Sacramento State Becomes America’s First College to Award Combat Sports Scholarship With UFC HOFer’s Backing

What if throwing punches and landing takedowns earned you the same college scholarship as draining three-pointers or scoring touchdowns? At Sacramento State, that’s no longer a “what if.” It has now become the first college in the United States to award scholarships for combat sports. And behind it all stands a president with a love for boxing, a UFC legend, and a student who dared to dream big!

In a recent video shared on Instagram by Uncrowned, it was revealed that the spark came from Aranjot Kaur. A bantamweight fighter who once represented India in the IMMAF Youth World Championships, she enrolled at Sac State and noticed something unique. Just two blocks from campus sat UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness Gym, a training ground for world-class fighters.

As such, Kaur reached out to Sac State president Luke Wood, who happened to be a lifelong boxer himself. That conversation changed everything.

According to Wood, “We’re doing this because we’re creating a pathway to professional sports for those who are interested in combat sports, we’re using this as an opportunity to create access to college for people who would never go to college, first-generation, low-income students. We want them to know they are college material. We’ll fight for you to make sure you create a better life for yourself and your family.”

Wood teamed up with Faber, and together they launched Combat U in 2024. By the time the 2025–2026 school year rolled around, the program had already ballooned to more than 500 students. Thanks to private donors, Sac State is now awarding the first-ever Combat Sports Scholarship in American college history.

The announcement turned heads across the country. On Instagram, Uncrowned captioned the reveal simply with “MMA in NCAA.” The message was short, but the impact was huge. Of course, not everyone is cheering. Critics argue that combat sports carry risks too great for a college campus.

But Wood has pushed back. He pointed out that universities already fund sports with high injury rates, from football to wrestling. The difference now? Martial artists finally get a seat at the same table. Instead of choosing between chasing a fighting career or earning a university degree, students can now do both, with support from one of the sport’s pioneers in Urijah Faber. Now, let’s take a closer look at the story of the student who started it all!

With Urijah Faber’s involvement, Sacramento State students’ UFC dreams may become a reality

For Aranjot Kaur, the idea of MMA on a college campus wasn’t radical; it was logical. Growing up with a passion for combat sports, she had one rule when applying to American universities: the school had to be near a world-class gym. Sacramento State became her top choice, thanks to Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness Gym sitting just blocks from campus.

But making it to class was only half the battle. Paying for it was another. She explained in her conversation with Uncrowned, “International students pay like three times [the tuition] of domestic students. So I was thinking about how to pay for it … and I was applying to scholarships at Sac State. I was really disheartened when I saw nothing for martial arts, because I had credentials in it.”

Her search for support went nowhere with the athletic department, and the NCAA didn’t even acknowledge MMA as a sanctioned sport. Still, Kaur wasn’t ready to let go of the idea. As mentioned above, she turned directly to Sac State President Luke Wood, a lifelong boxer who wasn’t afraid to think differently.

That bold move paid off faster than she imagined. How? Kaur confessed that during her orientation, “And then he comes down off the stage and he comes around and he stands next to me. He remembered me and he was like, ‘You’re the martial arts girl.’ So that’s how the conversation began. And right after that, I remember he didn’t take any time and there started being meetings about it. The president was on it. And the next semester was the official launch.”

The NCAA may still look the other way, but Sac State has thrown down a challenge. With Luke Wood’s vision, Urijah Faber’s UFC backing, and Aranjot Kaur’s persistence, the door has been kicked open for fighters across the world!