While the transition to fighting came easy for Jake Shields, his road to the top of the sport was anything but. For over ten years, Jake fought around the world in various mixed martial arts promotions and competed in hundreds of grappling tournaments, before finally signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

While he has dealt with an immense amount of adversity to get to this level of the sport - being broke, not having insurance, and raising a daughter as a single father - he has attributed his ability to succeed and overcome these obstacles to the strength and loyalty of his team around him.

It is commonplace in mixed martial arts for fighters to switch gyms and change affiliations between fight camps, but Shields and his teammates at Caesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu have remained devoutly loyal to one and other over the years. The "skrap pack" which consists of Shields, UFC fighters Nick and Nate Diaz, and Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, is arguably the most successful fight team in MMA today.

It took a while for the film to rise to the top of my NetFlix queue but this week I was finally about to watch the inspiring true story of Matt "The Hammer" Hamill.

"The Hammer" reenacts the childhood life of the deaf former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight, all the way up to his college years where he earned three NCAA Wrestling Division III National Championships.

While the film is entirely predictable, the story is heartfelt and makes you root for the underdog.

Chances are pretty good that if your teen is having issues in school, lack of self-esteem and choosing not to make the best choices in life, he or she needs a change.

This isn't something that you can simply put a band-aid on and it will go away. Any jiu jitsu coach understands teens behave certain ways for a reason, and sometimes they just need some neutral ground where they can have a clean start.

If you’re like many others and struggling to find a great fitness program that’s challenging and keeps you motivated for the long run, then you may be missing something from your regime. Simply going to the gym day in and day out doing the treadmill and elliptical or taking spinning classes and lifting weights may keep you coming back for a while, but you may soon tire of the same routine and give up!

If you’re looking for a program that gives you health benefits and is great for any age and sex, then you may want to consider an Indianapolis BJJ coach to get you on the right track. You should keep in mind that regardless of your age or fitness level, you can achieve a total body workout with Jiu Jitsu. Even if you’ve been going to the gym for years and using the equipment, you can still find the sport to be challenging and completely worth it once you’ve been doing it for a while.

Even if you’re not looking for the overall body tone, you may want to consider Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for other reasons such as self defense and greater confidence. Many of us will find ourselves in scary positions every now and then, and it’s important that we know how to protect ourselves and get out of trouble fast.

"She's a good girl, loves her mama. Loves Jesus, and America too. She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis, loves horses and her boyfriend too."

She may be too young to be crazy about Elvis, and she certainly does not have a boyfriend, but rocker Tom Petty was right with nearly everything else with Shannon Ihrke, a model and ring girl for Pro Elite MMA who is turning heads in every direction.

As Shannon readied for an afternoon of riding horses with her mother she was able to take some time to talk with US Combat Sports about her past, her future, and how she transitioned from the Marine Corps to modeling. So now you know why the lyrics from "Free Fallin'" fit perfectly.

The amateur stage of the fight game can be considered the foundation of one's development into becoming a complete mixed martial artist. Everything from the choice of gym, training habits, and even proper guidance are all key elements that help determine an individual's fate and whether he will survive to obtain success in the sport.

Ivan Salaverry fighter Rob Larson has had a remarkable journey thus far in his experience as an amateur. Surrounded by a great atmosphere of individuals helping his along his pathway it is no coincidence why he continues to evolve as a mixed martial artist.

In this interview with USCS Reporter Monta Wiley, Larson shares his experience of being an amateur fighter in hope of reaching out to give future hopefuls helpful tips to guide them as they begin their journey into the world of MMA.

For martial arts grappling practitioners it is a common custom for one to be captivated while learning a favorite submission, guard position or throw technique. Although these elements are crucial in developing one's overall game none of these maneuvers can possibly be performed effectively without proper control and gripping.

Widely overlooked and rarely taught, gripping can be considered one of the most important and essential skills to have if you hope to excel as a Judo or Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. It is the first thing you do in a fight that ultimately supports in setting up the stage of how a match will play in one's favor.

Evidence of this concept can be seen from one of the best grip fighters in the game with Jimmy Pedro. By fully perfecting the art of grip fighting it has enabled the four-time Olympian to toss and submit countless opponents in his ascent to the top in the Judo world.

Everything undertaken in life always begins with a starting point. And no matter how big or great something has become, it too once underwent infancy.

November 14, 1914, marked an important and historical day in martial arts history. Recognized as the godfather of jiu-jitsu, Matsuyo Maeda on this day traveled to Brazil on his own personal expedition bringing with him a martial art discipline known as Japanese jiu-jitsu.

This art form would later be developed over time by a group of aspiring Brazilian practitioners into what we know today as Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Setting out on their own quest to establish themselves in the martial arts community is new BJJ Fightwear franchise "1914".

“The board is the opportunity to express yourself,” said Kahan Claxton, owner of Brawler Boards. “What does your board say about you?”

Claxton, a long-time fan of mixed martial arts began snowboarding about seven years ago.  Now the Canadian entrepreneur has taken the love of his two favorite sports, put them in a blender, and what resulted was a new line of snowboards wrapped around the MMA theme.

Claxton launched Brawler Boards in Oct. 2011 but has not looked back since.

The sun rises over the clouds on a bright day and as a competitor awakens from his slumber only one thing lingers on their minds - the battle that awaits them.

To many, fight day is considered the culmination of months of training and self-development geared toward preparing to fight the battle ready adversary that stand in front of them. From the time they awake to their arrival at the arena, it is an event marked by reflection, anticipation, excitement, and sometime nervousness before stepping into the cage.

In this exclusive two-part series US Combat Sports reporter Monta Wiley talks with Jeff Rexroad, JJ Ambrose, Mark Holst, and Conor Heun about what goes through their mind during the hours leading up to battle.