Meet Our Coaches
Professor Buddy Clinton
Head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
The head of our Jiu-Jitsu program, Professor Buddy Clinton received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as one of five of the first-ever awarded by the legendary Master Royce Gracie in 2004. Today, Buddy is a 5th-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Master Royce Gracie. He heads the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu programs at both Relevant Martial Arts here in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and Soaring Eagle Jiu-Jitsu in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Buddy is a decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and professional fighter. A fun fact about Buddy is that he held the 2021 MMA title belt of the King of the Cage welterweight division.​ Along with his accolades, Buddy is a local hero to our community. Buddy is a certified defensive tactics instructor currently instructing and assisting in the instruction of local law enforcement agencies.
Steven Smith
Owner/Muay Thai/Kick Boxing/BJJ Coach
The owner of our gym and coach of Muay Thai, Striking, BJJ, and Fitness is Steven Smith! First and most importantly, Steven is a family man and loves his wife, Angie, his three daughters, and his grandkids. Steven is an active member of the Tahlequah community and has lived here most of his life. He is a proud alumnus of Tahlequah High School. Go Tigers!
Steven trained to fight under Mo Brown and Tyrel Brown out of Hooligans Fight Club before fighting professionally. Steven has two professional title belts: Champions of the Cage, 2007, and XFL, 2008. He has taught high school wrestling and competed at the collegiate level. Steven has trained in Wrestling, Muay Thai, Self-Defence, and BJJ.
A fun fact about Steven is he won two gold medals at the American Grappling Federation USA Open and a silver medal at the Oklahoma City American Grappling Federation Championships. Currently, Steven trains under the 5th-degree black belt, Buddy Clinton, and is a certified defensive tactics instructor under Royce Gracie.
Zac Cacy
Assistant BJJ Coach
Zac started his jiujitsu journey in 2019, seeking to understand the fundamentals and basics of jiujitsu. Since then, he has grown a passion for learning the arts of jiujitsu. Zac is currently a blue belt practitioner of jiujitsu under Professor Buddy Clinton and Royce Gracie. Zac understands the substantial principles of Royce Gracie's defensive tactics and tries to display a very informative understanding to the people that he instructs here at Relevant Martial Arts.
Zac is passionate about the art of jiujitsu and helping others build self-confidence through martial arts. With a focus on self-defense and continued improvement, Zac is a valuable member of the Relevant Martial Arts team.
![[Original size] CoachesRMA - Zac_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f848f5_c42841bd53944857ad15b874e9c7adee~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_490,h_588,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/f848f5_c42841bd53944857ad15b874e9c7adee~mv2.jpg)
![[Original size] CoachesRMA - Clint_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f848f5_93fb6746cd974432b6abe14c1e2f9eec~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_490,h_588,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/f848f5_93fb6746cd974432b6abe14c1e2f9eec~mv2.jpg)
Clint Scott
Assistant Muay Thai Coach
Clint Scott
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Robert Jones "Sweet Pea"
MMA Fighter and Assistant Muay Thai/BJJ Coach
Robert Jones
