12 Sports Martial Artist Who Have Set the Bar for Future Generations

Martial arts date back to a time of invading armies, feuding lords, and marauding warriors. Many of the great martial artists from that era are long forgotten, but a few rose above their peers. The list of true martial artists goes on and on, from Bruce Lee to Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and even Jean-Claude Van Damme. Those were the legendary heroes who gained popularity because of their commendable moves, brave stunts, and acrobatic fighting styles. But with the increasing popularity of MMA, UFC, and the rise of Sport Martial Arts, it’s hard to keep up with the most notable athletes of this decade.

We’ve put together an iconic list of Sport Martial Artists that are not only currently pushing the sport to the next level, but who are also having an impact far beyond the ring. First on the list in a competitor that need no introduction unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 15 years.

Jackson Rudolph — @jacksonrudolph1

Jackson Rudolph, a 64-time world champion, has trained over 16 years in martial arts and is a certified instructor of Tae Kwon Do. His style of training is an integrated approach to developing true martial arts combat skills. There has been a recent resurgence of interest in the long combination of weapon tricks in America, and Jackson Rudolph is known for performing these exceptional tricks and bo staff routine.

He is also featured in Black Belt magazine Hall of Fame and has founded The Flow Weapon Training System to teach modern weaponry tricks all over the world. His success is not limited to the ring; he also holds a degree in human biology and is currently a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army pursuing his career as a surgeon. We just hope that he won’t perform his tricks on homo sapiens.

Sammy Smith — @queen_of_chux

Samantha Smith also goes as Sammy Smith, is a charismatic martial artist known for her appearance in Nickelodeon’s famous series and different short films. She started practicing martial arts when she was 4 years old and pursued it as her passion and life goal. She began training in Kenpo Karate, one of the most popular forms of kung fu, and eventually earned the Black belt after countless hours of training, sweat and blood.

Samantha Smith’s training led her to compete on the international stage, and she won eight gold medals in martial arts within 2 years. In 2011, she started practicing Taekwondo and won a third-degree black belt. Today Samantha Smith is an instructor and representor at Team Paul Mitchell Karate.

Besides martial arts, she is remarkably talented and appeared on national TV on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Not only is she an outstanding artist, but she also holds a national certification in sports nutrition and a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and is a co-founder of the pre-professional club. She is truly an inspiration for the young generation.

Haley Glass — @haleyglass03

Haley “Bulletproof” Glass is an 18-year-old martial artist from Orlando who has been practicing Shotokan Karate, Taekwondo & Jiu-Jitsu for many years. Growing up as a tomboy, Haley was always interested in sports and learning new skills. Her interest in martial arts started when she was just 11 years old and trained in both karate and Taekwondo.

Today, Haley is one of the top martial artists in Orlando. She is the first female fighter to be awarded the prestigious “ISKA World Champion” and “Grand Champion” of all five divisions of Florida. She has also been featured on America’s Got Talent and landed a role in the film “Logan”.

Mason Stowell — @mason_stowell

Mason Stowell is an American martial artist who has taken part in almost 6 leagues. He has been training since the age of 4, with over 13 years of experience in the martial arts. He started as an Extreme Martial Artist, and then after a short period of time, he transitioned to martial arts flips. He was ranked #17 in the Olympics game and has won medals in Warrior cups and ISKA open Championship. Mason Stowell is known for his aggressive fighting style and his ability to adapt to any situation in the cage. Besides martial arts, he has an ambitious person who wants to become a commercial pilot one day.

Jake Presley — @jakepresley01

With 13 years of experience, Jake Presley is one of the most dominant junior competitors who has been training continuously for over 5 years. He joined the adult sports division in 2021, and till now, he has won almost 4 major karate tournaments and took all the prestigious titles like AKA Warrior cup, Irish Open, the US open, and Diamond Nationals to home.

He performs incredibly fast weapon forms in martial arts with his teammate Jackson Rudolph and has consecutively won ISKA open championship. He also has involvement in the film industry and performed the role of Accountant in a movie. This young stunner wants to become a stunt performer and wants to have a successful career as an actor.

Danny Etkin — @dannyetkin

Martial arts are part of Danny Etkin’s life. He trained in extreme forms and weapons for over 16 years and pride himself as a nunchaku specialist. He has taken part in various martial arts competitions and won almost 9 IKSA open titles in a period of 16 years. Aside from physically practicing martial arts, he is also endorsing 2 signature lines of weapons by Century Martial arts and Adrenaline Worldwide Pro Athletes. He also creates digital content for young martial artists, and soon he will be stepping foot in the corporate world after completing his degree in business.

Gabrielle Dunn — @gabriellekarate

Gabrielle Dunn is a Connecticut-born martial artist and bo stunt performer. She has been doing martial arts since she was three years old and held a first degree in Goju Ryu Karate and a second degree in Tae Kwon Do. Her expertise ranges from weapons to multiple forms of martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo, Wushu, Kickboxing, and more.

Gabrielle Dunn has also appeared on national and international television, featuring in Good Morning America and AKA sideswipe. She has worked in two music videos and as a voice-over martial instruction of kickboxing. Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication disorder and science, Gabrielle wants to become a speech pathologist. She is a multi-talented person and often volunteers for terminally ill children. From all her success, it seems like this girl is not going to slow down anytime soon in the future!

Bailey Murphy — @w.baileymurphy

Bailey Murphy is a professional sports martial artist who has been training and performing various tricks for 14 years. He is an active competitor of the sport kickboxing, which uses stand-up striking along with other elements such as grappling and submissions. He competes in multiple competitions throughout the year and has attained several victories.

Bailey’s accomplishments include winning fights at both the regional and national levels, including multiple wins at the US Open Championships. He has been awarded 8 NASKA titles and has been the youngest fighter to take part in Diamond National and winning both junior and adult WAKO championships. He is also an active representor of Team Straight up.

Rashad Eugene — @rashad_eugene96

Rashad Eugene was born on the 7th of January 1997 in Miami. Rashad has been interested in combat sports since he was a small boy. He is the first prolific martial artist who completed the triple bo staff routine and earned a large fan base for his eccentric fighting style.

This talented fighter is popularly known as “Black Mamba” for his charismatic style of fighting. He actively performs snake-like hook kicks and front flipping in the rink to tackle his opponents. Today, he trains many young artists at Damian Rodriguez’s Millennium Martial Arts Academy in Hialeah, Florida Damian Rodriguez’s Millennium Martial Arts Academy in Hialeah, Florida. Not only is he well recognized for his martial art skills, but this real artist also has a creative mind and love shoe painting and styling.

Morgan Plowden — @missplowden

Morgan Plowden is a dedicated martial artist who has been training in the art of Taekwondo and Hapkido for over 24 years. Daughter of famous Richard Plowden, Morgan has trained under some of the best instructors in the nation and performs expert-level kicking techniques along with world-class blitzes.

She has won tons of prestigious awards, including 12 WKC championships, 3 ISKA US World Championships, and five warrior cups. She is now a certified instructor herself and conducts various martial arts seminars. What actually impressed us is her master’s degree in health services administration that paved her way to success in the corporate world!

Avery Plowden — @richplow

Avery Plowden is a professional martial artist and instructor with over twenty-two years of experience. He started his training under the guidance of his father, Richard Plowden, but that didn’t stop him from training with many different martial arts schools and instructors.

He has trained in multiple styles, including Tae Kwon Do and point fighting, and holds 12 world championship titles and a diamond ring from winning Diamond National. When he’s not training, he’s probably handling some cases as he is an attorney at a large firm in Detroit. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to train young artists in seminars.

Kevin Walker — @kswiftatl

Kevin Walker has been tearing up the fighting circuit for years and is a recognized expert in the Martial Arts field as well as giving private lessons and seminars. Kevin has trained with some of the unrivalled trainers in the world, like Tony Young, and currently holds fourth-degree black belts in different martial arts disciplines.

In 22 years of practice, he has won numerous prestigious titles, including Warrior cups and two diamond rings from Diamond National. Not only does he compete at the international level, but he has also taken part in various regional competitions and has set a record to take the champion title home. The charismatic fighter is also pursuing a career as a financial investor.

We would be amiss if we didn’t throw out a couple of younger names forging their way up the vast ranks. Here are just a couple young competitors that are coming on strong on the NASKA and PROMAC circuits.

Bailey Scott — @thekaratebailey

Bailey Scott started her martial arts career 4 short years ago in Destin, Florida. In the last 4 years, she has competed in many tournaments on the PROMAC and NASKA Circuits, winning 6 divisions in PROMAC and 2 World Championships in NASKA in 2021 and a recent ADIDAS Sponsorship.

Madalynn Wiersma — @karatemaddie

Don’t let Madalynn’s tiny stature fool you, when she is competing on the mat, she is a ferocious competitor. Her list of wins in the PROMAC and NASKA circuits could almost rival anyone on this list.

Takeaway

The above-mentioned martial artists are a boon to their respective sport and the fans. They show the world of sport that you can achieve excellence and inspiration regardless of your income, experience or background. Their success has inspired young people around the world to also achieve greatness, despite society limiting them!