How One Coach Turned His Passion Into a Program That’s Shaping Fond du Lac Youth

I’ve known TJ Lee since we were kids running around Parkside Elementary here in Fond du Lac. Even back then, he had that kind of energy that stood out, the type that made you think, yeah, he’s going to do something cool one day. Fast forward to today, and TJ’s turned that energy into something that’s making a real impact on the next generation: teaching kids mixed martial arts.

TJ told me it all started because of his brother, a professional wrestler who went by the name The White Dragon. “He inspired me to be something great,” TJ said. “We had an MMA gym in town, so I stopped in at Unified Martial Arts and instantly fell in love with it.” Not long after, a parent asked him how their kid could get involved in MMA. There weren’t any programs for kids in Fond du Lac at the time, so TJ started training the student right out of his garage. “Next thing I knew,” he laughed, “my garage was full of kids learning MMA.” From there, his old coach Mike Biddle and Molly Tynan from Knockouts Women’s Kickboxing Studio offered him space to officially start a kids’ program, and the rest is history.