William Viola II (born November 5, 1947) is an

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

instructor, and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

pioneer credited by some as the co-creator of the sport of MMA.Nash, John. “The Martial Chronicles: Before Fighting Was Ultimate It Was Super”. SB Nation Bloody Elbow: 23 May 2012.Kogut, Paul. “Caliguri's MMA history honored at Heinz”. ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'': 23 June 2011. In 1979, he co-founded CV Productions, Inc., the first mixed martial arts company in America and the Tough Guy Contest. His life is the subject of the book '' Godfathers of MMA'' and the film

Tough Guys ''Tough Guys'' is a 1986 American action comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Eli Wallach, Charles Durning, Dana Carvey and Darlanne Fluegel. It is the eighth film of Touchstone Pictures, and the final ...

.Panian, A.J. “Mt. Pleasant Author helps examine mixed martial arts”. Mount Pleasant Journal: 23 January 2014, p. 1.

Early life

Viola was born in

Brownsville, Pennsylvania Brownsville is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, first settled in 1785 as the site of a trading post a few years after the Sullivan Expedition, defeat of the Iroquois enabled a post-Revolutionary war ...

and studied martial arts in the early 1960s while in high school. He continued to study

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...

karate while attending

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (commonly known as PennWest California) is a public university campus in California, Pennsylvania and one of three campuses of Pennsylvania Western University, part of the Pennsylvania State System o ...

, where he graduated in 1969 and was subsequently hired as a science teacher in the

East Allegheny School District The East Allegheny School District is a small, suburban, public school district covering the Boroughs of East McKeesport, Wall and Wilmerding and North Versailles Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses approximate ...

. Viola established his first karate school, Allegheny Shotokan Karate, in 1969 at East Allegheny. He trained and achieved rank from

Robert Trias Robert A. Trias (March 18, 1923 – July 11, 1989) was an American karate pioneer, founding the first karate school in the mainland United States and becoming one of the first known American black belts. He also developed Shuri-ryū karate, an ...

(United States Karate Association), and George Anderson (USA Karate Federation).

Mixed martial arts career

In 1979 Viola co-founded CV Productions, Inc. with his partner Frank Caliguri.Cartey, Richard. “Tough guy Contest: The Real Beginnings of MMA in America”. Fighters Only. 3 (November 2012): 72. In 1980, the company introduced a new sport, the first regulated mixed martial arts competitions in the United States. Viola helped write the first codified set of mixed martial arts rules for mainstream competition and in 1980 created and promoted organized mixed martial arts competition over a decade before the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

.Werner, Sam. “MMA roots were planted in New Kensington”. ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'': 24 June 2011. Viola’s MMA promotions were outlawed by the

Pennsylvania State Legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

in 1983 with the passage of Senate Bill 632, setting the first legal precedent for MMA in the United States.

Honors

In 2003, the USA Karate Federation inducted Viola into the Hall of Fame, honoring him with a lifetime achievement award and naming him Man of the Year. CV Productions Inc.’s mixed martial arts league was honored by the

Heinz History Center The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest history museum in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. Named after U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III (1938–1991) from Pennsy ...

, an affiliate of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. The

Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest history museum in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. Named after U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III (1938–1991) from Pennsy ...

unveiled an exhibit in 2011 to document Viola's mixed martial arts roots. As a result of Viola and Caliguri's developments, Pittsburgh is considered the birthplace of modern mixed martial arts as a sport in the United States. He was the star/subject of the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

documentary

. The City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania named September 23rd 2019 as "Sensei Viola Day" in region to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Allegheny Shotokan Karate. Bill Viola Sr. was recognized with the Illustrious Californian Award (2020) by California University of Pennsylvania Alumni Association.

Personal life

Viola has instructed all five of his children to the rank of black belt:

Bill Viola Jr William "Bill" Viola Jr. (born April 9, 1977) is an international martial arts champion, promoter and author. He is the producer and founder of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based Kumite Classic Entertainment, Kumite Classic.Kelly, Jack (April 16 ...

., Addie Viola, Jacque Viola, Ali Viola, and Joce Viola. In 1999, his son, Bill Viola, Jr., established the Kumite Classic.Schrecongost, Dave (May 22, 2013). “Kumite Classic event is back in Monroeville”. Tribune-Review: 22 May 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viola, Bill Mixed martial arts executives American male karateka Mixed martial arts people 1947 births People from Brownsville, Pennsylvania Living people