UNIVERSALJUDO​

Sensei Sumaila Sule began training Judo at the tender age of six. Nearly five decades later, Sensei Sule has not only accomplished substantial prominence as an athelete, but has coached countless others to their own success. 

As an athlete, Sule was recruited and coached by Professor Matagoro. Under Matagoro's training, Sensei Sule competed in and won prestigious tournaments including the British Open. After finding much acclaim for himself in the sport, Sule began coaching aspiring Judokas to reach seemingly insurmountable heights. His coaching resume includes having coached the Women's Judo Olympic Team, Nigeria University's team, 2 Commonwealth Champions, 5 African Champions, Fred Itose, whom went on to compete with the Spanish National Team, and Sensei Joe Perry, who under Sensei Sule's tuttelage won the 2012 Liberty Bell Classics black belt division as a white belt. In 2010, Sensei Sule was inducted into the Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Fame. Recently, Sensei Sumaila Sule attained his YonDan (read more), and is now a fourth degree black belt in the sport of Judo.

On January 13, 2016, Sensei Sule passed away. Sensei Sule would say, “Judo has no beginning or end. It is infinite.” Like Judo, Sensei Sule’s life has no beginning or end. It is infinite. His Judo lives within the life of all his students, their students, and future students to come. In his short time he has left an indelible mark upon the hearts and minds of all those he has come into contact with.  He gave of himself freely without regards for what he would receive in return. Through Senior Sensei Perry, Junior Sensei Perry, and NiDan Taj Abdul-Hakim, Universal Judo Center will continue to thrive in the memory of Sensei Sule. We will forever be in his debt.