The Comeback Fight
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photo by shane darby
Through martial arts, Craig Campbell rebuilt his life and now guides young men
By Madeline Haak
Craig Campbell, professional mixed martial artist and owner of Texarkana Combat Sports, grew up in a family shaped by military service: both of his grandfathers and his father were ranking members in the military (one grandfather even participated in Operation Red Dawn, which led to the capture of Sadam Hussein). In Craig’s family, discipline was a key part of everyday life. He grew up surrounded by structure, resilience, and a drive to excel.
“Values and morals were very strong, and my family expectations were extremely high,” Craig said. “Expectations were always to not only perform at the highest of your abilities but that you should win—and that, if you don’t win at whatever you’re trying to win at, you should work harder and find a way to win.”
As a teenager, Craig earned college scholarships for wrestling, but higher education did not appeal to him. Instead, he intended to follow in his forefathers’ footsteps. “I idealized [military service],” he said. “I saw it as what a man does.”
Left to right: 1. Guy Palmieri, Craig’s maternal grandfather, served more than 30 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a decorated colonel. 2. Don Campbell Sr., Craig’s paternal grandfather, served 25 years in the Army as an armor officer before retiring as a colonel. 3. On October 12th, 2010, Craig’s father, Major General Donald M. Campbell Jr., spoke about recruiting efforts during a Pentagon press briefing.
However, before he could enlist, Craig was diagnosed with a progressive corneal disease called karatoconus.
“My eyes had been slowly degenerating, really without me noticing,” he said. “I was darned near legally blind in my right eye. I was basically just told by my dad and the doctors and everybody around me that [enlisting in the military] was a no-go and that I was just going to figure something else out. And that was fine, because I had plenty of opportunities, right? But I didn’t want to do anything else, and it put me into a pretty deep spiral of depression.”
As a teenager, Craig had been “living the perfect, clean life, living for wrestling, living for my family, living for my friends, being very pure in that sense,” he said, before “having a dream and creating my whole life around that dream—and then having that dream taken away from me. I really wallowed in self-pity. I was not doing well.” A first-year college student, he began using drugs and alcohol heavily, failed his courses, and moved home. He reenrolled in school a year later but “got harder into [substance abuse],” he said.
It was watching an MMA fight with a friend that motivated a 24-year-old Craig to change course and try to make something of himself.
“I remember watching the fight and thinking, ‘I can do that,’” he recalled. “I told my buddy I could do that, and he was like, ‘Dude, you can’t do that’—and if Craig Campbell’s ever needed anything, it’s somebody close to him to doubt him.”
That was February 2009. Over the next ten months, Craig “cleaned up” and trained hard. In December, he competed in his first MMA fight. In 2014, when he moved to Texarkana, he launched a career as a full-time coach and fighter.
With the nickname Kamikaze, Craig fought professionally from 2013 to 2022. His last professional win was against Jeremy Hudson in 2022. photo by gemeni Snow photography
Craig’s wife, Sara, played a major role in his decision to improve his life. “My parents and life had me trying to follow the degree path, and she pushed me to pursue my real dreams, not others’ wishes for me,” he said. “Sarah saved me for sure. She has in many moments of my life. If it was not for her, I would not be the man that I am.”
Craig and Sara have three children: Gaetano, Audrey, and Amara. submitted photo
Craig and a business partner founded Texarkana Combat Sports in 2013, but since 2018, Craig has been the sole owner and head coach. TCS offers classes in Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling for kids and adults alike.
“Martial arts are incredible vehicles of self-discovery, building yourself, and rebuilding yourself, and clearly I was able to do that. I want to share that with people. I strive to be the coach and mentor that I needed.”
At Texarkana Combat Sports, Craig specializes in coaching kids as young as 5 in mixed martial arts. Pictured here, Coach Craig has a private training lesson with 12-year-old JP Pack. photo by shane darby
Craig found a sense of purpose through MMA fighting, and he is now on a path to help others do the same. “That’s all MMA is: martial arts are incredible vehicles of self-discovery, building yourself, and rebuilding yourself, and clearly I was able to do that,” he said. “I want to share that with people. I strive to be the coach and mentor that I needed.”
Coach Craig wrapped student Ian Hibbs’ hands before a match in 2024. Ian made his professional MMA debut the next year. submitted photo
The physical aspect of training is not the most impactful component of MMA, according to Craig. “You obviously have to have that, but mentoring athletes outside of that is about helping them grow as people and trying to make sure that they understand that you will always fall to the lowest level of your life,” he said. “It’s about showing athletes that how they are and how they think and how they feel and how their brains work is not how they have to work. You have the tools to change these things.
TCS also offers adult classes in boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. submitted photo
“Most people are extremely uncomfortable doing these things, and you have to become comfortable doing them,” he continued. “That’s what I strive to do, and I feel like my journey has given me a lot of wisdom and a lot of comfort in those uncomfortable places, so that I can help people through all those moments. I try to say the things to the young men that they need to hear—not the things they want to hear and not the things that make me comfortable to say to them.”
photo by shane darby
Craig’s goal is not only to grow his business at Texarkana Combat Sports but also to be a leader in the lives of others. “Purpose means that I bring love and light and growth to every human being that I come in contact with, just to spread love to help people so that they can help themselves,” he said. “To improve myself mentally, spiritually, and physically—these vehicles of martial arts were the ones that spoke to me the most. Someone else is in a similar place.”
Craig’s endeavors are inspired by one of his parents’ most reiterated teachings, he said: “I remember my mom and dad always saying, ‘It doesn’t matter what you do in life, Craig—just make sure it’s a net good for society. Make sure it’s good for everybody.’”