Friend of LUTA John Hathaway was pictured in yesterdays London Metro paper beside an interesting article about mixed martial art (mma). Read the article below about how mma is becoming increasingly popular in England with rising stars like John Hathaway giving the sport a good rep. Next month we see UFC coming to the UK where both Jason 'Shotgun' Young and John 'Hitman' Hathaway will be fighting.

LUTA’s latest Ambassador, the 2008 European Champion in the absolute division is pictured giving a leg lock masterclass in the pages of this months Fighting Fit magazine. Nilton is originally from the favelas of Sao Paulo where he trained under Rocian Gracie of the famous Gracie family. Now a black belt under Roger Gracie, Nilton runs his own academies in Portugal and the UK. Nilton was instantly supportive of the LUTA link to the Fight for Peace charity as he has often worked in support of young people from similar backgrounds in the past –frequently offering them free Jiu jitsu classes. When Fighting Fit caught up with him in his school in Camden town (London) Nilton chose none other than yours truly to be his demonstration partner (It was an honour – though a slightly painful one!).

While we were chilling out after the shoot Nilton casually mentioned that he was off that afternoon to train with Roger Gracie, Braulio Estima and George St Pierre. Nilton then sent me proof in a photo of the four of them working hard in the gym via his iphone.

More information on LUTA Ambassador Nilton Garcia is available here: http://www.bjjinlondon.com/nilton.html  If you are looking for BJJ in North London, Nilton’s academy would be well worth checking out!

Europe's first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and lifestyle magazine reviews the LUTA story in the July/August edition. Featuring interviews with BJJ legends Roger Gracie, Lucio Rodrigues, Victor Estima and Carlson Gracie Jr.

Jiu Jitsu style wrote " A new favela-based fightwear company is taking the world by storm. LUTA only launched on May 18th but has already caught attention of CNN, the BBC and magazines like Forbes and Sport. It has also been endorsed by elite fighters like former world judo champion Neil Adams, European Muay Thai champion Daniel Sams, Irish Judo champion & martial arts writer Fergus Dullaghan, and Brazilian boxing champion and London 2012 potential Roberto Custodio. Gracie Barra instructor Ebe Ghansah wore a LUTA rash guard and MMA shorts during his recent Guinness World record breaking BJJ class and even actors like Idris Elba (aka Stringer Bell, from The Wire) have taken to the brand. Idris refused to take a fee for the voiceover work of LUTA's forthcoming T.V. advert and has recently even been spotted on youtube wearing a LUTA T-shirt during his kickboxing training.

So why all of the sudden excitement? It seems to be a result of LUTA's favela heritage, its high-performance 'Pro' range and most importantly its social engagement. LUTA is actively trying to reinvest both in martial arts and in poor communities around the world.

Firstly, in terms of martial arts LUTA is now running a monthly seminar series in London with some of the world's leading fighters and strength and conditioning coaches. Participation is completely free and the instructors include some of the fighters listed above. Secondly, LUTA is committed to sharing at least as much of its profits with Fight for Peace, (a global martial arts charity), as it does with its shareholders, via a 50% profit-share scheme.

The charity Fight for Peace (Luta pela Paz in Portugese) was founded in The Complexo da Mare favela in Rio de Janerio eleven years ago by Luke Dowdney MBE, a former British amateur boxer.

Recognising the talent of the young people there but also seeing how limited the opportunities were, he opened a small boxing club. With hard work and dedication this rapidly began to grow into a full-blown academy with education, youth leadership, work-access programs and support services included in the core activities of the charity. Other martial arts besides boxing (such as capoeira and submission wrestling) were gradually introduced and in 2007 Fight for Peace went global, opening its newest academy in North Woolwich, London.

In a recent interview Luke who also founded LUTA clothing, said "I've been training these amazing inspirational young people who refuse to give in and get involved in gangs or violence, regardless of the challenges they face. Some of them are fight champions now; others are at university or on their way to becoming teachers and lawyers, having learned, through boxing and martial arts, the confidence and self-respect necessary to progress. This is the Real Strength that inspires LUTA; it is the spirit of never giving up in the face of adversity, to never stop believing you can be a champion in the ring or in life, whatever the odds."

LUTA Training shorts:

LUTA’s had its first product review in Fighters Only magazine this month. The UK’s leading MMA publication selected LUTA’s Training shorts to review for its Special Brazil edition. 

And their opinion?  

Fighters Only commented, "Born in the favelas of Rio, half the proceeds go to Fight for Peace International, a charity to support future champions in areas of crime and violence, Money well Spent".