Issue 148

December 2016

With the Octagon finally set to return to New York, we sent our scouts out to locate the finest face-punching, elbow-cracking, neck-choking facilities in and around the Empire State. Can you dig it?

MANHATTAN

The beating heart of the Big Apple, it's also the home to some of New York's most established and successful martial arts facilities.

  • RONIN ATHLETICS

Location: Midtown West 255 W 36th St,

Notable instructor: Christian Montes,

Seminars: Megumi Fuji, Ryan Hall, Erik Paulson

With a combined martial arts knowledge of 40 years, the gym caters well for white belts and MMA beginners but the team has big aspirations staffng specialist coaches in all areas.

  • RADICAL MMA NYC

Location: Chelsea 235 W 29th St,

Notable instructor: Rene Dreifuss,

Known by the regulars as ‘The Rat Cave’, this basement gym was a mainstay of NYC’s MMA scene throughout the dark years and is now home to dozens of prospects.

A regular corner in the Underground Combat League (UCL), it’s an NYC MMA pioneer.



  • MARCELO GARCIA ACADEMY

Location: Chelsea 250 W 26th St

Notable instructors: Marcelo Garcia

Regulars: Demian Maia, the world’s best BJJ fighters

The go-to spot for MMA’s elite to train jiu-jitsu in NYC. Garcia is arguably the greatest BJJ competitor in the world today.

  • THE WAT MUAY THAI

Location: Tribeca 291 Broadway

Notable instructor: Phil Nurse

Regulars: Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar

British-born Kru Phil Nurse opened his first gym in NYC in 1995 and is credited with bringing Muay Thai to the city.

Named after the Thai word for Temple, The Wat is the best place to throw elbows in Manhattan.

  • RENZO GRACIE ACADEMY

Location: Chelsea 224 W 30th St

Notable Instructors: Renzo Gracie, John Danaher, Rolles Gracie

Regulars: Georges St-Pierre, Rafael Natal, Gunnar Nelson, Roy Nelson, Liam McGeary, Rory MacDonald

Home of the ‘Danaher death squad’, the leg lock masters taking BJJ by storm. This is one of the most competitive mats on Earth.

  • EVOLUTION MUAY THAI

Location: Flatiron 12 W 27th St

Notable instructors: Brandon Levi, Gene Kobilansky, Garry St Leger

Regular: Angela Hill

Much more than just a Muay Thai academy, Evolution boasts a strong line-up of coaches to cater for all MMA technique and training requirements. Another mainstay of the once-underground NYC scene.

  • TIGER SCHULMANN'S MARTIAL ARTS

Location: Chelsea 688 6th Ave

Regulars: Jimmie Rivera, Lyman Good, Urijah Hall, Louis Gaudinot

Originally a karate gym, Tiger’s now has 52 facilities across five states establishing itself as one of the nation’s most respected martial arts schools.




  • MUSHIN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Location: Greenwich Village 785th Ave

Notable Instructor: Erik Owings

Regulars: Georges St-Pierre, Kenny Florian, Gunnar Nelson

This is one gym that comes very highly recommended. It’s a private dojo where classes must be booked in advance. Professor Owings was the designer of GSP’s Rushfit DVD conditioning system.

LONG ISLAND

With gyms and fighters in abundance, there's far more than beautiful beaches just a short ride from Penn Station.

  • UFC GYM LONG ISLAND

Location: New Hyde Park 2020 Jericho Turnpike.

Home of DUT (daily ultimate training), the UFC Gym franchise is everywhere on the East Coast. It offers training for every level and features plenty of regular guest appearances and seminars.

  • BROOKLYN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Location: Brooklyn 5012 Avenue N

Notable Instructors: Terry Gold, Phillipe Nover

Seminars: Luke Rockhold, Todd Duffee, Ryan LaFlare

‘Team Terry’ has a family atmosphere. While the gym isn’t home to many big-name athletes, it does regularly host seminars from the planet’s leading mixed martial artists, bringing the very best to Brooklyn.




  • LONG ISLAND MMA

Location: Farmingdale 590 Smith Street

Notable instructors: Greg DePasquale, Ryan LaFlare, Dennis Bermudez, Herman Williams

Regulars: Ryan LaFlare, Dennis Bermudez, Chris Wade, Marcos Galvao,

Set up by UFC stars LaFlare and Bermudez, the gym is home to a catalogue of future stars with the pro team mats full every night of the week.

  • SERRA BJJ

Location: Levittown 2949 Hempstead Turnpike

Notable instructor: Matt Serra

Regulars: Chris Weidman, Al Iaquinta, Aljamain Sterling

With two locations in Long Island, there really is no excuse not to roll on the mats at Serra’s. The Renzo Gracie black belt also has regular seminars from some of BJJ and MMA’s most accomplished athletes.

  • LAW MMA

Location: Garden City 1 Commercial Ave

Notable instructors: Ray Longo, Pete Sell

Regulars: Chris Weidman, Al Iaquinta, Gian Villante, Aljamain Sterling, Eddie Gordon

Longo and Weidman’s home gym naturally breeds world-class strikers and grapplers. Designed to the specs of the former UFC middleweight champion, as Longo says, you train hard or go home.

NEW JERSEY

OK, so we know this ain't New York, but the Jersey boys are just across the water and know how to roll hard.

  • MILLER BROTHERS MMA

Location: Sparta 22 Gail Street

Notable Instructors: Dan and Jim Miller, Nick Avalos

Regular: Mickey Gall

Home to UFC brothers Dan and Jim, unsurprisingly this place is very popular. Offering great standup and outstanding grappling training, you won’t go far wrong with a session here.



  • FIGHT AND FITNESS MMA

Location: Garwood 300 South Ave

Notable Instructors: Ailson ‘Jucao’ Brites, Duke Roufus

Seminars: Anthony Pettis

The East Coast extension of the Roufusport Academy, you can often catch Duke himself holding pads here. While across the gym legendary fifth-degree BJJ black belt ‘Jucao’ regularly holds court on the mats.

  • RICARDO ALMEIDA BJJ

Location: Robbinsville 380 Corporate Blvd

Notable Instructor: Ricardo Almeida

Regulars: Frankie Edgar

Former UFC fighter and acclaimed jiu-jitsu champion Almeida has one of the best reputations in the world when it comes to teaching the ground game.

  • AMERICAN TOP TEAMS NJ

Location: Jackson 21 South Hope Chapel Road

Notable Instructors: Eric Alders

Testimonials: Cole Miller, Rich Attonito

The New Jersey residence of the renowned ATT camp that started down in Coconut Creek, Florida. Based out of The Karate Dojo in Jackson, the affiliate club is a hotbed of talent across a spectrum of martial arts.

  • NICK CATONE MMA & FITNESS

Location: Brick 1930 Rt. 88

Notable Instructor: Nick Catone, Frankie Perez, Corey Anderson

Regulars: Frankie Edgar, Edson Barboza, Eddie Alvarez, Jimy Hettes, Marlon Moraes

Former UFC middleweight Catone quit competing in 2013 to open one of Jersey’s premier facilities. The gym is a regular haunt for UFC stars both coaching and training.

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