US Martial Arts Association (USMAA)

The United States Martial Arts Association organizes all national tournaments, professional and amateur Dojos, and professional and amateur fighters in the United States of America. It is among the most influential Martial Arts Associations in the world along with the CMAA, JMAA , BMAA. Like other martial arts associations, the USMAA organize and fund national tournaments, professional dojos, and professional fighters.

The types of professional individual tournaments that the USMAA run are divided into two age categories: Senior and Junior.  Senior tournaments are tournaments that are open to all professional fighters over the age 15. Senior tournaments are approved competitions that can give monetary awards and can change the ranking of Japanese professional fighters. Junior Tournaments are competitions that only accept fighters 18 and under. They tend to have more safety rules and regulations. There are currently over 15 million national and international PMAs from the USA.

## Hierarchy

### USMAA Chairman

The USMAA Chairman is the head of operations for all tournaments, individual and team. They answer directly to the Emperor. The Chairman helps discuss national competitive regulations. They can choose to amend certain regulations and change tournament rules, so long they are approved by the Emperor. The Chairman distributes the work to Tournament Organizers. A Chairman is voted through a majority vote by the current Ten Titans and by the Sensei Guild.

### Tournament Organizers (TOs)

TOs help run tournaments. They enforce regulations and can also request meetings for changes from the Master. The bigger the tournament, the more influence a TO has. TOs can also request funding to set new professional tournaments in new locations. Amateur TOs cannot get funding unless they are recognized by the Senior Dan TOs. During tournaments, TOs are expected to maintain security and safety in the tournaments. They can also host multiple side events in tournaments. TOs are usually retired and active fighters who want to make more money and spread their influence.

## Team Championship

The MMA Team Tournament is a Dojo team bracket tournament. The MMA Team Tournament is held after the League season ends. The League season is when all Professional Gyms in the USA will compete in a round robin by traveling to Gymsand hosting their own. The League season is only open to Professional Gyms. The League Season gets many viewers since it is the easiest way to see new fighters shine. The Dojos enter base on their performance during the season and are put in brackets that are split between the west and east divisions of the USA. It is considered the most prestigious title in the USA, despite not affecting individual rankings. This is due to the amount of publicity the Gym receives internationally, increasing awareness and attracting new martial artists. MMA Team Championship winners receive a huge monetary prize at the end from the USMAA.

## MMA Gym

Professional MMA Gyms can register for professional status to get benefits and access to many resources the USMAA provides. This includes real estate space, equipment, and budget expansion.

Professional Gyms also participate during the League season. The League season is the popular fighting season in the USA. Dojos compete in a round robin by traveling to other Gyms and hosting their own tournament. The League season to be split between two divisions: West and East. To be professionally registered a MMA Gym must:

* Have at least 12 active members who can compete
* Pay yearly dues to the USMAA
* Have the legal space to operate a Gym, which meets the health and size regulations
* Managed by a Coach who has passed the Gym management exam and is at least 8th Degree Black according to the Belt Ranking System.
* Register as part of the West or East division

Gyms don't always have to be professionally register, even if they meet the requirements. These are Amateur Gyms, which don't operate as professional ones. They cannot use the benefits of the USMAA, nor can they compete during the League season. However, they do not have to pay dues and can have a many or as little members as possible.

## Tournaments

### Fight Club

Fight Club is the biggest tournament in the USA and one of the five biggest tournaments in the Association of Martial Arts tournament list, serving as an S-Tier. Taking place in September, Fight Club is in New York, NY and is named after the activity of white collar fighting in an unofficial venue. The tournament takes place in a giant abandoned warehouse.

### North American Cup

North American Cup is the name of a recurring major tournament that takes place in China in multiple major cities and locations. These serve as the US's A-Tier tournaments in the AMA ranks. They are mostly filled with the top fighters of North America, but also have some of the largest international participation due to the competitive level. There are five North American Cups that occur every season. The top 16 in the tournament are eligible for a rank change.

### Regionals

Regional Tournaments are small tournaments that open in small cities or big cities. There are at least 250 regional tournaments in the USA, with each state having around three. The top 3 winners have a chance in getting a rank change but this usually applies to lower ranked fighters. Thus, the top 30 fighters rarely do these fights since Regional tournaments don't really affect their rankings. Regional tournaments are open to all fighters to register. Regional tournaments serve as B-Tiers in the AMA tournament list.

## Under Black

Under Black tournaments are competitions that only accept under Black Belt Fighters, according to the official Belt Ranking System. The purpose of these tournaments is to help spur up competition at the early stages of a fighter. They also attempt to balance the fighting level by having non-Black Belts compete only. Under Black are open to all fighters of any age so long as they are not Black Belts. These tournaments do not affect rankings.