About
NUCA MMA is the first intercollegiate based Mixed Martial Arts Organization that will govern and regulate MMA at the college level in the United States. Through a carefully structured set of rules, added safety features, the exclusion of weight cutting and exclusion of high-impact techniques, NUCA MMA will serve to bridge the gap between amateur and professional MMA, all while providing the opportunity for its athletes to pursue a higher education. Beginning in 2017, NUCA MMA is spearheaded by a team that has great experience in both MMA and collegiate sports, and one that understands the importance of the student in student-athlete. Coach Owen Roddy, who commands great respect in the world of MMA having coached the likes of Conor McGregor to two UFC Championships, has helped construct a set of rules that keeps the essence of MMA intact while focusing on added safety for the collegiate arena. Headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, NUCA MMA is already well on its way to developing a highly structured and professional organization that will transition seamlessly into the collegiate sports arena and provide a wonderful opportunity for aspiring MMA athletes to pursue their sport and their education.
Mission
NUCA MMA’s priority is providing an opportunity for future MMA athletes to pursue their sport and their education simultaneously. By creating a safer environment, free from weight cutting and other more trying aspects of professional MMA, our athletes will be able to focus on developing their fundamental skills while also experiencing the structure of competition and responsibilities and challenges that come with being a student-athlete.
NUCA MMA is hopeful that our organization can play an important part in nurturing the growth of Mixed Martial Arts as it continues to grow in popularity both nationally and internationally.
History
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) encompasses disciplines from various martial arts and Olympic sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, muay thai, taekwondo, wrestling and judo.
MMA is currently one of the fastest growing sports in America, and indeed the world. Over a three year period, MMA for competition experienced a 70% increase in participation, 20% more than Rugby, to 1.3 million people. MMA for fitness meanwhile experienced a 30% increase in participation over the same time to 2.6 million participants.
MMA is becoming increasingly popular at a young age too. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that over 6.5 million young people in America participate in martial arts in the United States with as many as 133,000 as young as 6-10 years old participating in just MMA specifically.
At the professional level MMA has also experienced exponential growth, punctuated by the sale of the The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for over $4 billion in 2017. Many of the UFC's stars began their careers as college wrestlers, excelling academically and professionally. NUCA MMA believes there is strong enough demand both athletically and commercially for the sport of MMA to thrive on college campuses across the Country and we believe our student-athletes will thrive in the classroom too.
Health & Safety
NUCA MMA, through the guidance and expertise of Coach Roddy, has developed a rule set that helps create a safer environment for our MMA athletes to focus on their development, but without losing the essence of what makes MMA so challenging and great. In the interest of enhanced safety, NUCA MMA has focused on several aspects of the sport to make what we believe is an environment amatuer athletes can thrive in. These involve; equipment,weight-cutting, exclusion of high-impact techniques and high quality training.
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