Who are Century Martial Arts?
TRUSTED WORLD LEADER SINCE 1976
Century was founded in 1976. Although we were on the small side then – just one man working out of his garage – we’ve since grown into the worldwide leader in martial arts equipment. Along the way, Century has been responsible for some major innovations within the industry.
OWNED AND OPERATED BY MARTIAL ARTISTS
One of the reasons why Century is so passionate about what we do is that many of our employees are themselves martial artists. Our founder, Mike Dillard, won two Karate National Championships during his time as a competitor. Some Century employees own or instruct at martial arts schools, or spend their after-work hours and weekends competing and training.
ON-SITE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Unlike some other companies that simply reuse old designs or resell imported inventory, Century has its own Research and Development team. Our R&D team work at the company headquarters, brainstorming and designing new products. Thanks to them, Century has stayed on the cutting edge of martial arts gear, with major innovations like the original freestanding Wavemaster® bag, BOB® body opponent bag, and the Versys™ line of fight simulators.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS
If you’ve watched UFC fights, chances are you’re already familiar with Century products. In 2006, Century partnered with the UFC® and became their producer of branded fight gear—including the official gloves worn in the Octagon®.
Century teamed up with MMA coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn to work on product testing and innovation. Their fighters test Century products and give us even more, outside feedback. Three years later, we approached Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend and American Top Team cofounder Ricardo Liborio about a collaborative venture. Century became his official equipment and apparel provider, and we worked closely with him to design and create the ’96 Especial Gi, named in honor of his 1996 victory in the IBJJF Championships.
In 2015 we partnered with Team Paul Mitchell, the longest-running sport karate team consisting of the highest level athletes from all over the world.
Over the years Century has also worked with TapouT®, Adidas®, PHIT (Personal Heath Investment Today) America, and the IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation), as well as dozens of individual martial artists.
We enjoy getting to work with the broad array of talented individuals. At Century, we’re committed to promoting martial arts and one of the best ways we can do that is through collaboration with the coaches, competitors, and other individuals who are making a difference in the martial arts community.
In 2023, Century became one of the exclusive Platinum Sponsors of WAKO, the world's largest kickboxing organization.
