Issue 162

December 2017

Why fighters from around the world want to Evolve their MMA game.

For years, the same names have been part of the discussion about the top MMA gyms and teams. American Kickboxing Academy, Tristar, American Top Team, Jackson-Wink. They have trained world champions and are home to huge concentrations of some of the best fighters in the world.

Athletes from all over the globe cross continents to spar and sharpen their skills on their mats.

Besides the quality of the fighters and coaches, they have one thing in common: they can all be found in North America.

It’s easy to see why. Iron sharpens iron, and the US and Canada have a huge arsenal.

The number of elite fighters in Brazil has diminished as countless natives migrated north and Japan’s stature has shrunk since the end of Pride. Many areas of Europe are overlooked because of their perceived lack of wrestling pedigree. Thailand too. Russia has everything, but it’s not as accessible for English-speaking athletes. Most athletes only have one area of the world in mind.

There is an exception. A team on an Asian island, just north of the equator, offers everything a fighter needs. They can spar with some of the best Thai strikers to have ever lived, grapple with BJJ black belts from Brazil and grind in a wrestling program with Olympic pedigree – all in one of the world’s most welcoming nations where English is the first language.

The original Evolve MMA gym was opened in Singapore in 2009 by Chatri Sityodtong – who is also the CEO of ONE Championship. It quickly built a roster of trainers without parallel in Asia, including former Team Quest mainstay, Heath Sims, who filled the wrestling-shaped hole in the team and allowed its athletes to get the training required to become one of the pound-for-pound best places to train in the world. Today, it has two more locations, with a fourth on the way, and is home to the most world champions anywhere on Earth.

One of them is Rafael dos Anjos, who says it’s a special place to train: “You have Brazilian jiu-jitsu champions, world-class wrestlers, Muay Thai world champions, boxing champions – so much knowledge. Every time you train, someone gives you a tip. It’s amazing, man, you learn a lot.”

Some of the martial arts luminaries that rub shoulders with ‘RDA’ include MMA titlists from Bellator and ONE, BJJ gold medalists from ADCC and the no-gi worlds, and Muay Thai champions from Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee and Rajadamnern stadiums.

“Whether it’s Olympic caliber wrestling or BJJ from Brazil, you’re getting everything,” says general manager, Will Elliot. “And the best thing about the fight team is they’re mixing it. You’re getting all the Thai badasses in with the BJJ world champions.”

Wrestling Olympian and ONE welterweight champion, Ben Askren, adds: “My time at Evolve is fantastic because they have so many people in different categories. Awesome Muay Thai, awesome jiu-jitsu, and they have wrestling coaches, but that’s the one thing I don’t need that much of. Someone who wants to be great at something is going to take every single thing they can and try to steal it.

“Let’s say there are 10 Muay Thai guys. Not everyone is going to do the same thing. If you watch or listen to them, maybe one is better at clinching, so I’ll learn clinching with him. It’s the same thing with jiu-jitsu. Some guys are better from guard, some are better on top, some from their back, so you try and take what’s best from each person.”

Cynics might dismiss some of the team as mercenaries that have been recruited purely to raise the profile and add some prestige to the gym.

But many of its members such as UFC veteran Brian Ebersole – the new head coach who took over from Sims this year – and eight-time ADCC BJJ champion Michelle Nicolini live and train permanently in Singapore.

It’s true dos Anjos doesn’t live next door or practice full-time at one of the facilities, but he does train on a seasonal basis and has done since the start of his UFC career, when he still had a losing record. While his relationship with Rafael Cordeiro may have got the headlines when he won the top prize at 155lb, the current welterweight contender also credits his time in Singapore for his transformation into one of the best fighters in the world as well.

“When I first went to Evolve, I was a jiu-jitsu fighter,” he says. “It was in 2009 and I lived there for three months. Since then, I go once or twice a year. I wish it could be closer to me so I could go there more often, but Evolve helped me to take the next step in my stand-up game. I feel like I was one guy before I went to Evolve and I’m another guy now. That was the place I fell in love with stand-up and Muay Thai. It’s been almost nine years and it’s been a great journey.

“The training there helped me become who I am today. To see guys that are world champions – the way they are training, the way they move... To train among the best stand-up guys in the world, you get so much knowledge and it’s the nicest place I’ve ever trained. So many world champions in the same room is amazing.”

Some of the Thais are having a similar experience. After reaching the pinnacle of their homeland’s national sport, they’re developing their grappling and transitioning to the cage. Mixed martial arts is growing in the home of the art of eight limbs, and ONE Championship is keen to showcase their skills to the world.

Former strawweight champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke (three-time Lumpinee champion with 282 career wins) and Sagetdao Petpayathai (four-time Lumpinee champion, one-time Rajdamnern champion, 162 wins) have already made the transition to MMA.

“These are probably the most legit Muay Thai fighters that have ever crossed over to MMA,” he says with awe. “Kru Sagetdao is training in our BJJ and wrestling program twice a day. He has seven world titles belts and now he’s training MMA seriously, and he’s already fighting.” He’s now 2-0 as a pro in the cage.

Add in several more retired legends with unbelievable records – Sam-A Gaiyanghadao’s is 364-46-9 – who are on board as instructors, and there’s probably more knowledge of elbows, knees, punches and kicks than anywhere outside Thailand.

In fact, Evolve says its coaches have more than 1,000 years of experience combined.

As the hub of world-class MMA in the region, the combat education on offer doesn’t even stop with the dozens of men and women Evolve lists as its team of instructors. Greg Jackson, John Danaher and Eddie Bravo are among the international naems who have visited the gym to instruct and do seminars.

These names rarely visit Asia, never mind just Singapore, so they attract talent that’s within half a day’s flight. Bravo’s week-long 10th Planet World Camp attracted 60 grapplers from countries including Belgium, Malaysia, China and Saudi Arabia, as well as Hawaiian Bellator strawweight, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

“It’s guys from local clubs and guys training at Thai camps who’re going to come over, as well as other aspiring mixed martial artists from around the region,” adds Elliot.

The team is also bringing through a new generation, too. The star name among them is ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee. She was recruited as a teenager and moved over from Hawaii with her brother, Christian, for fight camps as she started her professional career.

“At the time, I’d never been away from home, so it was a big step for us,” she tells. “I’m really glad though. I love it here, it’s like my second family. It’s been great. The people here are so friendly and awesome to work with and they’ve really done a great job helping me with the media and marketing side we weren’t able to do before. It’s definitely taken off and I’m amazed and grateful for everything.”

She has already won the ONE world title and become a huge superstar thanks to her Singaporean heritage on her father’s side and the fact she fights out of the city-state.

She’s also only 21, meaning she’s only likely to get better under the tutelage of so many masters.

“The learning potential is endless,” she adds. “We just want to continue learning, upgrading our skills. We learn something new every day. Right now, we’re barely at 50%, so I’m really excited to see what’s in store in the next year. Three to five years? Who knows?”

A team of coaches with unfathomable experience, a group of world-class athletes and an expanding portfolio of some of the best facilities in the entire Eastern Hemisphere have put Evolve on the map and marked it out as arguably the best gym in Asia.

The talent actually matches all the hyperbole and ambition it has presented to the world, and it’s only likely to get stronger as mixed martial arts continues to catch on in Southeast Asia.

WORLD'S GREATEST BOSS

Every business has an office party at the end of the year, but one look at Evolve’s will make your jaw hit the floor. Last year, Chatri Sityodtong dropped half a million dollars to take the entire team to the Maldives.

He explains why: “The vast majority of my team comes from a humble background of poverty, tragedy, and/or adversity. As someone who survived on $4 a day in poverty, I have not forgotten my past. It is why our pay structure is the highest in the world – bar none. Our top instructors can earn up to $15,000 a month. Our top fighters can earn even more. The same goes for the rest of our top staff. For them, Evolve is the greatest opportunity to escape poverty and to achieve the life of their dreams.

“As a small token of appreciation, I take my entire team at Evolve every year on an all-expenses-paid trip to a luxury resort at a surprise destination. Over the years, we have blessed some of the most beautiful places like Bali, Krabi, Khao Lak and Bintan with our craziness.

As a leader, I believe in expressing my sincerity and gratitude through my actions.”

TRIP TO THE WOODSHED

Some people like to spend their vacation on a beach. Others like to see the sights of a city break. This gym is all about bringing tourists in for its Evolve Vacations, where trainees can take classes in any and every martial art and practice alongside some of the best fighters in the world, or even join its fighters program if you’re good enough.

Singapore is a diverse, safe and accessible place. There are worse places to spend a week – or three months – but with a tropical rainforest climate all year round and some hard training, expect to sweat, a lot.