329 W 18th St Unit 405, Chicago, IL 60616, USA
Top rated MMA and fitness gym located near the South Loop of Chicago. Start your FREE trial today to learn the fundamentals of mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Our classes also incorporate HIIT style workouts to get you in the best shape of your life.
The gym, the coaches, and the people who train are what make this a great atmosphere. You’ll walk in, in goods with Coach Sean and Karla. When I started, Coach Karla was patient with me as I was learning the ropes of MMA. She has been a tremendous influence in my fitness and MMA journey. As I kept showing up, I only kept getting better and better. If you’re on the fence on starting MMA, please do yourself the favor and start! The first step is always the hardest.
Posted 7 months ago
Coming from a weight lifting background, I always wanted to be able to gain functional strength and learn how to defend myself. First day I walked in this gym, I instantly appreciated the demeanor of the coaches & students and the humbleness. I was pushed to my limits and was able to see what I was capable of with the guidance of Coach Karla! It’s unlike any other sport I’ve done before and the sense of accomplishment I feel afterwards puts me on cloud nine. I love this gym and couldn’t help but sign up. Coach Karla and Sean are very experienced in MMA and pay great attention to detail to their students to make sure they learn. I highly recommended this to my friends, family and anyone else that wants to learn how to fight/defend themselves.
Posted 10 months ago
From the first time I stepped into it I knew I was gonna be in good hands. Coach Karla has been very helpful, and patient. She will work with you until you get it and get you ready for the advance classes. You'll get two free classes as try outs if you want to join. Definitely worth a shot to feel the vibes of such an amazing team
Posted 8 months ago
TLDR: Nice students, TERRIBLE instructors. Like this is the bullshido of MMA. The good: The students were friendly, humble, and welcoming. Truly awesome and diverse group of people. The bad: Let's start with Karla. Really all you need is the screenshots of the texts I attached. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt, and assuming she was genuinely trying to be nice over text, however when I met her in person she put on a fake smile, and I could tell she didn't want me there. After checking me in, she never spoke to me again. Since Karla didn't respond to my last text, when I showed up to the industrial building the gym was in, I didn't know where to go. Luckily, one of the students was outside and escorted me inside. You need a code to get into the building. Then go up four floors and down a hall to even find the gym. Clearly, Karla didn't want me there. I continued to try to be overly nice and appreciative that I was able to come train. Last thing about Karla. She sat on her butt up against the wall and "taught" an armbar from S mount. The student was doing literally everything wrong, and she didn't correct him or get up and demonstrate. The only thing Sean, the owner and head coach, said to me was at the end of class when everyone lined up. I went up by the brown belts, who were instructed to put their belts on even though no gi jiujitsu was done, and stood in line. Sean said, "For this class, you go to the back of the line." This is where the bullshido comes in. I observed Sean attempt to teach an escape from half guard to an armbar from turtle. It was a horrible technique. The "sparring" class was just technique. There was no sparring. Craziest thing I've ever seen was their belt system. Twelve stripes on a belt. You read that right. Twelve to be promoted to the next belt. One for each month of training. So you can be a black belt in five years. I've been training for 11 and a half years and still have a brown belt. Their belt testing consists of burpees, push ups, a couple techniques, and other fitness related tasks. Like what are you doing??? Their students are actually competing in MMA! With that kind of coaching, it's dangerous. Now to why I gave two stars instead of one. It comes back to the students. They are getting into shape, and they are HAPPY. They don't know any better, but to them they've found a "good" place to train. It gives them purpose and camaraderie. That's worth a star. FYI: When I have guests in my gym that have great credentials, I don't get scared and try to keep them away. I welcome them with open arms and try to learn something from them. Cross training is one of the best things for a MMA or BJJ gym. In response🙄: Do you think that people don't know how to go to mixedmartialarts.com and look at my record😂? Nice try. 1-0 as a pro. 9-5 as an amateur. 3-1 kickboxing. The kickboxing doesn't show up, but my last one is on YouTube anyway.
Posted 6 months ago
Its one thing becoming knowledgeable & owning your craft here, but its another thing when you're able to do so in a loving/supportive environment. A home a away from home for sure. You're dumb if you dont give it a try. But thats just one girls opinion 😊
Posted 1 month ago
