Issue 056
November 2009
Even though there are no team members to take up the slack when you’re in the Octagon, it would be impossible to step in there in the first place without the support of your coaches and sparring partners. We take a look at some of the sport’s top teams
American Top Team
Coconut Creek, Florida
Xtreme Couture
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jackson’s MMA
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Team Quest California
Murrieta, California
Black House
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Wolfslair
Liverpool, England
AKA
San Jose, California
In brief
American Top Team
Once a spin-off of the Brazilian Top Team, ATT have become one of the most powerful teams in MMA.
Xtreme Couture
Randy Couture’s Las Vegas gym is home to some of the sport’s top pro’s, including the Natural himself.
Jackson’s MMA
One of the most famous names in the world, Jackson’s MMA is among the strongest teams, too.
Team Quest California
Dan Henderson’s home gym is one of the three Team Quest locations.
Black House
Black House is the top MMA team in Brazil and home to many top names.
Wolfslair
Britain’s top MMA team, the Wolfslair has more UFC fighters than any other English gym.
AKA
Originally a kickboxing gym, now home to some of the top welterweights in the UFC.
Known for
American Top Team
Having more Brazilians in their ranks than you can shake a stick at.
Xtreme Couture
Being the place to go when you’re in town. Everyone from visiting fighters to tourists drop by.
Jackson’s MMA
Attracting elite athletes from across the US and Canada.
Team Quest California
Containing some of the best wrestlers in MMA – Hendo’s name attracts top talent.
Black House
Being almost entirely black inside, everything from the walls to the punch bags and even the Octagon are black.
Wolfslair
Churning out tough young fighters and attracting big names looking to get serious about their training.
AKA
Turning wrestlers and all-rounders into devastating strikers.
Coaches
American Top Team
Ricardo Liborio, Marcus ‘Conan’ Silveira, Howard Davis Jr, Darrell Gholar, etc.
Xtreme Couture
Shaun Tompkins, Ron Frazier, Jake Bonacci and more.
Jackson’s MMA
Greg Jackson, Mike Winkeljohn.
Team Quest California
Heath Sims, Ricardo Feliciano, Bryan Harper.
Black House
Rogerio Camoes, Sylvio Behring.
Wolfslair
Mario Sukata, Tony Quigley, Dave Jackson.
AKA
Javier Mendez, Bob Cook, Dave Camarillo.
Notable members
American Top Team
Jeff Monson, Thiago Alves, ‘JZ’ Cavalcante, Thiago Silva, Cole Miller, many many more.
Xtreme Couture
Jay Hieron, Mike Pyle, Gray Maynard, Tyson Griffin, Martin Kampmann and more.
Jackson’s MMA
GSP, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Joey Villasenor, Joe Stevenson.
Team Quest California
Dan Henderson, Sokoudjou, Krzysztof Soszynski.
Black House
Anderson Silva, the Nogueira brothers, Rafael Feijao, Lyoto Machida.
Wolfslair
Michael Bisping, Quinton Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Paul Kelly.
AKA
Mike Swick, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Cain Velasquez, Josh Thomson.
Major titles held
American Top Team
WEC 145lb title (Brown), Sengoku middleweight title (Jorge Santiago).JZ won the K-1 HERO’s middleweight tournament.
Xtreme Couture
The UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight titles have both called Xtreme Couture home.
Jackson’s MMA
GSP is UFC 170lb champ, while Rashad held the 205lb belt.
Team Quest California
Henderson formerly held two Pride FC belts.
Black House
Silva and Machida hold the UFC 185lb and 205lb belts respectively.
Wolfslair
None at present.
AKA
Thomson is the Strikeforce lightweight champion.
...
