Est. mid-1980s Primary owners Javier Mendez | Founded by Javier Mendez | |
Primary trainers Javier Mendez
Bob Cook
Leandro Vieira Current titleholders Daniel Cormier (UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
Jon Fitch (WSOF Welterweight Champion)
Daniel Puder (WWE's $1,000,000 Tough Enough Champion) Prominent fighters Cain Velasquez
Gray Maynard
Mike Swick
Josh Thomson
Daniel Cormier
Luke Rockhold
Todd Duffee
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Bethe Correia
Daniel Puder | ||
The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) is a martial arts gym Based in San Jose, California. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts (MMA). AKA headquarters is located in South San Jose. In 2014 AKA opened 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, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Wrestling and Boxing classes are taught. Additional programs include conditioning and circuit training with TRX Suspension and Combat Circuit. American Kickboxing Academy is one of the top professional MMA training camps.
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Dispute with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
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. 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 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.
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.