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A Louisville nonprofit in the Jacobs neighborhood, using MMA fighting as a way to reach local youth and give them an alternative to violence in the streets.
“When you're training, especially if you're competing, you don't have time to run the streets, that's mainly your life,” said Marcus Mayes.
The inside of an MMA gym became Marcus Mayes’ life when he was 18. Mayes was born and raised in west Louisville and he said his life before the ring was a different kind of fight.
“Ran the streets with a bunch of people. Somehow, got into a bunch of fights and then ended up in an MMA gym. I credit the MMA gym for changing my whole life,” Mayes said.
He traveled across the country and even the world.
“Shortly after I joined the gym, the owner flew me out to Thailand to train, and that just changed my whole perspective on life and what could be possible,” Mayes said.
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Now, the roles are reversed, and he’s trying to make a difference through his nonprofit Lost Boys and Girls Foundation, an MMA gym in the Jacobs neighborhood. It offers free and discounted classes for local youth and young adults.
“Most of these kids just need people that care about them,” Mayes said.
According to the Office of Group Violence Intervention, people around the ages of 18 to 24 have been a driving force behind a lot of the violence in the metro, but they're seeing more juveniles involved as well. -
Mayes said he wants this gym to serve as a safe haven to curb the violence.
“I think that's what causes like the violence, the gun violence, all the street stuff, I think is trauma. You know, drug addiction, everything comes from trauma. I think when you're working out, you're eating right, you're healing yourself, You're healing your body,” Mayes said.From needing a new roof to getting personalized gear for kids who work out and train in the ring, he’s now asking for community help to make sure that this program continues to thrive.
Mayes is trying to raise $75,000 to renovate the building and bring more resources to the facility.
“I want to be able to bring a nice facility. So where the kids come in, they're like, Wow, like, this place is awesome,” Mayes said. “So they can have a safe place to hang out after school.”
He’s providing a safe place and teaching a new skill while doing what he loves.
“I always had the vision to be like a coach and to help the community and get kids off the streets and change their lives like my life was changed,” Mayes said.
