If you’re looking for an MMA gym in Miami, look no further.
Here are some of the best gyms currently available, including information on what sets them apart.
While this gym doesn’t sound like an MMA location at first glance, it offers a surprisingly robust program. It specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kickboxing as well as general self-defense and other styles. It features spacious work areas, modern equipment, and enough current students to help you spar and practice with people besides the head instructors.
Carlson Gracie Miami is likely to be an excellent choice if you’re looking for a newcomer-friendly gym. They have some promotions and options for free trials and introductory lessons, which can be a great way to see if a gym is a good fit for your needs.
Carlson Gracie itself is run by a former MMA fighter/trainer, with experience raising champion-level fighters. Experience matters, regardless of the level you want to train to, so this is easily an MMA gym Miami residents should consider attending.
The main downside to this gym is that it’s more expensive than many competitors. The instructors and location are top-quality, but that comes at a literal cost. Consider going to one of the other gyms on this list if getting a membership is likely to be an issue for you.
Overall Rating: 5/5
Set closer to the ocean than some other schools, the Valente Brothers Jiu-Jitsu Coral Gables is a flexible school teaching various styles. The daily schedule is divided into different classes, usually ranging from 45 minutes to an hour, with a full calendar available on their website.
This gym particularly emphasizes classes for children, making it a great school to look at if you’re trying to get younger members into an MMA gym. However, while they have many classes for kids, adults are generally welcome at the sparring and teaching classes that usually happen in the evening.
The Valente Brothers school also focuses more on self-defense than other activities. This means it may be a good gym if you’re looking to improve yourself, but you should look at somewhere like Carlson Gracie Miami if you’re trying to find competitive instruction.
The focus on kids’ classes is both a benefit and an issue for this school. They’re excellent at that, but it also means the schedule can’t be as flexible for adults. It’s not a big deal if you can keep your evenings free, but keep their schedule in mind if yours is uncertain.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Fight Sports Miami is another jiu-jitsu school, which you’ll see a lot of in MMA circles. Outside of that sport, it also offers lessons in wrestling, judo, and capoeira, as well as general self-defense. One place this school stands apart is in teaching No-Gi jiu-jitsu, which is better for self-defense since it doesn’t rely on outfits in the same way.
This is a generally welcoming gym, with dedicated classes for both women and children who want to participate in them. It is a relatively competitive school, with a focus on regular sparring and rigorous instruction. It also offers outstanding instructors, most of whom have extensive competitive experience and credentials.
Notably, Fight Sports itself is run by Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu, a five-time world champion in the Super-Heavyweight division. This gym has an active competition team, which makes it particularly good if you’re looking for a way to break into the sport and engage at the professional level.
This school welcomes newcomers, but there’s a lot of focus on the competition here. That makes it better for applicants who want to participate in tournaments all around the world, but you might find it a little much if you’re looking for more casual or self-defense-oriented lessons.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Now here’s a gym with an ambitious name. It mostly lives up to it, too, with a variety of classes including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, and Kickboxing. Most specific sports have classes several days a week, about one hour each. That can be a little on the low side if you’re looking for competitive training, but they are consistent.
This is also one of the largest gyms you’ll find in the area, including a fully-stocked weight room and a large martial arts area. Courses range from introductory cardio to tactical police training, which means plenty of variety if you come at different times.
This gym is open to applicants of all skill levels, but you’ll probably be better off here if you’re already in shape and looking for somewhere to hone your skills. If you aren’t particularly used to visiting gyms, you may have a challenging time making the most of this facility.
One good thing is that you can get help creating a customized workout plan. That does come at a cost, though, as you’ll need to get one of their upper-level monthly plans for access to just one of their martial arts programs. They do have an MMA-focused program but expect to pay more if you want a dedicated class for BJJ, Muay Thai, or something else.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
WMB Training Center is easily one of the most flexible gyms in Miami, claiming 47 world champions so far in different sports. Their main categories include MMA, BJJ, Boxing/Kickboxing, and Kids’ Martial Arts classes, with specific classes covering everything from women’s self-defense to bullying prevention.
The WMB Training Center focuses on a small teacher-to-student ratio and keeping people of similar ages close together, which helps with overall training. They also teach some skills and techniques that other schools don’t, including Greco-Roman wrestling and Judo.
Children do especially well here thanks to the understanding and experienced coaches, but adults are also welcome in different classes.
One thing to keep in mind here is that the school is relatively far south in Miami. Most MMA gyms cluster close to the Miami Beach area, but this center is much further away than usual. That’s nice if you live nearby, but the distance could be a problem if you live on the northern side of the area.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Arena Combat Sports is a dedicated MMA facility with two distinctive segments Monday to Friday, and extra midday classes on Saturday. The morning block is by appointment and provides an open format for personal instruction, while the evening slots have an hour each of instruction in areas like Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Boxing, followed by open sparring.
This is a comparatively small gym compared to some of the other facilities on this list, with a more tight-knit community in their training area. The school itself is moderately competitive, attending local tournaments and doing reasonably well. It hasn’t produced as many champions as some other schools, but that’s not a problem if you’re going mainly for fitness.
One of the good things about attending a smaller school is that it’s generally much easier to get personalized instruction from the teachers. ACS also runs regular camps for kids, which makes them somewhat easier to try out than other schools.
We can’t recommend this location quite as much as some of the other MMA gyms in the Miami area. It’s not a bad school by any stretch of the imagination, especially if you’re looking for a close community, but there are better options available if you’re looking for professional-grade training.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Freestyle Fighting Academy is a relatively large, competition-focused gym. Some members of this gym have gone into major MMA tournaments within just a few years, which includes a testament to the efficiency of their training methods.
One of the main things that stands out here is the personal interview process. FFA discusses each student’s goals and reasons for joining, complete with a fitness test so you can measure your progress and performance. This creates a long-term record that instructors can use to help inform personalized workout advice.
This school also works well for applicants of any age and fitness level, with a particular emphasis on getting into shape. They also have in-depth lessons on kickboxing, wrestling, and submission grappling. All of the head instructors have titles from major tournaments, too, which is great to see.
FFA is quite confident in its credentials, offering 30 days free and another 60 days with a money-back guarantee. That’s great by itself, but what helps this school stand out is that it’s open 24 hours a day. Many other gyms have more limited hours, which can be hard to fit into your schedule. Sadly, the top instructors can’t be there 24/7, but every bit helps.
Overall Rating: 4/5
There are many MMA gym options in Miami, but as discussed in this article, each of them have diverse features.
Even the most stellar gyms may be an excellent choice for some people and not for others. So, when selecting your next gym, make sure you consider your schedule, how personalized the service is, and the general difficulty of the classes.
If you’re looking for gyms in various areas or want to enhance your own business, make sure to check out our blog!
