Ever since Royce Gracie demonstrated his BJJ skills to the world at the UFC 1 event, MMA’s global popularity has been rising. MMA is becoming more and more popular every day and is on the verge of breaking the top 10 most popular sports in the United States. UFC is utilizing its popularity with more, and more events, fan shows, apparel, and even their own trademark gyms.
Fascinated by UFC fights yourself, it is reasonable you want to try MMA yourself. If you searched for local MMA gyms, there is a good chance you stumbled upon UFC Gym. You got an idea what is it, but you want to find out is it right for you?
Being a franchise model, UFC Gyms are different from location to location. In general, UFC Gyms are excellent starting points for beginners, youth, and women. They offer incredible coaches, equipment, and classes. If you have no previous MMA experience, UFC Gym is one of the best places to go.
But, what about if you have some MMA experience, and are maybe even considering going pro or to some amateur tournaments? What exactly can you find in the UFC Gyms and how much will it cost? In this article, I bring you everything you need to know about UFC’s gyms.
What Is a UFC Gym?
UFC GYM is for everyone who wants to have a place to work out and who is looking to change up what they do when they go to the gym.”
Dana White
UFC Gym is a franchise model (if you have the money, you can own it) of gyms extended from the UFC. Being a franchise model, every gym is different, depending on the owner. Some are even owned by ex-UFC fighters like BJ Penn, Ricardo Lamas, Cub Swanson, Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar, and Michael Bisping. UFC Gyms have classical bodybuilding gym parts included (weights, machines, …), combat sports classes, fitness classes, etc.
To get a better perception of what a UFC gym looks like and what it has to offer, take a look at the following video:
What Can You Expect from a UFC Gym?
The main thing about UFC Gyms is that they have absolutely everything. We are talking about specific parts of the gym with weights and machines, just like classic bodybuilding gyms. Then you have areas with all different sorts of tools like sledgehammers, big tires, heavy ropes, bicycles, treadmills.
Everything you could possibly want for your strength and conditioning exercise. Of course, there are also parts of the gym with boxing bags, wrestling mats, even Octagons.
Every little thing you can think of, UFC Gym has it. You can train everything you want, be it strength, cardio, putting on some muscle mass, or sharpening your striking and grappling.
On top of that, if you want to incorporate some group classes in your training regime, there are also all sorts of classes, ranging from fitness, boxing, kickboxing, BJJ, MMA, etc. All those classes are coached by ex UFC fighters, Muay Thai world champions, Olympic wrestlers – the best of the best.
Worth noticing is that majority of classes are basic stuff. It is developed for beginners to learn basics and get into the world of martial arts. It’s also a very good place for youth, and women. If you are maybe not interested in going to combat sports class, there are also excellent conditioning and fitness programs to get you in shape.
Some martial arts classes also include sparring. It is a light form of sparring, nothing intense, with a lot of help and instructions from coaches. It is very good for beginners.
UFC Gym Classes
MMA-Inspired Workouts
- Daily Ultimate Training: high-intensity interval training with circuits made to improve your strength, cardio, and functionality with usage of battle ropes, jump ropes, TRX suspension training, plyo boxes, kettlebells, medicine balls, free weights.
- Boxing Conditioning: learn to master six basic boxing punches with cardio and strength exercises included.
- Kickboxing Conditioning: learn basics on kickboxing on the bags with a focus on high-intensity strength and cardio.
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (GI): a class for beginners to get into the world of Jiu-Jitsu, learn new techniques, skills, discipline, and some aspects of self-defense.
- MATRX: combines the MMA conditioning workouts with TRX Suspension training. This class builds MMA skills, endurance, cardio, strength, flexibility, mobility, and core stability.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Programs
- Level 0 Introduction is BJJ class for absolute beginners where you will learn everything from scratch though by some of the best BJJ coaches there are.
- Youth Program is a BJJ program specifically designed for children where they will feel safe, relaxed, and learn the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
- Women’s Only BJJ is a special class designed specifically for women which emphasizes on the self-defense aspect of Jiu-Jitsu.
Youth Programs
- Youth Daily Ultimate Training: focuses on dynamic full-body movements that build coordination, confidence, and athletic abilities
- Youth Boxing
- Youth Kickboxing
- Youth Wrestling
- Youth BJJ
- Youth MMA
Group Fitness Classes
- High Octane: cardio and strength interval training
- Fusion Flow: Yoga, Pilates, Barre, and Tai-Chi fused into one flow
- Killer Cycle: build endurance and strength through an athletic ride indoors
- Zumba: dance fitness moves combined with music
- Power Pilates: focuses on core strength and flexibility
- Kickass Kick: full-body cardio and kickboxing skills and drills
How Much Does UFC Gym Cost a Month?
Being a franchise model, UFC Gym’s have a different cost depending on the location. You can find memberships from $900 for two years, to $950 for three years, depending on the country and state. The first time you get to the gym, you usually have to pay a starter fee, and then, you pay monthly or can get yourself an annual plan.
Where Can You Find a UFC Gym?
Inside the United States, you can find UFC Gyms in the following states:
- Alberta
- Arizona
- British Columbia
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Massachusetts
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Ontario
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
For a full list of locations by cities, take a look here.
If you are not from US, you can also find UFC Gyms in other countries:
- Australia
- Bahrain
- Chile
- India
- Mexico
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Russia
- Singapore
- Taiwan
- UAE
- United Kingdom
- Vietnam
UFC Gym Review – The Bottom Line
So, who are UFC Gyms for, exactly? As stated before, UFC Gyms are perfect for beginners, the ones recovering from surgery, looking to get in shape, learn martial arts basics, for youth and female beginners. But if you are in martial arts for years, and want to start competing and turning professional, UFC Gyms might not be the best place for that.
As already mentioned, UFC Gyms have absolutely every imaginable piece of equipment you’d need. It is the perfect place for beginners. The coaches are very well-educated and deliver basics to new students in a very friendly way. If you want to get into the world of martial arts it is an excellent place for you, but, if you want to compete at a higher level, UFC Gyms can help, but they’re not made for that purpose.
One more thing worth noticing is that, as already said, UFC Gyms are a franchise model, meaning that every gym varies from place to place. Some things can be different depending on where you are.
If you are looking to start with MMA for self-defense purposes, take a look at the article I wrote about the best martial arts for self-defense (spoiler alert: MMA ranks really well).
