Brad Gumm has been training in Martial Arts since the age of eight. He
started his training in Karate, in which he earned his third degree
black belt. Throughout his many years of training in Karate, he felt
that these techniques are not effective in a real street fight or
self-defense situation. With this thought, Brad sought to find a more
effective fighting style.
Brad realized that he needed to learn ground-grappling skills, and knew
that Judo contained some grappling. He began to research Judo schools
and found
Champion Martial Arts
in Littleton, Colorado. Brad began training in both Judo and Japanese
Jiu-Jitsu in 1996. During his Judo training, a close friend introduced
him to the
Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC)
Vale Tudo fighting shows. This was the first time that he had ever seen
the techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As Brad witnessed the extreme
effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, proven in the earliest
UFC’s, he determined that he must learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Unfortunately, at the time there were no reputable instructors in the
Colorado area.
While training at Champion Martial Arts, Brad was asked by his trainer
Bing Tran to start competing in Vale Tudo competitions. In 1996, Brad
began professionally fighting in the sport now known as Mixed Martial
Arts.
IIn 1997, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor named
David Ruiz moved to Colorado from California where he had trained under
Royce Gracie and
Rigan Machado.
Brad began studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the instruction of David
Ruiz at Champion Martial Arts. Brad has been training in Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu since 1997 and currently holds a Brown belt. He has trained
with a variety of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experts including
Mauricio “Tinguinha” Mariano, Helio “Soneca” Moreira, Rigan Machado, John Machado, Roger Machado, and of course his original instructor and close friend,
David Ruiz.
Throughout Brad’s many years as a professional Mixed Martial Arts
fighter, he also studied other equally effective and important forms of
fighting styles. He has studied the important aspects of
wrestling including takedowns and takedown defenses and currently trains wrestling techniques with wrestling expert,
Vern Baca. He has been training in
Muay Thai Kickboxing since 1998 and has trained with a variety of fighters including
Bas Rutten, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, and Oscar Martinez. Brad has been training in Boxing since 2000 under the direction of boxers
Denny Nelson and
Jerome Jackson.
Brad has been a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter since
1996. He fights as a welterweight (170 lbs) and holds a professional
MMA fight record of
22-8-2. Some of Brad’s most notable opponents’ include
Shonie Carter, CJ Fernandes, Brian Dunn, Joe Stevenson, Brad Blackburn, Eric Davilla, and
Antoine Skinner. Brad has fought in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) twice, he is the
Ring of Fire Rocky Mountain Welterweight Champion, the first
Gladiator Challenge Middleweight Champion, and three time
Bas Rutten Invitational Tournament Champion. Brad trains with local professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter
Nate “The Great” Marquardt. He continues his career of professional Mixed Martial Arts fighting, and you can see him in a variety of shows including the
Ring of Fire and the
IFC.
Brad began teaching various forms of mixed martial arts including
Boxing, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in
1994. He currently teaches children from the early age of four to 16
and adults including both men and women.
“It is my goal for each and every student training at
Gumm Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to take home an
educational, disciplined, and physically challenging experience, but
most of all, I want each student to have fun and enjoy the training!
I look forward to training with you.”
Train Hard!
Brad Gumm
