Matt Mullins

Matthew "Matt" Mullins (born November 10, 1980) is a five-time martial arts world champion and actor. At the age of sixteen, in 1997, he won his first World Kickboxing Association title in Dublin, Ireland. This would be his first of five championships in the next three years.^[1]

Martial arts career

Mullins was featured in the Discovery Channel mini-series Extreme Martial Arts alongside Mike Chat. As of 2006, he holds a 4th degree Black belt in the style Shōrei-ryū and studies under martial arts instructor John Sharkey at Sharkey's Karate Studio in Naperville, Illinois.^[2] While an underbelt, he met Mike Chaturantabut and together they created a martial arts style which later became known as Extreme Martial Arts (XMA). Their style's growing popularity prompted the Discovery Channel to produce a documentary called XMA: Extreme Martial Arts. In this documentary, the producers covered the XMA style with modern technology such as motion-capture technology and 3-D imaging to show how a martial artist can use his body. As a side story, they focused on Matt Mullins' attempt to come back to the competition world of sport karate.^[3]

Mullins also holds seminars and martial arts camps. The most predominant ones are the Winter and Summer Camps at Sharkey's Karate in Illinois. He also teaches an extreme martial arts class in California.

Matt Mullins is also the leader of Sideswipe, a martial arts based performance team which travels the United States performing with their combination of martial arts moves, aerodynamics, and gymnastics. Sideswipe has appeared on such shows as The Jerry Lewis Telethon, The Wayne Brady Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as well as sporting events, live action shows and karate tournaments.

Acting career

Mullins has appeared in national commercials for Motorola, America Online, Applebee's, Nike, Hanes and Pepsi as well as a lead actor in several films including Kung Fu Love Triangle, Bloodfist 2050, and Adventures of Johnny Tao: Rock Around the Dragon. He had a lead role portraying the character Len/Kamen Rider Wing Knight on the in-production TV show Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. He also helped Mike Moh get the role of Hunt/Danny Cho/Kamen Rider Axe in the same show through their shared martial arts training.^[4]

Mullins was a reporter for LX TV 1st Look television program introducing DJ Hapa, as well as Shinkendo martial arts. He starred as Johnny Cage in the Kevin Tancharoen directed short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.^[5] He reprised the role for the first season of the YouTube series based on Rebirth, Mortal Kombat: Legacy. His home videos were used for a fictional documentary of Johnny Cage.

Mullins was a contestant on MTV's martial arts competition show titled Final Fu.

Filmography

Film

• The Wrath of Vajra (2013) - K-23/Bill
• Alpha Must Die (2012) - Blue
• Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010) – Johnny Cage
• Freshmyn (2010) – Zach Markey
• Blood and Bone (2009) – Pretty Boy Price
• Adventures of Johnny Tao: Rock Around the Dragon (2007) – Eddie
• Bloodfist 2050 (2005) – Alex Danko
• Wentworth (2005) – Waiter

Stunt work

• Ted Bundy (2002) – as Michael Reilly Burke's stunt double
• No Rules (2005) – as brotherhood fighter
• Severed (2009) – as fight choreographer

Video game

• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007) – Motion Capture: Nathan Drake
• The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (2004) – Voice
• Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus (2003) – Voice
• Area 51 (1996) – Voice

Television

• Marvel's Agents of Shield (2014) - Centipede Soldier in The Magical Place
• Métal Hurlant Chronicles (2012) - Julian in King's Crown
• Kickin' It (2012) - Trent Darby in It Takes Two To Tangle
• Team Unicorn (2011) - Beach Stud in Alien Beach Crashers
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011) – Johnny Cage
• Misadventures in Matchmaking (2009) - Cobin in The Love Portal
• Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight (2008–2009) – Len / Kamen Rider Wing Knight
• America's Got Talent (2007) – Himself – Performer

Director

• The Johnnies - 5 episodes

Producer

• The Johnnies - 5 episodes

References