Since its inception, the Kumite Classic quickly earned “disruptor” status by single handily raising the bar for sport martial arts competition in the United States. Viola Jr., a world renown karate sensei and coach, was born into a martial arts family legacy. His father, Bill Viola Sr., pioneered full contact karate in the 1960s, and by 1979 co-created the sport of mixed martial arts, now a multi-billion-dollar industry since popularized by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Promotion was seemingly embedded in Viola Jr.’s DNA, and he set sights on building a larger audience for his niche sport—karate.  After winning the Arnold Classic competition in 1998, Viola Jr. met Arnold Schwarzenegger who inspired him to follow in his footsteps and establish his own version of a multi-sport convention in Pittsburgh. The Arnold Sports Festival is the largest fitness expo in the world, with bodybuilding firmly set at the cornerstone.  The show was electric, but martial arts were just window dressing. Kumite Classic followed a similar blueprint, but instead crowned karate as king of the convention center. By themselves, karate, boxing, wrestling, grappling tae kwon do etc. had seemingly narrow followings (mostly friends and family), but together under one roof, a new genre was born.  Soon Kumite Classic added other fringe sports like breakdancing, arm wrestling, strongman, powerlifting etc. to complement and broaden expo’s reach. The collective power of this new all-inclusive audience brought mainstream recognition to all involved.  The festival atmosphere grew as consumer enthusiasts flocked to visit hundreds of fitness exhibits. The already successful karate tournament transformed into a one-of-a-kind martial arts phenomenon, enhanced by celebrity appearances, interactive challenges, seminars, and contests.  With the right touch of Hollywood pizzazz, the Kumite Classic stage has hosted the Pittsburgh Talent Show, a legendary showcase for aspiring models and entertainers.  Model scouts, film producers, and talent agents discovered. Today, many stars owe their launch to Kumite Classic.