Martial Arts Business News
Martial Arts Business News is Martial Arts Professional’s reporting desk: what is actually happening to the business of running a martial arts school, as it happens. Acquisitions and consolidation, the arrival of institutional money in jiu-jitsu and MMA, school-management software and billing platforms, insurance and liability, safeguarding regulation, franchise and licensing activity, and the wider fitness economy that martial arts schools compete inside. We report named companies, dated events and sourced numbers, and we say plainly when something is a claim rather than a fact. The section exists because the trade press for this industry has historically been advice rather than news, and an owner making a five-year decision about a lease, a platform or a programme needs to know what the market is doing, not only what a coach recommends. Reporting is separate from the journal’s commercial relationships; see the editorial policy for how those are disclosed.
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UFC BJJ Opens Bring the UFC Brand to Amateur Jiu-Jitsu: What Academy Owners Need to Know
UFC BJJ has launched open tournaments for amateurs, from first-time white belts to black belts, with youth and masters divisions…
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Boys Are Leaving Youth Sports. A New Aspen Report Says Bad Coaching Is the Top Complaint. Here Is What That Means for Martial Arts Schools.
Regular sports participation among boys aged 6 to 17 fell from 50% in 2013 to 42% in 2024, according to…
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Ali Boxing Revival Act Clears Senate Committee: What It Means for Boxing Gyms, and Why It Does Not Cover MMA
On 16 September 2026 the Senate Commerce Committee approved S. 5188, the Senate version of the Muhammad Ali American Boxing…
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Maryland Extends Combat-Sports Blood Testing Window to 90 Days: What MMA and Kickboxing Gyms Need to Know
From 1 October 2026, Maryland contestants can submit HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C results taken up to 90 days…
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Congress Investigates AAU Child-Safety Failures: What Karate, Taekwondo and Martial Arts School Owners Need to Know
On 7 October 2026 bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee opened an inquiry into the Amateur Athletic…
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Anti-Bullying Programs as Community Outreach: What Martial Arts Schools Can and Cannot Claim
Bully.org and Bully Proof Inc have split their for-profit and nonprofit work. What the research says about anti-bullying assemblies and…
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UFC GYM Is Testing Three Ways to Sell Martial Arts. Independent School Owners Should Pay Attention.
Full-service clubs, a standalone jiu-jitsu studio in Manhattan run on BJJLink, and a packaged 20-week TrainAlta program expanding to 27…
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FTC Settles Premier Martial Arts Franchise Case for $1.85 Million — Some Franchisees Can Walk Away Without Penalty
The FTC says the Premier Martial Arts franchisor and its former franchise sales organization told buyers non-martial artists could run…
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Ontario Legalizes Professional Muay Thai: What the New Rules Mean for Gyms, Fighters and Promoters
From 1 October 2026 the Ontario Athletics Commission sanctions professional Muay Thai, elbows included. What the new ruleset, licence fees,…
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When a Prohibited Technique Causes Catastrophic Injury: The Safety Questions Every BJJ Academy Should Ask
Five weeks after a prohibited slam left black belt Willian "Kabuto" Masuda with a severe cervical injury in Londrina, Brazil,…
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