Ozark Mountain Nationals

10/12/2026

10/04/2026

🏔️ THE ROAD BACK TO OMN27 — LET’S TALK SPARRING! 🥊

Two things have always made OMN special: the new talent that finds the Mountain every year and the familiar faces who simply refuse to miss Springfield each July.

🔥 Let’s start with a fresh face from a state that’s becoming VERY familiar in the winner’s circle — Michigan has now claimed 3 of the last 4 OMN victories!

Audrey Mihalik, representing the famous Team Plowden, made her OMN debut count by sweeping both her Open Rank and divisional competition, keeping the Michigan winning tradition alive following Avery Sutter’s success!

Cortney Sheldon, another talented fighter from the north out of Ohio, battled her way through the field to secure Grand Championship Runner-Up.

Then we move to the Senior Men…

🥊 Justin Johnson has been part of OMN long enough that we can finally call him a “senior” — but don’t let that title fool you! Justin will still jump into an open-weight division and challenge anyone willing to step across the ring from him.

Johnson added another championship to his OMN history, capturing the Senior Men’s Grand Championship AND the CASH! 💰

And now we RELOAD.

For OMN27, we’re taking another look at our fighting structure. 👀

New age breakdowns? More opportunities? More divisions for fighters to chase championships and cash?

We’re working on it.

One thing is certain: WE WANT THE FIGHTERS BACK ON THE MOUNTAIN.

📅 July 23–24, 2027
📍 Springfield, Missouri

Your invitation is HERE. 🫵

Who’s coming to CLAIM THE MOUNTAIN in 2027? 🏔️🔥

09/21/2026

🏔️ OMN26 RECAP — ADULT BLACK BELT GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 18–34 Adult Black Belt Grand forms/weapons Championships brought some serious talent to the Mountain in 2026!

🔥 Audrey Becerra Rice went TWO FOR TWO, capturing both the Open and Traditional Grand Championships! Audrey has quietly been putting together an impressive string of wins and is quickly becoming one of the competitors you have to get through if you want to Claim the Mountain.

🥋 Brett Thomason proved 35+ doesn’t mean “senior!” After earning a win in the Japanese Challenge, Brett secured his spot in the 18–34 Grand Championship and showed that age is just a number. Regional standout Alex Hackworth, who has been piling up overall victories of his own, finished as runner-up.

⚡ On the Men’s Open side, Jonah Meshell took a short break from touring the country performing in THORN and came back to OMN to make it BACK-TO-BACK Grand Championship titles! Cameron Whittington traveled more than 1,000 miles to compete at OMN and battled his way to runner-up.

And here’s what makes OMN different…

💰 FOUR separate opportunities for our adult black belts to take home the TOP PRIZE AND CASH!

And we’re not changing that in 2027.

The champions are coming back.
The challengers are coming.
But there’s room for somebody new to CLAIM THE MOUNTAIN.

🫵 WE WANT YOU!

🏔️ OZARK MOUNTAIN NATIONALS 2027
📅 July 23–24, 2027
📍 Springfield, Missouri

The Road Back to OMN27 continues…

09/14/2026

🏔️ OMN26 RECAP — 14–17 BLACK BELT GRAND CHAMPIONS 🏔️

When you looked at the 14–17 Black Belt Grand Champion winners at OMN26, it was truly a who’s who of talent from across the region and beyond.

🥋 In the 14–17 Female Open Division, Ava Hemmer did it again, adding another OMN Grand Championship to a résumé that just keeps growing.

🥋 On the Female Traditional side, Addy Mann took home the title. Addy has had tremendous success competing on both the traditional and open circuits and once again showed why she is one of the region’s top young competitors.

🥋 For the boys, Zachary Davis captured the 14–17 Male Traditional Grand Championship—and the level of talent speaks for itself. Zachary was headed to international competition the very next week after OMN.

🔥 Then came the 14–17 Male Open Division. Peter Kerels of Minnesota battled his way through a gauntlet of talented open competitors to claim the championship and take the Mountain back to Minnesota!

Missouri was well represented with competitors coming from Kansas City, St. Louis, Joplin and beyond, while athletes like Peter continue to show that OMN’s reach extends far outside the immediate region.

That is exactly what we want the Ozark Mountain Nationals to be.

Top competitors. Up-and-coming junior black belts. Different teams. Different circuits. One floor.

The goal is to continue making OMN a destination event for junior black belts from coast to coast.

Now the question becomes…

Can these champions climb the Mountain again in 2027?

Or will somebody new arrive in Springfield and CLAIM THE MOUNTAIN? 🏔️🔥

The Road Back to OMN27 has begun.

📅 July 23–24, 2027
📍 Springfield, Missouri

Stay tuned. We’re just getting started.

09/08/2026

OMN26 RECAP — NOW LET’S TALK FIGHTING. 🥊

Friday night at OMN isn’t about what belt is around your waist — it’s about what you can do when you step on the floor.

Open Rank Point Sparring brings competitors together based on age and experience and gives developing fighters the opportunity to test themselves outside the traditional belt-rank format.

Fast divisions. New matchups. Different teams. One floor.

For OMN27, we want to take Friday night fighting to another level.

POINT FIGHTERS — SPRINGFIELD IS CALLING.

July 23–24, 2027.

The Road Back to OMN27 continues.

08/31/2026

🔥 OMN26 RECAP — THE ROAD BACK TO OMN27 CONTINUES! 🔥

One of the hidden gems of the Ozark Mountain Nationals is our Korean & Japanese Challenges for Junior and Adult Black Belts. 🥋

Since their inception, these divisions have given elite Kata, Forms and Poomsae competitors an opportunity to compete and be recognized for the traditions and styles they represent.

OMN26 delivered one of our largest Korean Challenge turnouts yet, and the level of talent on the floor was incredible!

This year we also had the pleasure of welcoming Cameron Whittington as a sponsor and Korean Forms Mastery Program Director. Cameron helped take the experience to another level by providing two special cash prizes and championship rings for our award winners! 💰💍🏆

These challenges represent something we believe strongly in at OMN: traditional competitors deserve a championship stage too.

If you normally compete primarily on the traditional or closed-style circuit, this is your opportunity to step onto the open circuit floor, represent your style and chase an OMN championship!

🇰🇷 Korean stylists.
🇯🇵 Japanese stylists.
🥋 Junior & Adult Black Belts.

We want to see you at OMN27.

📅 July 23–24, 2027
📍 Springfield, Missouri

The Road Back continues…

08/24/2026

🔥 OMN26 RECAP — THE ROAD BACK TO OMN27 CONTINUES! 🔥

Let’s keep the OMN26 recap rolling! Our next stop is one of the most talented groups to hit the floor each year — the 13 & Under Junior Black Belts! 🥋🏆

Over the years, one piece of feedback has been consistent: separate Open and Traditional Grand Championships. We listened, and at OMN26 these young athletes had the opportunity to chase two different Grand titles.

Apparently Dayton Gerleman decided he wanted BOTH. 🔥

🏆 Traditional Grand Champion
🏆 Open Grand Champion

Since earning his black belt, Dayton has been making a huge splash on the national scene, and at OMN26 he completed the sweep.

But getting to the top of the mountain was anything but easy.

🔥 Jocelyn Boyer was right on his heels, taking runner-up in the Open Grand Championship.

🔥 Ariella Ratliff delivered a strong performance of her own, earning runner-up in the Traditional Grand Championship.

Both of these young ladies continue to push themselves and make their presence known on the national competition scene.

This generation of Junior Black Belts is LOADED with talent, and we believe some of the best young martial artists in the country are stepping onto the OMN floor.

So now the question becomes…

👀 Can Dayton defend the mountain in 2027, or will a new champion rise?

📅 July 23–24, 2027
📍 Springfield, Missouri

The Road Back to OMN27 continues…

08/20/2026

🔥 OMN26 RECAP — THE ROAD BACK TO OMN27 CONTINUES! 🔥

This time, we’re shifting the spotlight to our Senior Women 35+ competitors! 🥋🏆

OMN26 saw one of our strongest turnouts of senior female competitors, from underbelts all the way through black belts — and that’s something we want to build on in a BIG way for 2027.

This year we introduced our 35+ Women’s Grand Championship, and our first champion was a newcomer to OMN — but certainly not to the competition world.

🏆 Jeanie Walker has competed nationally and internationally for years, and at OMN26 she added another title to her resume by becoming our Senior Women’s Grand Champion!

And we can’t leave out Vashon Borich-Leach, who earned the runner-up spot in a talented field of competitors! 👏

Now we’re setting the bar even higher.

🔥 For OMN27, we want the LARGEST collection of senior women competitors in OMN history.

Underbelts. Black belts. Forms. Weapons. Fighting.

💰 Equal prize money.
🏆 Equal opportunity.
🥋 A championship experience regardless of age.

Your competitive years don’t have to be behind you.

SENIOR COMPETITORS — WE WANT YOU AT OMN27!

📅 July 23–24, 2027
📍 Springfield, Missouri

The Road Back to OMN27 continues…