
Text Us: 618-510-9118

Welcome to

A Teaching School. A Community. A Standard
Legacy Mixed Martial Arts is a teaching academy built around structured instruction, strong fundamentals, and long-term development.
Whether you're stepping onto the mats for the first time, looking for a new way to stay active, or working toward competition, our goal is the same: to help you become a better, more well-rounded martial artist.
We believe there's a difference between simply showing techniques and actually teaching martial arts. Our coaches don't just explain what to do. We teach why you're doing it, how it works, and how it connects to everything else you're learning. Our classes follow a structured progression, allowing students to build skills through repetition, understanding, and consistent training rather than a collection of random techniques.
Our jiu-jitsu, striking, and kickboxing programs are designed to develop strong individual foundations. Those skills also serve as the building blocks of our advanced, invite-only MMA program, where students who have demonstrated the necessary fundamentals learn to blend the different disciplines together.
We train hard, but we also believe in training intelligently. Most of us have jobs, families, and responsibilities outside the gym. You don't have to train at 100% every day to improve, and you shouldn't feel like you need to. Learning how to control your intensity, take care of your training partners, and stay consistent is part of becoming a martial artist. Longevity matters.
That philosophy carries over into the culture we're building, and it's something we take seriously. Beginners, hobbyists, and competitors all have a place here, but everyone is expected to contribute positively to the training environment. We expect mutual respect, controlled intensity, humility, and a willingness to learn. We take care of our training partners, leave our egos at the door, and understand that everyone's development depends on the people around them. You can train hard, challenge yourself, and have a great time doing it without feeling like you have something to prove every time you step onto the mats.
We take pride in the coaching staff we've built, the knowledge they bring, and the community that's developing around them. Our goal isn't simply to get people through a workout. It's to give them the instruction, environment, and opportunities to continue improving for years to come.
You do not just train here. You build your own Legacy.
Programs
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Gi Jiu Jitsu
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No-Gi Jiu Jitsu
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Striking for MMA
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Kickboxing
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Mixed Martial Arts (Advanced Class)


Owner/Coach
Jordan Dowdy
Head instructor Jordan Dowdy has trained and competed in martial arts for over 15 years. He is a 14-fight professional MMA veteran who competed three times in Bellator and has coached at the highest level of the sport, including multiple appearances in the UFC.
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jordan is a first-degree black belt under Nick Sanders and Junior Silva. He is a former Brown Belt World Champion and has won both the IBJJF Pan American Championships and No-Gi Pan American Championships.
Raised in Collinsville, Jordan grew up wanting a real opportunity to compete at a high level. Legacy Mixed Martial Arts was created to bring that opportunity home and provide a structured environment where beginners, hobbyists, and competitors can develop the right way.
Coach Aaron Brown
Coach Aaron has been training since 2005 and brings experience across wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing, boxing, and MMA, along with time in Taekwondo and Kali.
He and Coach Jordan came up training together at CMMA, and he played a major role in Coach Jordan’s development early on. A lot of the fundamentals, footwork, and systems Coach Jordan built his game on came from working with him.
Aaron is excellent with beginners and knows how to teach things the right way from the start. For more experienced athletes, he has a strong ability to identify gaps and help tighten up your game.


Coach Dylan Dalton
Coach Dylan is a black belt under Josh and Steve McKinney with a highly analytical approach to jiu-jitsu, coaching, and competition. He is passionate about studying the sport, refining details that matter, and helping students understand positions and concepts at a deeper level.
Dylan and Coach Jordan both came up training together through CMMA, and now he helps continue that lineage and culture at Legacy MMA through everything he’s learned throughout his own jiu-jitsu journey since the original gym closed down.
Whether working with beginners or experienced competitors, he brings a thoughtful coaching style focused on real improvement, strong fundamentals, and building skill the right way.
Coach John Sabo
Coach John Sabo brings over 20 years of martial arts experience, with a background in Japanese Jujutsu, Judo, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and kickboxing. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt with over 10 years of coaching experience.
His kickboxing classes emphasize Dutch-style drills, pad work, combinations, footwork, and developing strong striking fundamentals. His approach focuses on building technique through repetition and helping students develop skills they can actually apply.
He brings a wealth of experience to Legacy MMA, along with a coaching style that works well for both beginners and experienced martial artists.


Coach Gasan Rakhimov
Gasan brings an extensive grappling background and a distinctive style that blends core principles from wrestling, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
His journey began in 2004 with freestyle wrestling in Uzbekistan. Over a 10-year career he spent four years on the juvenile national team, winning four regional titles plus silver and bronze at the All Uzbekistan Championships. In 2017 he transitioned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, training across five countries and capturing multiple championships—including FUJI, AGF, and IBJJF events—from white belt through purple belt in Europe and the United States.
He earned his purple belt in St. Louis under Kyle Watson (3rd-degree black belt). In 2024 he received his judo brown belt under Philipp Vojta (2nd-degree black belt) and won both his weight class and the open division at the Konjo Fall Judo Championships.
Schedule
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