John Perretti
Education
Half Hollow Hills High School, Dix Hills, NY
Southampton College, Marine Science/Art, Southampton, NY
School of Visual Arts (BFA), New York, NY
Queen’s College, NYC Auxiliary Police Academy, New York, NY
Gus George Police Academy, Richmond, TX
Professional Memberships
Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), Member since 1990
Fort Bend County Deputy Sheriff, 2020–present
Solo Exhibitions
1978 – Major Paintings, St. Bartholomew’s Church, New York, NY
1990 – Three Million Years of Evidence, 112 Greene Street, New York, NY
2016 – Hiroshima, 2100 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA
2025 – Tunnels, Time, and Tumult, The Silos at Sawyer Yards, Houston, TX
Selected Group Exhibitions
1978 – SVA Alumni, Mary Boone Gallery, NY
1982 – Group Painting Show – Hear, See, Speak No Evil, Hal Brom Gallery, NY
1987 – Monumental Space Variations, curated by Donald Kuspit, NY
1991 – Roosevelt Island Sculpture, Ground Caducous
2024 – W.O.W. Wonders of Winter, The Eternal Return, Event 1966, Winter Street Studios, Houston, TX
2024 – Plateau of Jars, The Art House at Sawyer Yards, Houston, TX
2025 – SPACES: Precession, Retired, The Canonization of the Zone, Winter Street Studios, Houston, TX
2025 – Mirror Mirror: The Amen Armada, Spring Street Studios, Houston, TX
2025 – Creative Fusion: Interlingua (Triptych, with Geoffrey Brune), Winter Street Studios, Houston, TX
Awards & Honors
1980 – Guggenheim Fellowship Grant
2019 – Martial Arts Hall of Fame Inductee, MMA Living Legend Award
Teaching Experience
1978–1989 – Professor of Drawing & Human Anatomy, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY (youngest full-time faculty member in school history)
1985–Present – Gus George Police Academy, TX: Instructor for containment/control seminars focusing on non-injurious prisoner restraint and tactical holds
Selected Work & Projects
1974 – Founded Southampton Martial Arts Institute, Southampton, NY
1974–Present – Poet
1977 – Founded Tao Jutsu Do Training Facility, New York, NY
1980–1981 – U.S. Merchant Marine; Crew Member, The Search for the Titanic
1983–1992 – Founder & President, Madison Avenue Muscle Inc., NY
1984–1994 – Nutritional Consultant
1990–1992 – NYPD Auxiliary Police Officer
1995 – Founded UFC Training Ground, Flanders, NY
1995 – Co-Executive Producer/Matchmaker/Commentator, Battlecade Presents Extreme Fighting (PPV)
1997 – Created The Bas Rutten Invitational, first global pro/am MMA competition
1998 – The Contenders, Co-Executive Producer/Matchmaker/Commentator
1996–2002 – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC): Matchmaker, Fighter Liaison, Commentator
1997–2006 – Stunt Coordinator/Stuntman for film/TV, including Gangs of New York (World Stunt Award Nominee)
2008–2013 – USA Youth Olympic Lifting Head Coach; National #1 Team Ranking (2012–2013)
2019 – Author, The Origin of a Species and the Mixed Martial Arts
2019–2020 – Wim Hof Ice Water Immersion & Breathwork Instructor, Club Westside, Houston, TX
Martial Arts & Certifications
1978 – Black Belt, Mu Duk Kwon
1995 – Black Belt, Judo/Grappling under Gene LeBell (1 of 4 worldwide)
1997 – Second-Degree Black Belt, Tae Kwon Do
1997 – Master Practitioner, Wing Chun Kung Fu (Lee Moy San lineage)
2000 – Black Belt, Ju-Jitsu (USJA)
1989 – Coined the term “Mixed Martial Arts”
Interviews & Media Appearances
Mixed Martial Arts History Podcast
Episode 269 – LeBell Tribute
Episode 256 – John Donehue
Episode 254 – Year in Review
Episode 245 – Extreme Fighting 3
Episode 239 – Extreme Fighting 2
Episode 228 – Extreme Fighting 1
Episode 222 – Igor Zinoviev
Episode 220 – Carlos Newton
Episode 214 – The Contenders
