Top 10 Best MMA Gyms in 2019 for MMA training

#3 Jackson-Wink MMA

Jon Jones captured UFC gold under the guidance of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn

Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Jackson-Wink MMA Academy arguably put the city on the map back in the mid-2000s, as they sent a crazy amount of fighters into the UFC – names like Diego Sanchez, Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans – with the majority of them seeing instant success. That instant success shone a new spotlight onto coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, and soon the gym became the home to some of the world’s best fighters.

Names like Georges St-Pierre, Andrei Arlovski, Nate Marquardt and Jon Jones flocked to Albuquerque for their training and their in-fight gameplans, and while the success continued and Jackson’s reputation soared, some of the originals – such as Sanchez and Evans – were pushed away from the team, changing it massively from its early days.

In 2019, Jackson-Wink MMA is still considered one of the best camps in the world, as their star pupil Jones holds the UFC Light-Heavyweight title while other top-ranked stars like Holly Holm, John Dodson and Michelle Waterson continue to succeed in the UFC.

#4 American Kickboxing Academy

Khabib Nurmagomedov trains under coach Javier Mendez at the American Kickboxing Academy

AKA or the American Kickboxing Academy is another MMA gym that’s been around for years, as it was initially formed by current coach Javier Mendez in the 1980’s before becoming more MMA-based in the mid-1990’s with the involvement of then-UFC champion Frank Shamrock and UFC veteran ‘Crazy’ Bob Cook. And over the years, the San Jose-based camp has gained massive amounts of respect for producing several world-class fighters.

Current UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov spends his time in the US with the team, while former UFC Heavyweight champions Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez were both produced by the gym after arriving as inexperienced amateur wrestlers. Other notable AKA fighters include the likes of Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Luke Rockhold and Josh Thomson.

AKA is perhaps most notable – and has come under criticism over the years – for having its fighters take part in notoriously violent and strenuous sparring sessions, with their training style being blamed for many pre-fight injuries. Judging by their success though, they’re clearly doing something right!