UFC Gym Review – Is It Good or bad?

If you’re serious about training MMA, or just want a place to lift weights then you may have heard about UFC gyms. Similarly, you may even have a local UFC gym in your town. So, what is a UFC gym and how does it work? This and many other questions will be answered below so keep reading to find more out.

What is a UFC gym and how is it different from regular gyms?

A UFC gym is a gym that is franchised under the UFC name. The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is the world’s most famous MMA organization and is known globally. Basically, you can set up a UFC gym with enough money and use the branding to promote your own gym as you wish. Typically, a UFC gym will have the standard red and black colors that the company uses as well as the logos and other promotional materials.

Most UFC gyms will have a section of the gym that regular gym-goers can use. In this sense, it’s no different to a standard weight and cardio gym that has weight machines and treadmills. Perhaps in your average UFC gym, roughly 50% of the floor space will be dedicated to this area. With this in mind, you will find all sorts of people using UFC gyms, from housewives to pensioners – this part of the gym is really no different from any other.

The part that separates most UFC gyms from others though is the MMA section. Typically, UFC gyms will also have the remaining 50% or so dedicated to martial arts. It’s not uncommon to see hanging boxing bags, an MMA cage or a Brazillian Jiu JItsu or wrestling mat. This is where fighters and martial artists can come in and train whilst people elsewhere lift weights and run.

Can you train both?

The answer to this question is typically ‘yes’. That means, if you’re an MMA fighter, you can go in and train MMA and then use a rowing machine after. Usually, this will be built into the contract. In some cases, it may be possible to get a discount if you sign up solely for the regular gym stuff with no intention of using it as a martial arts gym.

What are the skill levels of UFC gym instructors?

This varies from place to place and although it’s a franchise, no UFC gym is the same. Generally though, there are some background checks on who can teach the combat sports which makes sense. Typically you’ll find a black belt teaching the grappling, or a skilled boxer teaching the striking. With this said, it’s not likely that you’ll have any fake black belts or charlatan boxing coaches, as there’s typically a level of due diligence involved before they’re employed.

A different way of viewing things is to imagine it’s not a UFC gym, but a regular MMA gym that also has weights and cardio training. At these places, they will usually know local guys that can come in and teach. In short, there’s often very little between a UFC and MMA gym in terms of quality but as said earlier, it really depends on where you go. Like all gyms and businesses, some will be far better than others.

Are there UFC gyms near me?

According to figures, since UFC gyms went live in 2009, there’s over 150 of them around the world. This means, there’s almost one UFC gym for every country on the map. Having said this, the bulk of these gyms are situated in the USA which makes sense. Therefore, if you live in the USA, there’s a chance that you live near a UFC gym. However, it also means that if you live in smaller countries in the world where MMA isn’t as mainstream, then the likelihood is that you won’t be training at one anytime soon.

The good news is though, that UFC gyms are constantly expanding and moving into new territories. For instance, since retiring ex-UFC champion Mike Bisping has opened many of his own UFC gyms including a few in his own country of England in 2019 as well as in the USA. Therefore, the landscape of UFC gyms may look different over the next 10 years.

Is there sparring at UFC gyms?

The answer to this question is once again dependent on what gym you end up at. Some gyms may focus more on drilling, whereas others may be like any other regular MMA gym. In other words, it’s probably best to check it out beforehand. With that said, most UFC gyms will offer sparring as it is MMA after all. For instance, if you wanted to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then you could expect to do some rolling.

The question is, will it be 5 minutes or 35 minutes and that is entirely dependent on what the teacher has in mind. In other words, like most places it really depends on the philosophy and the preference of the instructor. However, for the most part UFC gyms will involve sparring.

Is a UFC gym membership worth it?

This is a very important question, and it depends on your own priorities. On the one hand, the equipment at UFC gyms is usually state of the art and well maintained. It’s also typically a lot cheaper than other gyms when breaking down the monthly contract. This means if you’re on a budget, then a UFC gym is a fantastic option. Further, if you’re only using the gym for its weights and cardio exercises, then it’s still a very good deal.

Perhaps the biggest issue with UFC gyms is the lack of specialization, but again this differs from place to place. For example, your local UFC gym may offer only 3 boxing classes per week. If you’re serious about having an MMA career then this may be too little. The same goes for other classes such as BJJ and wrestling. Having said this, for most people this amount of training is more than enough and you can still develop good skills under this training frequency.

Can you crosstrain at other UFC gyms for free?

Let’s say you’re signed up to a UFC gym on the west coast of USA and want to train at a UFC gym on the east coast for a week during a vacation. A question commonly asked is whether you can cross train at the other gym for free. The answer to this is no. In other words, it’s best to treat your own UFC gym like a regular gym, meaning you would have to pay if you decided to train at a different UFC gym.

Conclusion

Overall, if you’re looking at joining your local UFC gym then it’s certainly worth giving it a try. Sometimes, people can appear too elitist when looking at UFC gyms as they’re a franchise – and sometimes people associate franchises with compromised quality. However, as outlined the nature of these gyms is more complex than this and every place is different with its own quirks and uniqueness.

As mentioned, UFC gyms are certainly worth considering if you’re trying out MMA or just want to train weights at a fairly cheap price. However, for more serious mixed martial artists, the smaller curriculum may be off-putting. In conclusion, UFC gyms are generally held to decent standards and are pretty much what they say they are. With this said, feel free to check out your local UFC gym and see for yourself. For more information, check out the official UFC gym website here.