AK Legacy Inc. is working to build the American future of Combat Sambo from Jacksonville. Along the way, the nonprofit is making sure children, women and others facing difficult circumstances have a place in it.
A mother wants both of her children to train, but the family budget only stretches far enough for one.
A young adult has found a sport they love, something they’re willing to work hard at, but keeping up with the cost is becoming impossible.
And then there’s a woman who finishes a long day at work, carrying the weight of a difficult situation at home, and still makes her way to practice.
Three different lives. Three different reasons why something as simple as showing up for training might not be so simple after all. For each of them, walking away would be understandable. When money is tight or life gets complicated, activities like sports are often among the first things people have to give up.
But what happens when the place where they train finds a way to make room for them anyway?
At a training facility on Philips Highway in Jacksonville, that’s exactly the kind of decision being made. And there’s something unexpected about the sport bringing these people together.
It isn’t football, basketball or one of the martial arts most Americans would recognize.
It’s Combat Sambo.
A discipline with deep international roots, but one that remains relatively unfamiliar in the United States.
Behind the Jacksonville facility is AK Legacy Inc., a local nonprofit founded by Olha Koldenkova and Ernest Arakelyan, with an ambition that reaches far beyond its training floor.
As the organization has grown, the people coming through its doors have helped shape what that future might look like.
A Sport Most Americans Haven’t Met Yet
Sambo translates to “self-defense without weapons.”
The martial arts discipline originated in the Soviet Union as a practical combat and self-defense system for military and law enforcement personnel before developing into an international competitive sport. It has an established presence in parts of Europe and Asia. In the United States, however, it remains far less familiar.
Olha saw possibility in that gap. Through Combat Sambo League, AK Legacy began creating opportunities for American athletes to train and compete.
Today, the organization operates a dedicated training facility in Jacksonville, organizes amateur competitions and is developing plans that could eventually help additional clubs open across Florida and beyond.
It has also received approval from the Florida Athletic Commission to sanction amateur competitions, while Combat Sambo League has been registered as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
These are important steps for an organization working to establish a sport that many Americans are still discovering.
But growing a sport also means growing the community around it. And at AK Legacy, that community began revealing needs that went well beyond training and competition.
Sometimes the Biggest Barrier Is the Cost of Walking In
As children and adults began coming to the Jacksonville facility, the team saw something standing between some of them and the training floor.
Money.
A family might not be able to afford classes for every child.
A young person might have the determination to train but not the resources.
Someone dealing with a difficult situation at home might need the community around the sport precisely when paying for it becomes harder.
AK Legacy began discounting memberships and, in some cases, waiving training fees entirely.
Its At-Risk Youth Outreach Program provides free or reduced-cost training for young people facing financial hardship, difficult family circumstances or limited access to organized sports.
For Olha, the thinking behind it is straightforward:
“We believe that talent, determination, and potential are not determined by a person’s circumstances. Yet access to opportunities often is.”
A waived training fee won’t change everything happening in a young person’s life. The organization knows that.
“We cannot change every circumstance in someone’s life, and we do not pretend that we can.”
But it can mean a child doesn’t have to leave a sport they love. It can mean keeping the relationships they’ve built with teammates and coaches, the routine they look forward to, and a place where someone notices when they show up.
And the children weren’t the only ones finding something important inside that facility.
The Women Who Kept Coming Back
Some of the women coming to train at AK Legacy were navigating domestic abuse, difficult family situations, financial hardship or painful personal circumstances. They arrived carrying much more than their training bags.
Some came after long workdays. Others were trying to find their footing through difficult periods in their lives.
And they kept coming back.
Over time, the team noticed something developing alongside the physical training.
Relationships formed. Women began sharing experiences. Trust developed between people who might never have met outside the facility.
That experience helped inspire AK Legacy’s Women’s Support Program, which combines accessible Combat Sambo training with practical self-defense, physical fitness and a supportive community.
The nonprofit doesn’t pretend a martial arts class can resolve domestic violence, financial hardship or the complicated situations someone may be facing at home. But having somewhere to go, people who recognize you and something that belongs to you can matter enormously when other parts of life feel uncertain.
As Olha puts it:
“Sometimes, having the right environment and someone who believes in your potential can open doors you never knew existed.”
For some people, the opportunity AK Legacy provides is a chance to compete. For others, it’s a chance to keep doing something they love or find a community they didn’t know they needed.
And while those individual stories are unfolding in Jacksonville, Olha is working toward a vision that could bring many more people through the city’s doors.
They Want Jacksonville on the Combat Sambo Map
Olha doesn’t want Jacksonville to simply be the city listed beside AK Legacy’s address. She wants it to become a place people associate with Combat Sambo in America.
And the organization has already taken some meaningful steps in that direction.
AK Legacy has successfully organized three Combat Sambo League competitions, including two smaller events and a major competition held at the University of North Florida on September 19, 2026. That event brought together 44 athletes and more than 400 spectators, giving Jacksonville residents, students and families an opportunity to experience a sport many were still discovering.
Choosing UNF was intentional. With its strong connection to the Jacksonville community, the university offered an opportunity to introduce Combat Sambo to a broader audience while demonstrating the potential for larger competitions right here in Northeast Florida.
For Olha and Ernest, seeing athletes compete and hundreds of people come together around the sport was an encouraging step toward the future they envision.
Imagine athletes and coaches traveling here to train and compete, tournaments bringing teams, families and spectators to Northeast Florida, and local businesses, hotels and restaurants welcoming visitors who came to Jacksonville for Combat Sambo.
The organization is also developing specialized Combat Sambo training programs for law enforcement and military personnel, drawing on the discipline's practical self-defense roots. Those programs have been created, and the next step is connecting with agencies, military representatives and decision-makers who may be interested in exploring pilot opportunities.
Meanwhile, Combat Sambo League is continuing to develop its competition calendar, with an event scheduled at Miccosukee Casino & Resort in Miami on November 14, 2026, and another planned closer to home at the University of North Florida on March 6, 2027.
It’s an ambitious undertaking for a Jacksonville nonprofit introducing a relatively unfamiliar sport to a new audience. And it’s being built with more than one kind of participant in mind.
The athlete hoping to compete at a higher level.
The child who wants to keep training.
The woman who has found a place where she feels supported.
The coach who may one day bring a team to Jacksonville.
Each is part of the community AK Legacy hopes to grow.
But ambition alone won’t pay for the training fees the organization waives, the equipment people need or the competitions it wants to bring to life.
That’s where Jacksonville’s wider community comes in.
The Next Person Through the Door
Much of AK Legacy’s work so far has been supported through the founders’ own financial resources. And there’s a limit to how far that can stretch.
Every reduced-cost membership, waived training fee and piece of equipment represents an opportunity the nonprofit wants to make available. The more support it receives, the more people it can reach.
Businesses can sponsor Combat Sambo League competitions.
Individuals can donate or volunteer.
Organizations can contribute equipment, professional services or other resources that help keep the community programs running.
And for some of AK Legacy’s bigger ambitions, the right introduction may be just as valuable.
The organization is looking for connections with law enforcement agencies and military organizations interested in exploring its specialized training programs. It also hopes to build relationships with businesses, tourism organizations, community leaders and institutions that can help establish Jacksonville as a destination for Combat Sambo.
There are many ways to be part of what AK Legacy is building, even if you’ve never watched a Combat Sambo match or stepped onto a training mat.
Because behind the tournaments, the competitions and the ambition to grow a sport across America, there is still that training facility on Philips Highway.
And someone who wants to walk through its doors.
Maybe it’s a child whose family can’t afford another activity. Maybe it’s a young adult determined to keep training. Maybe it’s a woman who needs a place where she can feel strong, supported and part of something.
Olha captures the belief behind the organization’s work in one sentence:
“Opportunity should not depend on where someone starts in life.”
For AK Legacy, building the future of Combat Sambo means making room for those people, too.
And Jacksonville has an opportunity to help keep that door open.
Connect With AK Legacy Inc.
Co-founded by Olha Koldenkova and Ernest Arakelyan, AK Legacy Inc. is developing Combat Sambo as a competitive sport in the United States through Combat Sambo League while creating accessible training opportunities for youth, women and others facing financial or personal barriers. Its At-Risk Youth Outreach Program offers free or reduced-cost training, and its Women's Support Program pairs Combat Sambo with practical self-defense, fitness and a supportive community.
President: Olha Koldenkova
Location: 3728 Philips Highway, Units 57–59, Jacksonville, FL
Website:
combatsamboleague.com
Email:
ak.legacy.np@gmail.com
Phone:
(904) 489-4781
LinkedIn: Olha Koldenkova | Facebook: Combat Sambo League | Instagram: @combatsamboleague | YouTube: @combatsamboleague
AK Legacy is currently seeking financial support for its community programs, sponsors and community partners, volunteers and in-kind professional support, and introductions to law enforcement and military decision-makers interested in its specialized training programs.
Community Spotlight
Community Spotlight is a JAX Business Calendar storytelling series created to help more people discover the nonprofits and organizations doing meaningful work across our community—and understand where they can help.
Know someone who could help keep one more opportunity open—or help put Jacksonville on the map for Combat Sambo? Make the connection.
