Mixed Martial Arts is one of the fastest growing sports on Earth. It’s a popular sport that has been gaining more and more fans with each passing day, even with those who don’t train. As a combination of martial art styles, MMA has been helping people to achieve their true potential, whether through improving their lives and fitness to becoming disciplined and a better person. The question, however, is where do people go to train MMA in the UK. In this article, we’ll look at some of the best MMA gyms in the UK.
Team Kaobon, Liverpool
Team Kaobon is perhaps one of the most well-known MMA gyms in England at the moment, with the likes of UFC fighters Darren Till, Tom Aspinall, and Mike Grundy calling the gym home. Team Kaobon has a history of producing top tier talent, including the likes of Paul Sass and Terry Etim. Coaches at the gym include owner, Colin Heron, who was taught Muay Thai by Master Sken; Andy Aspinall, father of fighter Tom Aspinall and BJJ Black Belt, as well as Japanese Ju-Jitsu black belt under Sensei Alan Francis of Leigh Ju-Jitsu; Shane Rigby, an accomplished wrestling coach and British wrestling champion with numerous Commonwealth medals under his belt; Luta Livre coach Marcelo Brigadeiro, who’s a seven-times winner of the Rio de Janeiro State Championship of Submission; and Juddas Clottey, boxing coach and former All African Welterweight Champion, with 45 wins in 59 fights under his belt.
Next Generation MMA, Liverpool
Home to Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann and Chris Fishgold, Next Generation MMA is another gym in Liverpool known for creating exciting fighters and grapplers. Whether it’s dominating at BJJ events or MMA fights, Next Generation have the X factor when it comes to producing talent. With BJJ, MMA, Thai Boxing and Boxing classes available, the gym offers tuition in various styles to improve your striking or ground game, for a fully-rounded MMA experience. Run by Paul Rimmer, the gym is the oldest mixed martial arts club in Liverpool.
Spirit Dojo, Nottingham
Run by one of the greatest British MMA fighters and kickboxers, Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley, Spirit Dojo provides a range of martial arts classes including Muay Thai, kickboxing and BJJ. Daley also delivers his own hybrid system of MMA, incorporating wrestling, kickboxing, western boxing and BJJ in order to create a well-rounded fighter who’s able to strike, grapple, takedown and submit. With almost 20 years of MMA fight experience under his belt under promotions such as UFC, Cage Rage, BAMMA, Strikeforce and Bellator, Daley provides a unique insight and teachings which will be valuable to anyone looking to train or compete in MMA.
Shore Mixed Martial Arts, Aberbeeg
Owned by head coach Richard Shore, Shore Mixed Martial Arts is one of the best MMA gyms in Wales with a wealth of history thanks to BJJ 2nd degree black belt and Ju-Jutsu 2nd dan black belt Shore and the gym’s previous incarnation, Tillery Combat Academy. UFC fighters Jack Marshman and Jack Shore, and Bellator fighters Brett Johns and Scott Pederson are just a few of the notable MMA fighters who train at SMMA. Coaching at the club is delivered by Richard Shore, who is joined by BJJ and Judo black belt Carl Parker; former MMA fighter and multiple BJJ British champion Daryl James who also holds a black belt in BJJ and Kickboxing; former AKA Thai Boxing coach, Kru Hehm, who’s had over 120 pro Thai fights; multiple national Judo champion Harri Evans; and strength and conditioning coach, Curtis Haile, who has a BSC in Sports Psychology and HND in Sports Science. With classes including gi and no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Muay Thai and boxing, striking and grappling disciplines are covered for anyone looking to get involved in MMA.
London Shootfighters, London
Established in 1994, London Shootfighters is an elite gym that has a long history of producing world-class fighters and champions, including Bellator MMA fighters Michael Venom Page and Alfie Davis. Run by brothers Alexis and Marios Demetriades and Paul Ivens, the gym caters for many different tastes, with disciplines including Muay Thai, kickboxing, BJJ and wrestling – a variety of styles that provide the striking and grappling framework needed for MMA.
Scottish Hit Squad, Coatbridge
With coach Brian Gallacher at the helm, Scottish Hit Squad boasts a passionate, young fight team as well as being the home of UFC fighter Paul Craig and MMA fighters including Chris Bungard, Damon Donald, Igor Wojitas and Michael Blair. With BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA and Wrestling on the menu, there’s plenty for aspiring MMA fighters to get involved in at the gym. Make sure to check out Scottish Hit Squad, one of the best MMA gyms in Scotland.
Great Britain Top Team, London
With a notable Head Coach in the form of former UFC fighter and British MMA pioneer, Brad “One Punch” Pickett, Great Britain Top Team is a gym that prides itself on its diverse martial arts programme that nurtures up and coming MMA talent. It already has an impressive roster of professional MMA fighters, including Nathaniel Wood and Ashley Grimshaw, who both coach at the club too in MMA and BJJ respectively, as well as fighters Claire Lopez, Bellator champ Dominique Wooding, Cage Warriors’ Kingsley Crawford and Charlotte McIntyre to name just a few. With such a lively amateur and professional MMA fight team, I have no doubt that GBTT will continue to grow as one of the leading MMA teams in the UK.
If you enjoyed reading this, why not take a look at our list of the Best MMA Gyms in the World.
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