Our
Disciplines
Eight complete martial arts systems under one roof. Every discipline taught by credentialed instructors with verified lineage. Whether you’re starting from zero or sharpening what you already know — there’s a place for you here.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
BJJ is the foundation of modern ground fighting — a system that lets a smaller person control and submit a larger opponent using leverage, position, and technique. Cincinnati MMA Academy teaches BJJ For the Street: every technique filtered through what actually works when the stakes are real.
Gi and NoGi classes run throughout the week. The Advanced Jiujitsu class is invite-only for students ready to operate at a higher level. Open mat gives you time to roll freely and test what you’ve learned.
Claim Your Free Week- BJJ For the Street
- Advanced Jiujitsu (invite only)
- Jean Jacques Machado
- Takedowns, guard, passing, submissions
- Self-defense applications
- Competition preparation
- Open mat training
MMA
MMA at Cincinnati MMA Academy means a complete game — striking, clinching, takedowns, and ground work integrated into a single system. MMA For the Street takes that further: no sport ruleset, no assumptions about the first punch.
Classes cover the full range of transitions — striking to clinch, clinch to takedown, takedown to finish. Cole Sutton, an active MMA fighter, brings current competitive experience directly to the mat.
Claim Your Free Week- Striking combinations and defense
- Clinch work and dirty boxing
- Takedowns and cage/wall work
- Ground-and-pound
- Transitions between all ranges
- MMA For the Street applications
Kids BJJ
The Kids BJJ program is built around three things: real technique, genuine discipline, and an environment where kids actually want to show up. Small class sizes mean coaches know every student by name and by game.
Kids learn Gi and NoGi Jiu-Jitsu in age-appropriate tracks. They develop the physical skills to handle themselves — and the mental habits that carry over into school, sports, and life.
Try a Free Week- Gi and NoGi tracks
- Age-appropriate curriculum — ages 5 to 15
- Small class sizes
- Discipline and confidence as core outcomes
- Competition opportunities available
- Safe, structured, positive environment
JKD
JKD Unlimited is Burton Richardson’s complete fighting system — built on Bruce Lee’s original Jeet Kune Do concepts and refined through decades of real-world testing. Sean Sutton is one of fewer than 50 JKD Unlimited Full Instructors in the world. This is primary-source instruction.
The curriculum covers striking at every range, trapping, clinch entries, and integration with ground fighting. Not a collection of techniques — a framework for adapting to whatever is in front of you.
Claim Your Free Week- JKD Unlimited — Burton Richardson’s system
- Jun Fan JKD Functional Trapping
- Striking at long, medium, and close range
- Trapping and clinch entries
- Integration with grappling
- Advanced JKD class available
Muay Thai
Muay Thai — the art of eight limbs — is the world’s most battle-tested stand-up striking system. Fists, elbows, knees, and kicks, integrated with clinch work that closes the distance and controls the opponent.
Sean Sutton is a certified Muay Thai Kru under the Muay Thai Functional Training System, a curriculum built for real-world application. Classes cover all eight weapons, combinations, clinch entries, and defensive structure.
Claim Your Free Week- Punches, kicks, elbows, knees
- Thai clinch entries and control
- Combination striking and counters
- Defense and head movement
- Functional Training System curriculum
- Integration with MMA and JKD
Kali & Silat
Kali — also known as Arnis or Eskrima — is the national martial art of the Philippines, renowned for a weapons-based approach that translates directly to empty-hand fighting. Battlefield Kali is designed specifically for real-world application: functional, pressure-tested, and stripped of anything that doesn’t work.
Silat For the Street pairs with Kali to build a complete weapons-and-empty-hand system. Sean Sutton holds Battlefield Kali Single Stick Guro and Knife Guro certifications — making Cincinnati MMA Academy one of the very few places in Ohio to train this material at the source.
Claim Your Free Week- Inosanto Lineage Kali and Silat
- Burton Richardson’s Battlefield Kali
- Silat For the Street
- Weapon defenses and disarms
- Entries, destructions, flowing drills
- Real-world threat recognition
- Direct lineage to Burton Richardson
Judo
Judo gives you the ability to take the fight to the ground on your terms — a skill that changes everything in self-defense and grappling competition. Cincinnati MMA Academy’s Judo focuses on functional throwing technique: what works against a resisting opponent.
Sean Sutton holds a Judo Brown Belt under Mikuta Martial Arts — Functional Judo. Classes cover standing throws, trips, and takedowns, with groundwork transitions that connect directly into the BJJ curriculum.
Claim Your Free Week- Standing throws — hip, shoulder, leg
- Trips, sweeps, and foot techniques
- Takedown entries and combinations
- Groundwork transitions to BJJ
- Grip fighting and balance breaking
- Recreational Judo on Saturdays
Kenpo
Kenpo is an American martial art built on rapid-fire combinations, practical self-defense scenarios, and a structured curriculum that develops both skill and awareness. Unlike many striking systems, Kenpo trains specific responses to specific attacks — building instinctive reactions that work under pressure.
At Cincinnati MMA Academy, Kenpo sits alongside the full curriculum as part of a complete system — not isolated, but integrated with the striking, grappling, and weapons work happening in every other class.
Claim Your Free Week- American Kenpo curriculum
- Rapid combination striking
- Self-defense scenarios
- Structured belt progression
- Integration with broader striking system
Aikido
Throws · Joint Locks · Weapons · Mushin Aikido
Aikido is a Japanese martial art built on the principle of redirecting force rather than meeting it — using an attacker’s momentum to control, unbalance, and neutralise. Techniques draw from Jujutsu and Kenjutsu, integrating throws, joint locks, and pins with weapons training in the sword, staff, and knife.
Mushin Aikido is taught at the Premier facility by experienced instructors with specialties in Iaido and Jodo. The curriculum develops body awareness, timing, and the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure — qualities that compound every other discipline on the mat.
Claim Your Free Week- Throwing and projection techniques
- Joint locks and pins
- Weapons — bokken, jo, tanto
- Iaido — drawing and cutting with the sword
- Jodo — short staff
- Blending, redirection, and timing
- Real-world neutralisation principles
Your First Week Is Free.
Pick a discipline. Show up. See if Cincinnati MMA Academy is right for you — no commitment, no contract.
Claim Your Free Week