John Lewis is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 former 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...

 champion, UFC veteran, and a popular MMA/martial arts instructor considered a legend throughout the mixed martial arts world. As a coach he has trained 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...

 World Champions Chuck Liddell

Chuck Liddell

Charles David "Chuck" Liddell is a retired American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion. Liddell has an extensive striking background in Kempo, Koei-Kan karate and kickboxing, as well as a grappling background in collegiate wrestling.As of his...

 (over 10 years), Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz

Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...

 (through winning his first title), Randy Couture

Randy Couture

Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

, Kevin Randleman

Kevin Randleman

Kevin Christopher Randleman is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter and a former UFC heavyweight champion. Randleman's background is in Collegiate wrestling. Wrestling at 177 pounds, Randleman was a two time Division I NCAA Champion for The Ohio State University...

, Matt Lindland

Matt Lindland

Matthew James Lindland is an American mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for the Oregon House of Representatives, District 52 seat on May 20, 2008....

, Egan Inoue

Egan Inoue

Egan Inoue is an American multi-sport athlete. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist who has competed internationally in Jiu-Jitsu and also MMA. He is also a racquetball player who has won two world championships....

, Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue is a Japanese American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 12-8-0. He is a former Shooto Heavyweight Champion. He had also previously fought in Pride Fighting Championships, the biggest mixed martial arts organization at the time...

, Frank Trigg

Frank Trigg

Dewey Franklin Trigg III is an American mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler and co-host of MMAWeekly radio show and TAGG radio show...

, Pat Smith

Pat Smith

Pat Smith is a former collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State University and a former assistant coach at OSU. During his collegiate wrestling career, he became the first four-time NCAA wrestling champion in the sports history, a feat only equalled one other time by Cael Sanderson. Smith resigned...

, Rico Rodriguez

Rico Rodriguez

Rico Rodriguez MBE , also known as Reco or El Reco, is a ska and reggae trombonist. He has recorded with many producers, including Karl Pitterson, Prince Buster, and Lloyd 'Matador' Daley...

, Gilbert Yvel

Gilbert Yvel

Gilbert Ramon Yvel is a Dutch heavyweight mixed martial artist associated with the Vos Gym training camp in the Netherlands. He has competed in the Pride Fighting Championships, Affliction Entertainment and Ultimate Fighting Championship promotions...

 and BJ Penn to name a few. As a fighter he has defeated renowned fighters like Japanese legend Rumina Sato

Rumina Sato

is a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Shooto organization. Being the first mixed martial artist to beat a black belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter by a submission, Sato is considered by many to be an exciting shoot wrestling-based fighter in MMA and has been nicknamed...

 and Brazilian MMA champion Johil De Oliviera plus he battled Carlson Gracie Jr to a draw. He was also in the first 2 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship is a competition involving professional athletes who have been successful at the highest levels of jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo, sambo, shooto and mixed martial arts...

 events Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...

.

Early life

Lewis is a highly decorated martial artist as a 4th degree black belt in 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...

 under Nova Uniao founder Andre Pedeneiras, 2nd degree black in Sho Kon Do (Japanese Kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

) under founder Dan Koji, 1st degree black belt under "Judo" Gene LeBell

Gene LeBell

Ivan Gene LeBell is a former American Judo champion, instructor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and professional wrestler born in Los Angeles, California. LeBell has worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows, and has authored a number of books.In 2000, he was promoted to 9th Dan in US Ju-Jitsu...

, and a 1st degree black belt in Japanese Ju-Jitsu under Sensei Porter. He is also well versed in many other martial arts. Lewis was the 4th American in the entire world to receive a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the 1st student to receive a black belt from Gene LeBell that trained under him from white belt to black belt.

Mixed Martial Arts career

Lewis is credited with being one of the legends of MMA that set the pace for the athletes of today defeating world renown fighters like Japanese legend Rumina Sato and Brazilian MMA champion Johil De Oliviera. A career highlight was in Extreme Fighting 1 where he was the first person to go toe-to-toe with a Gracie in his match against Carlson Gracie Jr. During this era there were no judges so the result ended officially in a draw. Having fought all over the world in major events like Vale Tudo

Vale tudo

Vale tudo are full-contact unarmed combat events, with a limited number of rules, that became popular in Brazil during the 20th century. Vale tudo has been considered a combat sport by some observers...

 Japan series, the Extreme Fighting series, multiple UFC events, and more he is truly an icon in the sport and respected by fighters and fans worldwide. He was also in the first 2 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship events.

MMA instruction

Before their interest in purchasing the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Lewis' friend 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 :...

 approached him with the Fertitta's at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

 and asked John to train he as well as the Lorenzo Fertitta

Lorenzo Fertitta

Lorenzo Joseph Fertitta is an American businessman, casino executive, sports promoter and entrepreneur. Fertitta resides in Las Vegas with his wife Teresa and three children.- Education :...

 and Frank Fertitta in MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He taught the three gentlemen private lessons for a few years eventually resulting in their interest to purchase the UFC brand from SEG Sports. Through Mr. Lewis they would meet great MMA fighters like Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, BJ Penn, 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...

, and many others. John Lewis was also the first fighter that Dana White managed before the purchase of the UFC and John Lewis would be responsible for bringing Mr. White, Chuck Liddell, and Tito Ortiz to add to his management roster.

Black Belts Under John Lewis include:

• Steve Silva
• Marc Laimon
• Egan Inoue
  Egan Inoue
  Egan Inoue is an American multi-sport athlete. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist who has competed internationally in Jiu-Jitsu and also MMA. He is also a racquetball player who has won two world championships....
  
  
• Enson Inoue
  Enson Inoue
  Enson Inoue is a Japanese American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 12-8-0. He is a former Shooto Heavyweight Champion. He had also previously fought in Pride Fighting Championships, the biggest mixed martial arts organization at the time...
  
  
• Gazzy Parmon
• Bobby Mrkulic
• Ranson Kepa Shepherd