Mixed Martial Arts Youth Foundation (MMAYF) announced today a partnership with the Dallas CAN! Academy of Texas. The partnership will allow 1-2 scholarships to be awarded to a deserving student enrolled at the Dallas CAN! Academy (Ross Campus) to attend one of the many local Mixed Martial Arts gyms on scholarship that have signed up as partners with MMAYF.

“We are very excited about this new partnership” said Sayif Saud, Board of Directors & Founder of MMAYF. ”The Dallas CAN! Academy is the perfect partner to find the youth we are looking to help. Hopefully, through the MMAYF these kids will learn necessary skills to be successful in life. Anyone who is, or has been, involved in sports know the long term benefits to anyone’s life. Not only the physical aspect, but more importantly, teaching these kids how to be mentally strong and ready for whatever life may bring their way through the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.”

“Many of the stars in the sport of MMA today started where a lot of these kids are starting, at risk or underprivileged. The goal of the MMAYF is to show kids that with the proper training, hard work and mindset, they can accomplish anything they put their mind, body and soul into. The true mission of the MMAYF is to have these kids gain confidence, discipline, respect, team work, dedication and all the other attributes that you learn from being involved in sports and martial arts. We just can’t wait to get started affecting the youth in the local DFW community.”

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is a fairly new sport with a rapidly growing following. With the success of MMA reality TV shows, along with pay-per-view and local events this sports is the fastest growing sport in the world attracting all ages and genders.

ABOUT MMAYF

The Mixed Martial Arts Youth Foundation (MMAYF), a non-profit organization, was created by the board of the directors because of their passion for the sport and their passion for giving back to their community. The goal and mission of the MMAYF is to help build character, integrity, confidence, self- respect, discipline and physical fitness through training in martial arts and to help provide access to youth, who otherwise, may not have the financial means to be exposed to this martial art.

ABOUT THE DALLAS CAN! ACADEMY

The Dallas CAN! Academy, Ross Campus, is a part of the Texas CAN! Academy, which is a charter school with 10 campuses throughout Texas. Their mission is to provide a second chance for at-risk youth and their families to achieve economic independence and hope for a better life through relationship-based education and training.