DURHAM- The popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championships has put mixed-martial arts back in the national spotlight.
Professional MMA fighter, D'Juan Owens is using that spotlight to educate and empower men and women in a place where it is truly needed.
Owens raises money to travel to Uganda to teach self-defense.
"Initially, the trip just started as something I was doing for myself. I met a fellow humanitarian online, our ideologies aligned as far as what we wanted to do for the community so I wound up going to Uganda.”
Why Uganda?
"In reading a lot of things about gender-based violence and how prevalent it was..wherever you have poverty..the higher the poverty..the higher the crime rate is..so I really wanted to focus on not only the mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu aspect, but the self-defense aspect."
"I didn't realize just how powerful it was until I saw some of the reactions from the students - especially the women- when they saw that the technique worked.. That ‘hey this can work against a resistant opponent’."
What's Next?
"I'm going to Dakar, Senegal in West Africa. I'll be doing a little more mixed martial arts and kickboxing instruction and also be connecting with some initiatives based around self-defense and gender- based violence prevention"
How You Can Get Involved:
Make a donation to "Fight for Uganda" here
On Sunday February 26th, Elevate MMA located at 2945 S. Miami Boulevard in Durham is hosting a public fundraising event to help D'Juan continue his journey. The event includes food trucks, chess, music, martial arts and an in-depth look at the Fight for Uganda initiative.
Want to Learn Martial Arts/ Self Defense?
Not everyone who trains in the martial arts is a fighter. Women and men of all ages and from all walks of life (and kids, too!) can learn martial arts. Learning a martial art has benefits beyond self-defense- it builds confidence, discipline and a sense of community not to mention it's a bully repellant for kids. Below is just a few locations to train in the Triangle, but a quick google search and reading a few reviews will help you find an academy or gym anywhere.