The Most Famous

MARTIAL ARTS from United States

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This page contains a list of the greatest American Martial Arts. The pantheon dataset contains 179 Martial Arts, 64 of which were born in United States. This makes United States the birth place of the most number of Martial Arts.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Martial Arts of all time. This list of famous American Martial Arts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Martial Arts.

Photo of Randy Couture

1. Randy Couture (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 67.71, Randy Couture is the most famous American Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.

Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, an interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, making him a six-time UFC Champion and the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament winner. He is the first of nine fighters to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions. He currently serves as a commentator and analyst for the Professional Fighters League. Couture has competed in a record 16 title fights. He is tied for the record for the most wins in UFC Heavyweight Championship bouts (6) with former UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. He had the most title reigns in the UFC, with six. His last fight with Lyoto Machida marked his 24th fight in the UFC. He is the fourth member of the UFC Hall of Fame. He is one of only 2 over the age of 40 to have won a UFC championship fight, having done so four times. He is one of the few MMA champions to regain a title he had lost, and the only to have done it three times (twice at heavyweight, once at light heavyweight). Couture was an Olympic wrestling alternate and has lived in Corvallis, Oregon throughout much of his career, where he served as an assistant wrestling coach and a strength and conditioning coach for Oregon State University. He established Team Quest with Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson, a training camp for fighters, based out of Gresham, Oregon, and headed by coach Robert Folis. In 2005, he moved to Las Vegas, where he opened his own extensive chain of gyms under the name Xtreme Couture. He partnered with Bas Rutten to open Legends Gym in Hollywood, California. Couture is generally recognized as a clinch and ground-and-pound fighter who uses his wrestling ability to execute take downs, establish top position and successively strike the opponent on the bottom. He has displayed a variety of skills in boxing and catch wrestling. He is the only UFC fighter to win a championship after becoming a Hall-of-Famer and is the oldest champion in MMA history with his title victory over Tim Sylvia at age 43.

Photo of Linda Lee Cadwell

2. Linda Lee Cadwell (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 66.21, Linda Lee Cadwell is the 2nd most famous American Martial Arts.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Linda Claire Emery Lee Cadwell (née Emery; born March 21, 1945) is a retired American teacher and writer, the widow of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee (1940–1973), and the mother of actor Brandon Lee (1965–1993) and actress Shannon Lee (born 1969). She is the author of the Bruce Lee biography Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew, upon which the film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993) is based, as well as the founder, a former trustee of, and an unpaid advisor of the Bruce Lee Foundation.

Photo of Cynthia Rothrock

3. Cynthia Rothrock (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 60.51, Cynthia Rothrock is the 3rd most famous American Martial Arts.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Cynthia Rothrock (born March 8, 1957) is an American martial artist and actress best known for her martial arts films. She holds black belt rankings in seven styles of martial arts and was a high-level competitor in martial arts before becoming an actress. In 2014, she was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, Martial Arts History Museum bestowed Rothrock the official title of The Queen of Martial Arts. Rothrock made her acting debut in the Hong Kong action film Yes, Madam (1985), alongside Michelle Yeoh. She went on to star in several Hong Kong action films, such as Millionaires Express, The Magic Crystal, Righting Wrongs (all 1986), No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987), and The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988). In the 1990s, Rothrock co-starred with Richard Norton in three martial arts films: China O'Brien, China O'Brien II and Lady Dragon (all 1990). She also starred in Martial Law, and its sequel, Martial Law 2: Undercover (both 1991), as well as Tiger Claws (1991), Irresistible Force (1993), Undefeatable, and Fast Getaway II (both 1994).

Photo of Billy Blanks

4. Billy Blanks (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 60.04, Billy Blanks is the 4th most famous American Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

William Wayne Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American actor, martial artist and fitness personality. He was a nationally ranked competitor in semi-contact and point karate during the 1980s, winning a bronze medal at the 1981 World Games, before creating the Tae Bo exercise program.

Photo of Benny Urquidez

5. Benny Urquidez (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 58.23, Benny Urquidez is the 5th most famous American Martial Arts.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Benny Urquidez (born June 20, 1952) is an American former professional kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed "The Jet" and "The Elton John song guy", Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the United States. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974, the year of its inception in the US, frequently fighting in bouts where the rules were ambiguous and contrasts in styles were dramatic. Urquidez is also known for once holding the rare achievement of six world titles in five different weight divisions, and remained largely undefeated in his 27-year career. His only loss came in a Muay Thai match which was shrouded in controversy, as Urquidez had only agreed to a no-decision exhibition, a clause which was ignored when the fight had ended. Between 1974 and 1993, he amassed a documented professional record of 49–1–1 (win-loss-draw) with 35 knockouts and two controversial no-contests, although he is also supposed to have an additional record of 10–0–1 (10 KOs) in undocumented professional fights, making a total of 59–1–2–2 (45 KOs). However, sources vary with Ratings listing Urquidez as 63–0–1, (57 knockouts) and on his own official webpage, Urquidez lists his fight record as 200–0, and says he was 63–0, with 57 knockouts in title defenses. Also, he claims to have been undefeated in the "Adult Black Belt Division" prior to entering full-contact karate. Black Belt magazine voted Urquidez "Competitor of the Year" in 1978. In 2019, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. He has appeared in occasional acting roles, including the Jackie Chan movies Wheels on Meals (1984) and Dragons Forever (1988), and played a hitman in George Armitage's Grosse Pointe Blank (1997).

Photo of Ronda Rousey

6. Ronda Rousey (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 54.22, Ronda Rousey is the 6th most famous American Martial Arts.  Her biography has been translated into 49 different languages.

Ronda Jean Rousey ( ROW-zee; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenure in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo by winning bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Rousey began her mixed martial arts (MMA) career with King of the Cage in 2011. She soon joined Strikeforce, becoming their last Women's Bantamweight Champion until its acquisition by UFC. Rousey was part of the company's first female fight at UFC 157, was their inaugural and first Women's Bantamweight Champion, and held the record for most UFC title defenses (6) by a female, until being surpassed by Valentina Shevchenko in 2022. Rousey retired from MMA in 2016 and was the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. Rousey began a career in professional wrestling in 2018, signing with WWE, and debuted at WrestleMania 34. She won the Raw Women's Championship at that year's SummerSlam, and headlined WWE's only all-women's pay-per-view Evolution, in which she defended the title. Rousey lost the title in the first women's WrestleMania main event at WrestleMania 35. Rousey returned at the 2022 Royal Rumble, winning the women's Royal Rumble match. That year, she would win the SmackDown Women's Championship twice, making her an overall three-time women's world champion in WWE. She became the eighth Women's Triple Crown Champion when she won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Shayna Baszler. Rousey and Baszler also unified the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championships. After leaving WWE in October 2023, she began wrestling on the independent circuit. Rousey is the only woman to be the champion in both the UFC and WWE as well as the only woman to headline a pay-per-view event in both companies. She was voted the best female athlete of all time in a 2015 ESPN fan poll, and Fox Sports described her as "one of the defining athletes of the 21st century." Rousey has also appeared in films, including The Expendables 3 (2014), Furious 7 (2015), and Mile 22 (2018), and published her autobiography, My Fight / Your Fight, in 2015.

Photo of Justin Gaethje

7. Justin Gaethje (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 54.05, Justin Gaethje is the 7th most famous American Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Justin Ray Gaethje (; born November 14, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, he is a former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, and former UFC BMF Champion. Gaethje is the second fighter to win the BMF championship after Jorge Masvidal winning the title at UFC 291. As of April 16, 2024, he is #3 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Photo of Jon Jones

8. Jon Jones (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 52.56, Jon Jones is the 8th most famous American Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2008, Jones was previously the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion from 2011 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2020, as well as the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in 2016. As of November 19, 2024, he is #2 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. He is regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history with his title victory over Maurício Rua at age 23. He holds many UFC records in the light heavyweight division, including the most title defenses, most wins, and longest win streak. During much of his championship reign, Jones has been widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Never stopped nor outscored during his career, Jones's only professional loss is a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill; a result disputed by Hamill and UFC president Dana White. Between 2015 and 2017, Jones was involved in several controversies and lost his title three times as a result of disciplinary action. He was first stripped of his title and removed from the official rankings by the UFC in 2015 after he was arrested on felony hit-and-run charges. His subsequent returns to the UFC in 2016 and 2017 saw him emerge victorious in title bouts against Ovince Saint Preux and Daniel Cormier, but were both cut short by Jones testing positive for banned substances and receiving further suspensions, with the latter reversed to a no contest. After his 2017 suspension was lifted, Jones reclaimed the championship in 2018 by defeating Alexander Gustafsson. He voluntarily vacated the title in 2020 and spent three years away from MMA before returning in 2023 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Ciryl Gane.

Photo of Mark Coleman

9. Mark Coleman (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 52.46, Mark Coleman is the 9th most famous American Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Mark Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride Fighting Championships 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix champion. At UFC 82 Coleman was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Coleman is credited with proving the ability of wrestlers to dominate in the developing sport of mixed martial arts, and with being one of the first in American MMA to use the strategy that he coined ground-and-pound successfully, earning him the moniker, "The Godfather of Ground & Pound". In the sport of wrestling, Coleman was a World Championship runner-up and Pan American Games Gold medalist in 1991, won three Pan American Championships, competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and was an NCAA Division I National Champion for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Photo of Dustin Poirier

10. Dustin Poirier (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 51.82, Dustin Poirier is the 10th most famous American Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Dustin Glenn Poirier (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. Poirier also challenged three times for the UFC Lightweight Championship and once for the BMF title. As of April 16, 2024, he is #4 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

People

Pantheon has 64 people classified as American martial arts born between 1945 and 1994. Of these 64, 62 (96.88%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living American martial arts include Randy Couture, Linda Lee Cadwell, and Cynthia Rothrock. The most famous deceased American martial arts include Kevin Randleman, and Anthony Johnson. As of April 2024, 17 new American martial arts have been added to Pantheon including Eric Esch, Derrick Lewis, and Aljamain Sterling.

Living American Martial Arts

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Deceased American Martial Arts

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Newly Added American Martial Arts (2024)

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