Sensei Bill Viola Jr. is featured in Martial Arts Success Magazine. He explains “How to Organize a Successful Tournament” in the feature story of the issue. Viola is considered one of the foremost experts on tournament promotion in America.
An interview with the Bill Viola Jr. (Author of Amazon #1 best seller Tough Guys).
Tough Guys (2017) Kumite Classic Press Â
Why and when did you decide to write Godfathers of MMA?
The real story of who invented the sport of MMA in America was in jeopardy of being lost forever. My father and his business partner created a regulated MMA in 1979, and I needed to set the record straight. They deserved credit and I was shocked that all of the history books available were clueless. It began as a passion piece to provide information and morphed into the most the most comprehensive book on early MMA history.
What is the book about?
You get an inside look into the minds and events of the men who âmixedâ the martial arts a decade before the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship.â They created a new sport in the form of the Tough Guys.Â
How did things with the movie get started?
Shortly after the exclusive preview run of Godfathers of MMA, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Robert Zullo stumbled upon the Tough Guys exhibit featured at the Heinz History center. The display recognizes Pittsburgh as the Birthplace of MMA. The display is located right next to Franco Harrisâs immaculate reception and catches a lot of attention.  Zullo explains, âI couldnât believe Iâd never heard about this story. I was enamored with the time, place and machismo of the whole thing. I just had a gut instinct to meet these guys.â  Zullo reached out to his brother Will and childhood friend Craig DiBiase a producer [MinusL] and Director Henry Roosevelt from New York City. Zullo also got his Academy Award winning cousin, Ross Kaufmann, on board. Two years later after 52TB of filming, the Tough Guys Doc was born.
When did the movie start in production?
Production began in the summer of 2015. One of the feature locations was Allegheny Shotokan Karate in North Huntingdon. My favorite location was Ritters Diner which we retrofitted to look like a 1979 Dennys. I played my father in a famous scence where we hashed out the name ‘Tough.’
Was it all filmed in Pittsburgh?
We had 18 locations from Florida to New York but the bulk of the footage and interviews were from Western Pennsylvania (North Huntingdon, New Kensington and Pittsburgh).
How did the name Tough Guys come about?
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Pittsburgh was the epitome of a blue collar âtoughâ city. This sport would be an open call for the âtoughestâ guys on the planet to fight, so Tough Guys was fitting for the era.
Who starred in it?
The documentary stars the men who lived it. We were fortunate to film the original fighters and pioneers. One of the stars was Dave Jones. He trained at my fatherâs dojo and actually worked for North Huntingdon Township as part of a âroad gangâ and laborer. Dave fought in the first fight and won by TKO. He was fearless–I looked up to him as a kid.
Can you tell me about the production process…your role, how production went, any details you can add about the highlights of the movie? I
had the unique experience to wear many hats on the project: the production end, consulting end, and even played a 1979 version of my father in the famous âDennyâs Restaurantâ scene. Since my book was the master outline, I had to on point.
When did the movie premiere?
Initial praise attracted a star studded lineup of executive producers including Academy AwardÂź Nominated Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) and Oscar winning writer Ross Kaufmann (Born in Brothels).  The world premiere of âTough Guysâ took place at the American Film Institute (AFI) Docs on June 15th 2017 at the famous Landmark Theatre in Washington, DC. It was screened the day after the mega Mayweather / McGregor announcement. The film sold out.
And when did it air on Showtime? September 15th
Will it be shown again in the future? It aired all of September and October. Then it will be distributed internationally.
Do you have plans to write anymore books or be involved in any other movies?
After the Showtime debut, my commemorative edition of the book retitled âTough Guysâ. It just hit #1 on the Amazon Best Sellers list for sports today. Itâs received critical acclaim and weâve been getting offers for a screenplay to turn the journey into a major motion picture. That is my ultimate goal. With the right team, I know this could an Oscar worthy drama.
How passionate are you about MMA?
I am most passionate about teaching and sharing my knowledge. Itâs a family legacy. All my siblings are black belts and now I am mentoring my daughter (Gabby) and will have my son William Viola IV who was just born in September on the mat soon.
What, exactly, is MMA?
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) is a sport that combines all disciplines of combats sports (boxing, karate, wrestling, judo etc.) fighting into regulated competition. My father is credited for writing the first legitimate rule book in 1979. The UFC, the sports largest franchise, was sold for 4 billion dollars in 2016. If Pennsylvania didnât outlaw the sport in 1983, my father and Frank would be at the helm of that empire.
How can people get a copy of the book?
The book is available on Amazon. Just google ‘Bill Viola Tough Guys’
Pittsburgh Martial Artist Billy Leader named NBL Diamond Award Winner for Sport Karate “Player of the Year”
The 23rd Sport Karate World Games known internationally as the âSuper Grandsâ was held 26th-31st in Buffalo New York. The tournament is sanctioned by the National Black Belt League (NBL) and Sport Karate International (SKIL) which are responsible for the largest sport karate ranking system and league for black belts in the world. The competition is the equivalent of the Super Bowl for martial arts with over 2000 world class competitors representing North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Europe each year at the Games. The competitor must compete at a series of regional and national events to earn a seed and qualify for the competition, a process similar to NCAA tournaments that is required to secure an invitation.
At the closing ceremonies of the World Games, the NBL Executive Office votes on a series of Hall of Fame categories that represent the entire league. For the first time in Pittsburgh history, a local resident was honored with the NBL Diamond Award âPlayer of the Year.â 21-year-old Billy Leader of North Huntingdon Township was inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame on December 31st 2012 and honored with this prestigious title. Leaderâs coach Sensei Bill Viola Jr explains, âIt is similar to a league MVP type honor, an award for his entire body of work as a competitor. He was in contention with thousands of international competitors worldwide. This is huge, it puts Pittsburgh on the map when it comes to sport karate.â The Norwin Graduate and Penn State Junior has studied martial arts since he was three years old at the Allegheny Shotokan Karate School in Irwin, PA.
Allegheny Shotokan was founded in 1969 and since has produced more World Champions than any other school in the Pittsburgh region. They school as a rich tradition of representing Pennsylvania and the United States at the World Games dating back to the establishment of the league. Serving as captain of the Pittsburgh based all-star Team Kumite Classic, Leader defeated Andres Garcia of Guatemala (the reigning 6-time World Champion) in the Menâs Light Middleweight Continuous Sparring division en route to an appearance on the main stage for the finals. His brother, 19-year-old Dominic Leader, also advanced to the finals to face Hugo Mendoza of Mexico. Leaderâs teammate also includes 20-year old Ali Viola who claimed her 4th continuous sparring World Title by defeating the top international competitors from Canada, Guatemala and Mexico in the finals. Viola had previously become the first female form Pittsburgh to win a World Title in 2006, 2008, and 2009 before winning the Adult title this year.
The Team Kumite Classic Roster also includes a trio of sisters; 14-year-old Bridget Chase, 13-year-old Hope Chase, 11-year old Bess Chase all of Imperial, PA and 17-year-old Connor Burns of North Huntingdon who was inactive due to a torn ACL two weeks prior to the tournament. All of the athletes compete in Black Belt Continuous Sparring, a hybrid of kickboxing which requires high levels of endurance and physical toughness. Coach Viola was very proud of his team stating, âIn all, we qualified six black belts who attended the World Games, and all six placed top three in the World. Its an incredible winning percentage, especially when you consider that our school is the only one in the Pittsburgh area to bring home a World Title. They are a special group of students and Billy [Leader] works harder than any other student I have ever had. Winning player of the year is well deserved.â
Billy Leader holds the NBL Diamond Award for Sport Karate Player of the Year inducted into the National Black Belt League Karate Hall of Fame
A young Bill Viola Jr. circa 1979 already poised to be a karate champion. Allegheny Shotokan Karate Pittsburgh, PA.
Billy Viola ready to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
The Pittsburgh region has produced some of worldâs most legendary fighters, boxers, wrestlers, and martial artists. Pennsylvania is considered the birthplace of modern âsportâ mixed martial arts in the United States (1979). Pittsburgh MMA is dedicated to keeping the storied traditions alive and proving a historical reference for all types of combat and mixed martial arts in the area.
Pittsburgh MMA is an online resource for all styles of fighting including mixed martial arts (freestyle fighting, vale tudo, no holds barred (NHB), cage fighting, ultimate fighting) information, events, fighters, gyms and history. We feature the best in both ground and stand up martial arts including: BJJ Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling, Japanese ju jutsu, full casinomilate.info contact martial arts, karate, judo, boxing, kickboxing, greco-roman wrestling, shoot wrestling, catch wrestling, sambo, tae kwon do, tang soo do, kung fu, thai boxing, muay thai and all areas of combat sports in PA. This website serves the Western Pennsylvania region and Greater Pittsburgh area including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland counties and surrounding areas of Greensburg, Irwin, and North Huntingdon.
