About Underdog Martial Arts
About Us
Underdog Martial Arts is Asheville’s home for people who want to hit things, grapple friends, and feel a whole lot better doing it. We offer No-Gi Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, Women’s Self-Defense, and Fitness Kickboxing — all in an ego-free, inclusive space where everyone sweats equally.
Founded by husband-and-wife duo Brian Asheland (wrestler, superfight champ, Jiu Jitsu brown belt) and Colleen Daly (10th Planet brown belt, self-defense expert, known for punching pads and expectations), Underdog is where hobbyists train like athletes and competitors still laugh at bad jokes during warmups.
Whether you’re chasing a gold medal or just want to survive Mondays with less tension in your jaw, we’ve got the classes — and the community — to help. Come roll, strike, and surprise yourself. You’re probably tougher than you think.
1156 Sweeten Creek Rd (across from Sweeten Creek Brewing)
(828) 747-0033
team@underdogmartialarts.com
Please make an appointment by filling out the “start my trial” form above or giving us a call. We will set you an appointment and ensure you have a smooth trial process. Please feel free to reach out to us should you have any questions! We’re here to help!
Meet the Instructors
Brian Asheland
Brian is a 3 stripe brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with 11 years of experience in the sport. He is highly regarded in the jiu jitsu community as a talented wrestler and fierce competitor. Brian holds such titles as the SESS superfight champion, Sirius Grappling superfight champion, Carolina Combat League superfight champion, Fight For It combat jiu jitsu superfight champion, Toro Cup superfight champion, and Showcase MMA superfight champion. Brian has been coaching Jiu Jitsu since 2016 and has consistently shown himself to be an exemplary coach with outstanding class numbers.
Alexa Conners
Alexa is an accomplished professional MMA fighter and mental health activist with 12 years of martial arts experience. She has competed 10 out of those 12 years and boasts an impressive record. As an amateur fighter, Alexa took home both the bantamweight and featherweight Conflict MMA titles and the USFFC MMA 135 title. Known for her striking, Alexa surprised no one by earning the knockout of the year in the amateur division.
Alexa made her professional debut in 2016 with Invicta Fighting Championships. She was nominated in 2023 for the UFC Fight Pass fight of the year. Alexa boasts an impressive 7-5 record as a professional fighter and serves as a training partner to incredible UFC athletes such as Training partner for UFC fighters Joanne Wood, Miesha Tate, and Roxanne Modaferri.
Alexa is also the founder of In Your Corner, a non-profit organization supporting combat athletes through mental health concerns.
Colleen Daly
Colleen is a talented self defense expert and martial artist. She has over 12 years experience as a fitness professional and 8 years of experience in the martial arts space. Colleen trained and competed in boxing, kickboxing, and jiu jitsu prior to a career-ending back injury. She is a black belt in Fit to Fight Defensive Options and a brown belt in 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu. She is the 2019 Finishers Open Champion at the Expert Level, the 2019 ONNIT Open Champion at the Expert level, the 2019 WKA Kickboxing Nationals 2nd place athlete and Worlds qualifier, and a Conflict MMA glory kickboxing winner. Colleen is also the founder of Guerrera, a women’s-only self defense organization that has served close to a thousand participants.