A Northeast Fighting Formula

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Tiger Schulmann was an element of mixed martial arts well before the acronym was a part of sports lexicon. Yet the multi-discipline martial artist’s name in the industry has risen to prominence just recently, as the products of his franchise make serious noise at the highest levels of MMA.

In the northeast United States, Schulmann’s name is familiar to many martial arts fans. Since the 1990s, youngsters from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania have trained at schools bearing the Pennsylvania native’s name. Some of those long-time students have gone on to showcase what he calls “the formula” on the biggest stage in combat sports -- the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Men like Jimmie Rivera, Louis Gaudinot, Julio Arce, Shane Burgos, Lyman Good, Mike Trizano and more have carried the Schulmann flag proudly into their Octagon visits. Yet, forming a full-fledged MMA gym was never the plan. Even now, it still isn’t, despite the Tiger Schulmann headquarters serving as ground zero for a plethora of the UFC’s best and brightest. It is something that has sort of, just happened.

“We always had a bigger facility for our headquarters, and the purpose was not for fighters. It’s still not for fighters,” Schulmann told Sherdog. “It’s home base for all of our instructors. We have 44 locations and all of our instructors come here to train. So, they train their skills and keep improving. That’s what it’s meant for, and then we also have people come in an all of a sudden they’re training at a higher level.”

In this exclusive interview with Sherdog, Schulmann explains the “formula” he develops in his future fighters. The process he and athletes undertake to make sure they are ready to take that next step into a cage.

Schulmann also explained his background in martial arts, and how he developed the methods he believes are natural techniques for the cage and “the streets.” Conversation also includes his dual role as an executive and MMA head coach, as well as his thoughts on the economic health of the industry and if a fighter’s union would work in the sport today.