a former collegiate wrestling champion and is currently fighting at welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his debut with the organization on the first season of the reality television show,...

 Mike Kyle
Mike Kyle
Mike Kyle is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a light heavyweight and heavyweight. He fights primarily for Strikeforce and King of the Cage. He is the King of the Cage Light Heavyweight champion...

 Muhammed Lawal
Muhammed Lawal
|-| Win|align=center| 8–1| Roger Gracie| KO | Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov| |align=center| 1|align=center| 4:37|Cincinnati, Ohio, United States|||-| Loss|align=center| 7–1| Rafael Cavalcante| TKO...

 Cung Le
Cung Le
Cung Le is a Vietnamese-American Sanshou kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and actor from Saigon, Vietnam currently competing in the UFC. He is the former IKF Light Heavyweight San Shou World Champion and has a professional San Shou record of 16-0 before moving to mixed martial arts...

 Gray Maynard
Gray Maynard
Bradley Gray Maynard is an American amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist, who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has recorded one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history, at 9 seconds against Joe Veres. He is the only fighter to hold a win over current...

 Nate Moore
Nate Moore
Nate Moore is an American mixed martial artist and Amateur wrestler.-Mixed martial arts career:Moore fights out of American Kickboxing Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is currently signed with the Strikeforce promotion...

 Wayne Phillips Trevor Prangley
Trevor Prangley
Trevor Prangley is a South African mixed martial artist who currently fights for Strikeforce. He has previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and competes in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions...

 Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold is an American mixed martial artist. He is the current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.Rockhold holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Dave Camarillo.-Early Life:...

 Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Frank Shamrock is a retired mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion...

 Bobby Southworth
Bobby Southworth
Bobby Southworth is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He fights as a light heavyweight. He has also fought in PRIDE FC and appeared on Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter...

 Mike Swick
Mike Swick
Mike Swick is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight....

 Josh Thomson
Josh Thomson
Joshua Joseph Thomson is an American mixed martial arts fighter training with American Kickboxing Academy. He has fought in Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships and America's UFC, as well as Strikeforce and the World Fighting Alliance. Thomson is a former Strikeforce World Lightweight Champion...

 Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
Cain Ramirez Velasquez is an American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa...

 Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...

 Justin Wilcox
Justin Wilcox
.Justin Wilcox is an American mixed martial artist from San Jose, California.He is a former professional bodybuilder and a former NCAA Division I wrestler who first began competing as a welterweight...

 Marius Žaromskis
Marius Žaromskis
Marius Žaromskis is a Lithuanian welterweight mixed martial artist. After fighting the majority of his career for British promotion Cage Rage, he signed with DREAM in 2009 and then, later that year, with Strikeforce. With DREAM, Žaromskis won their 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix and became their...

  • Reese Brown
  • Davin Clark
  • Ron Keslar
  • Jeremy Anderson
  • Dave Velasquez
  • Pat Minihan
  • Josh Ferrari
  • Eric Duus
  • Nathan James

Additional fighters who have temporarily trained at AKA include Andrei Arlovski
Andrei Arlovski
Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...

, Paul Buentello
Paul Buentello
|-| Loss|align=center| 29–14| Cole Konrad| Decision | Bellator 48| |align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States| Non-title bout.|-| Win|align=center| 29–13| Kerry Schall| Decision...

, Phil Davis
Phil Davis
Philip Davis is an English film actor, writer and director who has appeared in many films and television series. He has written and directed various dramas during his career.-Personal life:...

, Tony DeSouza,
Takanori Gomi
Takanori Gomi
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...

, Akihiro Gono
Akihiro Gono
is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently fights as a welterweight. He is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. His fighting style is characterized by skillfully avoiding strikes, using fast counter punches and generally getting the...

, Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson (fighter)
Anthony Kewoa Johnson is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Amateur wrestling:...

, Bobby Lashley, Brock Larson
Brock Larson
Brock Orville Larson is an American mixed martial artist from Brainerd, Minnesota. He most recently competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Larson also competed in World Extreme Cagefighting, before it discontinued its welterweight division, and on the...

, Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk
Sean Keith Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for the UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of thirty-six wins, four losses and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion...

, Jake Shields
Jake Shields
Jake Shields is an American mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the welterweight division of the UFC. He is the last Rumble on the Rock 175 lb champion. He is the first and last Elite XC Welterweight Champion. He is also the former Shooto Middleweight Champion and is the former...

, George Sotiropoulos
George Sotiropoulos
George Sotiropoulos is an Australian mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the UFC in the lightweight division. He is well known for appearing as a fighter on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Serra...

, Ronaldo Souza, Todd Duffee
Todd Duffee
Todd Duffee is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division. Duffee fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship until his surprise release in September 2010, which came as a result of an apparent dispute with UFC President Dana White.-Background:Duffee was born in...

, and Brandon Vera
Brandon Vera
Brandon Michael Vera is an American mixed martial artist. He competes as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the winner of the WEC 13 Heavyweight Tournament and currently resides in San Diego, California. He holds notable victories over Frank Mir, Assuerio Silva,...

.

Kickboxers

Dan Ash Shane Bolin Gabriel Carrasco Travis Johnson
Travis Johnson
Travis Johnson is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

 Gary Owens
Gary Owens
Gary Owens is an American disc jockey and voice actor. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offers deadpan recitations of total nonsense, which he frequently demonstrated as the announcer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Owens is equally proficient in straight or silly assignments and is...


External links

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