Zhong Luo was born into kung fu royalty in Foshan, China, the son of Bak Mei Grand Master Mai Yu Qiang. (He was recently awarded the prestigious 6th degree Black Belt by the Chinese government.)

His whole young life was consumed by martial arts. At age 3 his training began, and by age 5, he was performing with the Chinese Circus. He then began his studies with his father and eight uncles; all of whom were kung fu masters in different styles including Hung Gar, Praying Mantis, Long Ying (“Dragon Style”) and Bak Mei (“White Eyebrow”). At age 12, he started studying San Shou (Chinese kickboxing), and at age 14 added power lifting and Mongolian wrestling. By 16, he was a professional San Shou fighter and competitive bodybuilder. He never stops learning; he has been a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner since 2001 and he is a black belt under Clovis Silva.

Life for him wasn't always formal martial arts study. The streets of Foshan were rough, and Zhong quickly learned how to defend himself against street fighters, gangsters, and thieves. This mixture of keen street smarts and professional martial arts knowledge makes him the crossroads between theory and practical application, and between forms and deadly force.

Sifu Luo came to San Francisco in 1996. Shortly after his arrival, he began teaching his unique mix of kung fu, fitness, and fighting. For the last 21 years, he’s grown his school from a few students in a garage, to progressively larger places. Now his home is a 4,000 square-foot facility in the Outer Mission known as “Dragon House”. There, practitioners can study traditional Bak Mei and Long Ying kung fu as well as learn mixed martial arts including competitive MMA, Jiu Jitsu, Mongolian Wrestling, grappling, kickboxing, San Shou, and bare-knuckle sparring.

Sifu Luo has trained law enforcement officers from various agencies, security guard companies, and world-class athletes including members of the 2013 New Zealand Americas Cup sailing team. He has certified dozens of kung fu masters who now have schools of their own in Greece, Russia, Germany, and throughout the U.S.

He coaches professional and amateur MMA fighters and continues to expand into the world of professional fighting competitions throughout the United States. His current roster has over 50 amateur and professional MMA fighters competing nationally.

In addition to teaching and training fighters of his own, he puts on large competitive MMA events in the Bay Area, also known as “Dragon House”. He held his first event in 2008 at the school, then quickly expanded into various large venues in San Francisco and Oakland. Several times a year, the best professional (and amateur) fighters in California come together in Dragon House events to show the world their skills.

Zhong Luo organizes bi-annual trips to China where kung fu and MMA practitioners demonstrate their skills at events hosted by the Dragon House Federation - an organization of 100 martial arts schools in China.

Inside MMA in the Bay area with Zhong Luo