Combattants MMA — Piranha Grappling Team

American mixed martial art executive

Art Davie is a business executive and entrepreneur formerly active in Southern California advertising circles. In 1993, he created and co-produced the tournament which became the televised Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 1998, Davie, as vice-president of K-1 USA, brought the successful K-1 kickboxing franchise from Japan to Las Vegas and North American pay-per-view television. In 2003, Davie was an executive producer with Mandalay Sports Entertainment. In 2006, he became vice-president of television at Paradigm Entertainment Group. In 2014, Ascend Books published Davie's autobiography and memoir entitled, Is This Legal?: The Inside Story of the First UFC from the Man Who Created It named after a rejected offer from martial artist Chuck Norris, who asked if the UFC would be deemed legal. Sean Wheelock assisted in the book's research and writing.