Meet Our Instructors
Jimmy “Cornbread” Mills started training at a young age with his father Jim Mills who was a boxer and wrestler. He started studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) after seeing Royce Gracie dominate in UFC II as a teenager. At that time there were very few places in the US to study BJJ with an instructor so he had to use VHS tapes, books, and magazine articles. In 2002 he was able to begin formal BJJ lessons and began studying the art. Jimmy is currently a 3rd degree black belt in BJJ having been promoted by world champions, Helio “Soneca” Moreira, Rafael Ellwanger, and Adriano Lucio.
Jimmy is a former US Open Kickboxing champion and trained under Sakasem Fairtex at the Muay Thai Institute when he lived in Salt Lake City, UT and with the Golden Glory team under Ramon “Diamond” Dekkers and Cor Hemmers when he lived in Breda in The Netherlands. He was also promoted to black belt in kickboxing by Coach Duke Roufus and is a member of the Roufusport Association.
He began studying the Russian art of Sambo in 2008 and was the first certified Sambo instructor in Alabama under the former American Sambo Association. He is currently a Gokyo (2nd degree brown belt) in Judo under Tiago Goncalves and Patrick Fruge.
Coming from a boxing background he was always interested in MMA competition and putting all of the different martial arts together into one sport without the limited rule sets of other combat sports. Jimmy fought in 3 different countries on many different worldwide TV platforms and his students have competed professionally on 6 continents on the biggest events in the world including the UFC, Bellator, PFL, Strikeforce, Affliction, Glory, Shooto, and many more. Jimmy was a professional MMA fighter & Kickboxer in his day.
Jimmy is a big believer in education and holds 4 college degrees. He worked in the genetics lab at the University of South Alabama and is also a published scientific author. All of his students are taught the value of education and encouraged to pursue academics.
Adam Hicks is the Senior Director of Clearinghouse Development at The SSI Group, LLC headquartered in Mobile, AL where he began his mission to grow the sport of wrestling. Rewinding a little bit, Adam was born and raised in a small town located in rural central Pennsylvania rooted deep with a culture for the sport of wrestling. From the age of 5, his parents would drive him across the state to attend as many competitions as possible to gain invaluable experience with more losses than wins during this time. Every year Adam would attend summer camps for wrestling and as he attended Junior High and into his High School years, he would make the drive to State College to attend wrestling clubs such has Ken Chertow's gold club to gain competitive edges in the offseason. Injuries from football and even some from wrestling contributed to Adam falling short of his goals in his final season at Mount Union Area High School. The primary goal was to medal at one of the most prestigious state championships in the country, the PIAA State Championships. Although falling short, he was honored to learn that he was named 1st Team Pennsylvania All-State All-Academic in the 189lbs weight class. This led to his recruitment for furthering his wrestling career at the collegiate level where USA Olympians Jim and Dave Hazewinkel sought to recruit Adam from central Pennsylvania all the way south to Pensacola, FL where for the next 4 years Adam would go on to win over 100 collegiate wrestling matches against NCAA D1, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO, and NCWA competitions. Adam achieved NCWA All-American status twice while traveling the country and most of the east coast gaining wins, losses, and memories that would last a lifetime and prepare him for life. In 2024, Olympian Jim Hazewinkel published a book "Legacy of the Mat" where chapter 24 features one of the legendary coaches' more memorable moments with Adam and his testimony of using the sport of wrestling to inspire hope, perseverance, and share the impact that God has had on his life path.
Currently, Adam resides in Semmes, AL just outside of Mobile where he is an active member of the Port City MMA family and Mobile and Baldwin County wrestling communities. His passion has shifted to coaching in the last decade where he has started two brand new wrestling programs that over the course of 5 years have seen 30+ Alabama state qualifiers and 3 state medalists with several 7A elite eight team appearances and Region championships. In the offseason, Adam works with MMA fighters to teach and integrate wrestling techniques applicable to the sport of mixed martial and has seen coaching wins in organizations such as the worldwide leading promotion UFC with wins coming as far away as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. On May 19, 2024 Adam received a very serious prognosis and learned he will be battling a Grade 4 Terminal Brain Cancer for the rest of his life. Although life changing, this event will not be life defining as the impact made on the lower Alabama, and by extension greater gulf coast area, has been made known in the form of support from the mixed martial arts and wrestling communities of Baker HS in Mobile and St Michael Catholic in Fairhope where was instrumental in becoming both programs 1st ever wrestling coach and would set both programs up for a future of success and life lessons learned that the sport of wrestling had enveloped in him. If there was one word that Adam embraced and coached all his student athletes, it was the word “Perseverance”. It has always resonated with Adam, and what blessing to see it continue in the lives he has impacted.
Professor Adriano Knebl is a First-degree black belt practitioner of BJJ with over two decades of martial arts experience. He began training in Muay Thai in 1999 before falling in love with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Professor Adriano was promoted to BJJ black belt while training at American Top Team. He was promoted to 1st degree Black Belt by Professor Jimmy Mills. He has achieved victories in renowned tournaments including IBJJF, Grappler Quest, NAGA, and the Arnold Classic. He is the founder and owner of ODA Sports Apparel.
Mike Barnett is a former football, basketball, track and field, and wrestling athlete for Barstow High School in Barstow CA. He was All Desert Sky League in Football and Wrestling in 2007 and a part of the 2007 Desert Sky League Wrestling Championship Team. While attending the University of South Alabama Mike walked on to the University of South Alabama Football team before a knee injury cut his football career short. Mike began Training at Port City Combat Sports in 2009 and has become one of the most decorated MMA Fighters on the coast. Mike won 3 Amateur titles before starting his pro career and is currently the Atlas fights Pro Featherweight Champion. He is a PFL veteran and was the main event on the PFL card on which he participated. In addition to the tutelage of esteemed Head Coach Jimmy Mills, Mike has trained and learned under some of the biggest names in MMA including Dan Henderson, Din Thomas, and Rafael Cordeiro. Mike is currently the Assistant MMA, striking, and kids wrestling coach. Mike enjoys interacting with his students and passing on the knowledge he has gained in his nearly 20-year career in Martial Arts.
He began training with Port City Combat Sports in 2012 and has received all of his promotions with us. Blake has won many tournaments and won the NAGA National BJJ championships in the Gi & NoGI categories. Professor Collum was promoted to BJJ black belt by Professor Jimmy Mills on May 28, 2024.
Blake signed up and Joined the Marine Corps his junior year of high school. Following his Graduation from Theodore high school in May of 2010 he attended Marine Boot camp at recruit training center Parris Island, SC. Blake achieved the title of Marine in Oct. 2010. He then attended his MOS training at Camp Pendleton in Southern California where he obtained one of the most prestigious and rigorous jobs in the Military as a “Reconnaissance Marine 0321”. He was then stationed back home in Mobile at Fort Whiting on Brookley Field with 3rd Force Reconnaissance company. Now home he focused on furthering his military education by becoming a Combatant Diver, airborne certified, trained in Survival Evasion Resistance & Escape, while also becoming a methods of entry explosives specialist. During his time at 3rd force he spent time in North West Africa, and Southern Mexico on the Guatemalan border as a part of a specialized team teaching foreign operatives combat tactics taught in our American training facilities. Blake ended his military career in 2016 when he was released with an Honorable Discharge as a Sergeant of Marines.
He is a certified electrician and worked at Austal from 2014-2020 when he left to open his own business Mob-Town Event Rentals & Inflatables, LLC
Greg started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2012 and has been teaching since 2015. He is a Black Belt under George Wehby and specializes in Gi. He is a graduate of Auburn University of Montgomery AUM graduate where he studied Marketing. He is medically retired from the United States Marine Corps. He lives in Mobile, AL where he is raising his family with his wife. Greg has won IBJJF open division championships, AL State Championships, & NAGA Championships in his career.
Starting early in my career, I was a runner and captain of my high school tennis team and very highly ranked in the state of Alabama. I went on to earn scholarships to play tennis and run cross country for Delta State University as I completed my degree in Exercise Science. I continued racing throughout my post-graduate career at the Medical College of Georgia as I earned my doctorate in physical therapy. Furthermore, I started racing in triathlons after starting my career as a physical therapist, and I have qualified for the USA Triathlon National Championships for 3 years out of the last 6. Furthermore, I continue to train and rehab athletes from high school and college, as well as professional MMA fighters.