Want to know what Martial Arts websites, topics and styles are the hottest on the internet right now?
Well, I’ve done a little research and found the Top 40 Martial Arts Websites on the internet that are currently ranked the highest on a global scale. I think it’s safe to say that the results speak for themselves.
You may or may not be surprised with the results, but take a look below and you’ll see what’s popular, what’s possible with a website and maybe even get a bit of an idea as to how you can grow your presence online as a Martial Arts Club or blog owner.
Note: the information below is accurate at time of publishing in early 2016, but is still a matter of opinion based on the method in which they are ranked. In this case we’ve relied heavily on Alexa rankings, traffic and social media influence.
1. Sherdog
Sherdog is currently the top Martial Arts website in the world right now. It’s globally ranked at 5,177th highest in the world (regardless of topic or niche).
Sherdog focuses mainly on MMA news, videos and stories. They do also feature premium access and a frequently visited forum for all MMA and martial arts fans to discuss anything they find interesting.
Want to know how popular this website is? Sherdog.com receives about 100 million visitors per month. Which vastly exceeds even the second spot on this list (the UFC) by more than 50 times!
They keep fans engaged on their various social media channels including their growing Facebook page which they send up to several updates per day to their 180,000+ fans. Sherdog are a testament to how popular the sport of MMA is today.
2. UFC.com
Being just a whisker behind Sherdog in the global Martial Arts website rankings, the UFC is unsurprisingly climbing the ladder and is currently sitting at the number 2 spot. The big difference between the UFC official website and Sherdog is that on average people are spending roughly 4 minutes on the UFC website, while Sherdog visitors hand around for roughly 7 minutes and roughly 2 million visitors land on UFC .
If you haven’t guessed, UFC.com is the official website for the Ultimate Fighting Championship – currently the largest Professional Mixed Martial Arts fighting organisation in the world. But compare the website traffic Sherdog sitting at number 1, the UFC website only receives 1-2 million (only! 😛 ) visitors per month!
The UFC keeps their fans up to date frequently with fight announcements, news and information direct form the source of the world’s biggest MMA Fight organisation. The UFC actually reaches more fans via email newsletter and social media with 18 million Facebook fans and millions of followers across Twitter, Google and YouTube.
3. MMA Junkie
Much like Sherdog, only much less trafficked, MMA Junkie is one the web’s top websites for news on MMA and Martial Arts in General. They have a strong presence on social media with nearly 800,000 followers spread across Facebook & Twitter alone.
Just like the websites above, MMA Junkie updates constantly with articles and videos to keep people informed and up to date with MMA.
MMA Junkie is also a WordPress.com website – proving that even a WordPress run website can reach some the heights of global popularity.
4. MMA Fighting
We’ve got, surprise, another MMA news site! MMA Fighting is another website that finds itself on top by keeping very up to date with the news and going-ons in the MMA world.
With 1.2 million Facebook Fans and 136,000 Twitter followers, these guys know how to please the crowd and keep and almost endless amount of people informed.
5. Bloody Elbow
Are you a fan of MMA? Because it seems that most people the internet are.
Bloody Elbow is yet another powerhouse MMA news site connected to 100’s of thousands of fans across their social media. What’s cool about Bloody Elbow however, is they have a section for fan written Martial Arts posts and articles, as well as a ‘Fanshots’ section which is a stream of media shared by fans which includes links, quotes, images and videos.
The overall feel of Bloody Elbow is just a bit different than the other MMA news sites but still offers up to date news and commentary for all Mixed Martial Arts fight fans.
6. MMA Mania
Like Bloody Elbow above, MMA Mania deals in UFC and MMA news and is also (like Bloody Elbow) under the SB Nation umbrella.
While the look and feel and general appearance of this site match Bloody Elbow, it is run by different people and offers the news, commentary and media of MMA from those different perspectives. MMA is a hot topic, it seems that the news sites simply won’t stop!
7. Mixed Martial Arts
Yep, another top level MMA news website!
These guys are doing really well and have a strong social media presence with over 2 million Facebook fans, and over 100,000 followers spread across Twitter, Google Plus and YouTube.
The reason for it’s success, like the others, is constant news updates and fresh content.
8. ESPN / MMA
Yes, even the titans are cashing in on the MMA news site bandwagon.
This is ESPN’s own Mixed Martial Arts news section they use to keep their sporting brand in the forefront.
This site is still popular and keeping things fresh, but the updates aren’t has frequent as the sites above.
9. Fox Sports / UFC
Gee. I’m gonna run out of things to say about MMA news sites…
Lucky this website is a little different. Like ESPN above it, Fox is a larger organisation keeping the news out there, but it is focused on the UFC alone and doesn’t cover the larger arena of Mixed Martial Arts.
It’s Fox, you expect their MMA site to be big 🙂
10. MMA Weekly
Yep, we’ve got another top level MMA news site.
MMA Weekly has been around for quite some time and has a slightly less intense design than others, but still carries a LOT of information which leads to ‘bits and pieces’ all over the page.
The main difference is that MMA Weekly has a stronger presence on YouTube offering up a lot of MMA videos and over 100,000 subscribers – making it one of the biggest non-official MMA channels around.
11. Low Kick MMA
Another MMA news website!
Low Kick MMA are like a lot of the websites above that have a strong social media base with over 250,000 Facebook fans.
They keep the news flowing and keep their fans well and truly up to date.
12. MMA News
MMA News is the name of the website, so you can guess what it’s about.
You guessed right – Mixed Martial Arts.
I do personally prefer the design of this website however, as it is MUCH less cluttered than many of ones above, making it easier on the eye when tracking the information you’re after.
13. Cage Potato
Another top level MMA news site. Mixed Martial Arts definitely has the controlling stake of the Martial Arts web.
The usual ingredients that make this site successful is fresh content updates regularly, but the frequency of this site has dropped further from the sites above, going from several updates a day to one every day or two. Cage Potato is still right up there though and is a site to be taken seriously.
14. Black Belt
This is the largest, “Non-MMA-focused” Martial Arts website on the internet.
Black Belt Mag is the official website for the magazine of the same name but offers fresh news and updates on all styles of martial arts. This will be a breath of fresh air for the traditionalist who isn’t focused on the sporting side or even just the MMA side of the Martial Arts.
Expect videos and articles on techniques, training, self defence, fitness, history, entertainment, philosophy, renown world class martial artists and yes…..Mixed Martial Arts.
If you want to explore the entire world of Martial Arts, this is the best resource on the internet.
15. BJJ Heroes
If you don’t consider MMA a ‘style’ of martial arts, then this is the largest single style martial arts website on the internet.
BJJ Heroes (aka Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Heroes), is a website all about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that receives over 350,000 visitors each month, and has over 90,000 Facebook fans.
Offering more than just news, BJJ Heroes also shares techniques, BJJ world rankings and information about some of the world’s top competitors.
16. Bullshido
Bullshido is a massive news and information website for all aspects of Martial Arts.
The extras that set Bullshido apart are the highly popular forums as well as school & gym reviews and an expansive Martial Arts Encyclopedia. Bullshido is a massive site with a very strong community that makes it one of the most recognisable Martial Arts websites on the net and definitely worth digging into a bit.
17. Gracie Academy
Gracie Academy is the largest online martial arts academy on the internet.
Rener and Ryron, sons of Rorion Gracie, run the Gracie Academy, teaching and selling Brazilian Jiu Jitsu courses online. Both Rener and Ryron offer up some very useful information and thoughtful videos on anything BJJ and self defense.
18. Gracie Mag
Another Gracie website! This time we’re looking at a Jiu Jitsu news website that is the official home the printed ‘Gracie Mag’, which has released well over 200 issues over the years.
Carrying the Gracie name, like Gracie Academy, gives the site bit of a ‘BJJ Royalty’ that’s hard to ignore. But the news isn’t just on BJJ competition and training, but also covers MMA news, techniques and even following a ‘Jiu Jitsu lifestyle’.
19. Pro MMA Now
Now we’re back onto the Mixed Martial Arts news websites.
Frequent updates every day, interactive polls and even a dip into news outside of the martial arts world (sometimes offering comic movie news upates!) are what you can expect from ProMMANow.
These guys are keeping things fresh and not relying on purely on MMA to keep their readers happy.
20. International Judo Federation
Another style specific website, and a step away rom the mass MMA culture which seems to rule the internet (not necessarily a bad thing, just sayin’!).
This website is THE place for Judokas everywhere to learn more about their sport.
Packed with history, news and information on just about every single facet of Judo, the official International Judo Federation website is a shining example of what a Martial Arts style website could be at it’s height – an in-depth resource.
21. World Series of Fighting
World Series of Fighting is a the official website for the MMA Fight Promotion of the same name.
They promote their fights, but also share MMA news and info like many of the sites on this list. Another top place to get news while learning more about the WSOF fight promotion.
22. Fight Network
Canada’s own TV channel, Fight Network, is dedicated to combative sports and www.fightnetwork.com is their official website.
The coverage isn’t limited to MMA, but also boxing, kickboxing, judo, BJJ, karate or anything combative. This website serves as solid place to keep up to date with both MMA and the rest of the Martial Arts world.
23. Judo Info Online Dojo
The front page says it a lot “One of the oldest martial arts sites and first site to provide a wealth of information about any martial arts”
This is the first website on this list which doesn’t have a section specifically for News! It is a single style site based around Judo.
The writers of the blog go into detail on Judo techniques whilst they offer a list of resources for Judokas, information on competitions and even an online store complete with shirts, gi’s, books and videos. Another top website for the Judo players out there!
24. Aikido Journal
The style of Aikido finally makes it’s way onto this list.
Aikido Journal is packed with articles detailing techniques, thoughts and the history of Aikido. As with most single style websites, Aikido Journal has a resource area and online store where you can buy all sorts of Aikido equipment, gi’s and media.
Surprisingly, this site also doesn’t offer any regular news and still manages to be high up the ladder.
25. Bellator
Bellator is one of the biggest Mixed Martial Arts fight promotions around. So naturally they’re going to have a solid official website!
One of the best designed websites on this list, the Bellator website offers event information via articles and videos with other smaller news pieces in their news section.
If you want a good website to use as an example to strive toward, this website has excellent design, de-cluttered layout and has barely any external advertising. It is shining example of a strong visual brand.
26. Aiki Web
Another solid Aikido website, AikiWeb is another older (just check out the design) but information packed website for all practitioners of Aikido.
Packed with articles, blogs and still keeping very regular with updates, Aikiweb is just short of it’s 20th birthday (started in 1997) and is one of the oldest websites on this list!
You can seriously get lost digging through this website, it is truly is a massive resource!
27. The MMA Community
Looking for yet another MMA news site?
Well the MMA community offers news like the others but is heavily community based (yeah, the name says it all) with their forums and encouragement to sign up and join in with others.
So if you’re keen to talk MMA with others, then this clean and almost ad free site is a solid place to start! While you’re there, buy your dog an MMA T-shirt 😛
28. Middle Easy
As we go further down this list the variety picks up. Middle Eesy is another MMA news site with a twist. The news updates and articles are delivered with humorous tone and pull no punches.
While they cover news in MMA, they also have a section called “Street MMA” which showcases street fights and MMA outside the cage (or octagon, whatever!).
Check this site out if you’d rather have a few laughs when getting your MMA news!
29. MMA Sucka
Can you guess? Yes, another MMA News site.
Much like the others above, frequent updates and news on things MMA.
MMA Sucka takes advantage of that successful formula – talking about a popular topic (MMA), and offering regular updates to keep the site growing and alive.
30. Grapple Arts
Grapple Arts is a website dedicated primarily to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / submission grappling and MMA.
The Grapple Arts website has articles and information, but is more of a place to buy instructional DVD’s and Books to help improve your game and technique.
Run by BJJ Black Belt Stephan Kesting, this website is a solid reputation and a line up of informative videos on YouTube.
31. Martial Arts Planet
This website has been around for ages!
Martial Arts planet is a solid forum for all enthusiastic martial artists to discuss anything to do with Martial Arts. The topics do include MMA but seems to be one of the stronger traditional style websites out there.
This is a solid place to meet martial artists of all walks of life online.
32. Tiger Muay Thai
Tiger Muay Thai is a massively popular Martial Arts training facility that specializes in Muay Thai and MMA training based in Thailand – this is their official website!
This website is primarily to promote their training camp, but seems to be absolutely packed with information about not only Tiger Muay Thai but the art of Muay Thai itself, with information on how you can train there, accommodation in Phuket, Thailand and a solid news section, focusing on the going-ons of their club.
This is one of the best examples of a solid Martial Arts Club Website built to grab attention!
33. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
If you currently train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you’ve probably heard of a guy named Eddie Bravo, well this is his official website for his training centre called 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu.
Eddie’s website is another solid club site that is packed with information on what they do, going even deeper into techniques and selling some of their training DVDs, Gis and merchandise.
The uniqueness of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is what really grabs attention, with Bravo’s alternative approach to some of BJJ’s techniques aswell as the unique personality of Eddie Bravo himself. People everywhere go looking for his website to learn more about him and his style of BJJ.
This is an example of a solid club website and individual charisma leading to a powerful online presence.
34. Krav Maga Worldwide
Krav Maga worldwide is the online home of the Israeli Military / Self Defense Martial Art of the same name.
KMW is also another website with in depth information, packed with anything most Krav Maga students would like to learn about their style including a regularly updated News section. These guys have succeeding in making their online presence known!
35. Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi
Taoist.org is a place for all practitioners of the softer Chinese arts to learn more about Tai Chi, Confucianism, Buddhism & Taoism.
It acts as a central hub for their styles of Martial Arts taught over 28 countries. It’s full of information about their entire organisation and a frequently updated news section/blog.
36. Martial Talk
Martial Talk is a website which focuses on community discussion via their forum and blogs.
A solid community, this website sees a hell of a lot of updates as every discussion grows and gets more in depth. This is a place for Martial Artists of all styles and background to get together and talk about their passion!
37. Caged Insider
It was only a matter of time before we came to another MMA news site!
Caged Insider offers frequently up to date news on the world of MMA and UFC, competing with many others on this list to reach more fans.
The also maintain a solid Facebook page with 33,000+ Fans.
38. Bleacher Report MMA
Bleacher Report is large scale sports news website that talks about anything in the world of professional sports. This is their MMA specific section which has grown to be hugely popular.
With a slightly more unique approach to their news, this website competes well with the rest of the MMA news websites on this list.
39. E-Budo
“E-Budo.com is the Internet’s premier bulletin board dedicated to Japanese martial arts and culture.”
Much like Martial Talk, but dedicated more to the Japanese arts, E-Budo is a top level Martial Arts community with forums and blogs that encourage discussion between practitioners and people interested in the Japanese Martial Arts styles.
Another long serving community, this website continues to grow on a daily basis with frequently updates forum topics and discussion.
40. American Taekwondo Association
For all American Taekwondo Practitioners, this website holds a powerful online presence has a resource of information.
Packed with news, events, school information and an online shop for TKD training gear. Being such a large organisation, it’s no surprise their website is popular but it’s success can also be attributed to the sheer level of information it provides.
Another top level Martial Arts website!
Notice anything interesting?
There’s a few things here that we can all learn from to bring our websites and online presence into the forefront and attract more people.
What are some of the consistencies across all of these websites that make them great and how can we apply them? I’ll be writing up a post looking at those exact points so you can help grow your presence online. Subscribe to our email newsletter below to find out when those tips become available!
Thanks for reading! If you have anything you’d like to add, please leave a comment below!
