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MMA gyms play a crucial role in molding fighters and getting them ready to beat the best in the world. While there are tons of MMA gyms across the globe, only a few have earned a reputation for being the absolute best. Some gyms have been in the sport for years and even decades, feeding top-tier athletes to top-ranked MMA promotions in the world.
The easiest way to determine whether an MMA gym is good is to look for the renowned coaching staff and fighters present there.
Some MMA gyms have figured out the formula for success and they continue to be a factory for manufacturing skilled MMA athletes and the go-to place for established combat sports superstars.
Here, we look at the top five MMA gyms with a star-studded roster:
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#5. Alliance MMA
The Alliance MMA gym is one of the top-ranked MMA coaching institutes in the world. Located in San Diego, California, it is home to several athletes who have found success in top MMA promotions such as the UFC, WEC, Invicta FC, and Bellator. The Alliance MMA gym was founded in 2007 by former ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera and Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Lloyd Irvin.
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Brandon Vera is a former UFC fighter and a former WEC heavyweight grand prix champion. He no longer runs the gym, and is currently signed with ONE Championship. Lloyd Irvin, the co-founder of The Alliance MMA gym, is a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a former World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion.
Alliance MMA is home to some of the top-ranked mixed martial artists in the world. Currently run by head coach Eric Del Fierro, the gym houses top-tier athletes. UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, former UFC, WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, MMA legend Phil Davis, former light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson, and Bellator fighter Cat Zingano all train at Alliance MMA.
Two-time former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz believes Alliance MMA is one of the best gyms in the world and that it helped make San Diego a hot spot for jiu-jitsu. He said:
"More than anything, jiu-jitsu is the culture out here that probably really grew and built. People crossed over from the jiu-jitsu world into mixed martial arts and kind of seeped into the sport."
#4. Sanford MMA gym
Sanford MMA is currently one of the top-ranked gyms in the world. In 2017, Greg Jones and Henri Hooft founded Hard Knocks 365, based in Florida. However, it was acquired by Sanford Health in 2019 as part of a sponsorship deal. The gym was later rebranded as Sanford MMA.
The gym received a lot of investment. Facilities were upgraded and a clinic was built adjacent to the venue. Many of Sanford MMA's fighters are signed with the biggest promotions.
It is one of the most star-studded MMA gyms in the world, having trained fighters like Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, Michael Chandler, Robbie Lawler, Luke Rockhold, and Vitor Belfort.
Henri Hooft talks about Kamaru Usman leaving Sanford MMA:
#3. Jackson-Wink MMA
Greg Jackson founded the Jackson-Wink MMA academy in 1992 as Jackson's MMA academy. However, the name was later changed to Jackson-Wink MMA, perhaps with the addition of Mike Winkeljohn. The MMA gym is highly reputed for producing and training superstar athletes. Diego Sanchez, Keith Jardine, and Rashad Evans are a few of the superstar names associated with the gym.
It was due to the success enjoyed by the aforementioned MMA athletes, Jackson-Wink MMA became one of the most popular attractions in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It has now become one of the most successful MMA gyms, having trained fighters like Jon Jones, Holly Holm, Michelle Waterson, and Mike Perry.
Celebrity fighters such as Georges St-Pierre and Andrei Arlovski were also known to frequent Jackson-Wink MMA back in the day. It is today considered to be one of the most respectable MMA gyms in the world.
#2. American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)
Javier Mendez founded the American Kickboxing Academy in the 1980s. It was originally known for kickboxing but later transformed into an MMA gym with the emergence of the sport. Over the years, AKA has become a highly reputed training facility and one of the most star-studded MMA gyms in the world, boasting extremely successful UFC fighters.
Based in San Jose, California, AKA is known for training some of the best wrestlers and turning them into better strikers. They also make fighters who prefer a standup battle feel comfortable on the ground. Perhaps one of the very first stars to join AKA was former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier.
AKA has trained former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and now houses some of the best Dagestani wrestlers like Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov and Abubakr Nurmagomedov.
Other notable UFC fighters to have trained at AKA are Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, Kevin Holland and Leon Edwards.
#1. American Top Team (ATT)
American Top Team is probably one of the largest MMA gyms in the world. It was founded by Dan Lambert and some senior members of the Brazilian Top Team in 2001. Over the past two decades, the academy has earned quite much praise from global MMA circles.
The coaching unit's dedication and knowledge has turned American Top Team into a global brand with over 40 affiliates. The main headquarters of ATT is in Coconut Creek, Florida, with dorms available for pro fighters to reside in during training camps.
Coaches such as Din Thomas and Mike Brown have earned American Top Team its credibility, along with the rate at which the MMA gym produces top-tier fighters. Many of the MMA athletes training at ATT have gone on to compete in major promotions like the UFC, Pride FC, Rizin FF, Strikeforce and Bellator.
UFC stars such as Dustin Poirier, Amanda Nunes, Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, Yoel Romero, and Joanna Jędrzejczyk - have all trained at American Top Team at some point in their careers.
