A sneak peek press conference for the soon-to-be-opened UFC Gym, the first in Asia, was held inside the gym location in Thao Dien Pearl, District 2. UFC Gym is the official partnership between The Ultimate Fighting Championship and New Evolution Ventures, operators of an extensive range of fitness brands.
UFC legend, “Razor” Rob McCullough personally trained many of the international instructors
Rob McCullough flew into Vietnam for the press conference but also spent time training the instructors at UFC Gym. The gym staff boasts experienced, professional fighters from countries including Thailand, the Philippines, France, and England.
Mr. Randy Dobson, Chairman of CMG.ASIA
Choosing Vietnam as the first location for UFC Gym was a surprise to some
Many would expect a country with a more developed market, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, or Thailand, to be the first choice, adding to that the fact that MMA is not yet widespread among the Vietnamese community. For their expansion, UFC wanted to ensure that they had the right partner, “one that would honor the brand and build the quality of fitness centers that they expect in other parts of the world,” said Randy Dobson, Chairman of CMG.ASIA.
“We have all the things that a world-class gym would offer, in addition to that we’ve got the very best in mixed martial arts training, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, all of the different programmings that are built into it and I think the people of Vietnam are going to really love coming to this center and experiencing a new way to get fit, a new way to Train Different” – Randy Dobson.
“It has been quite a journey, we are extremely honored to have UFC Gym as an official partner and to be able to launch the first UFC Gym in Asia. I started talking to the UFC Group almost 3 years ago and it’s really part of CMG’s ongoing commitment to Vietnam to bring the very best in fitness, in entertainment. We now operate 5 different fitness brands and adding UFC Gym to the portfolio is something that we could only dream of years ago. UFC is the fastest-growing sports league in the world and they have been able to take the spirit of fighting and the spirit of winning and bring that into a fitness environment for the entire family to enjoy.
UFC Gym is not just a traditional fighting gym, there are options for everyone to enjoy
UFC Gym offers classes for everyone, of all ages and experience levels. There are traditional fighting classes such as MMA, wrestling, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu however there are also non-combative options such as High Octane Conditioning, Power Pilates, Zumba and Total Body Barbell.
Cycling studio, “The Moving Theatre,” inside the UFC Gym
Supermodel, Lan Khue, experienced the MMA Octagon firsthand
“Razor” Rob training supermodel, Lan Khue
During her one-hour training session with Rob McCollough, Lan Khue felt was it was like to be in the ring with a professional. Although she claimed she was tired after 10 minutes of the intense session, she persevered until the end, saying it was something she never thought she could have done before.
“UFC Gym coming to Vietnam is a good sign for those who love martial arts and a UFC Vietnam league is entirely possible in the future” – Huynh Ngoc Minh, Vice Chairman of Fitness and Bodybuilding Vietnam and Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Weightlifting Federation.
UFC Gym will officially open to the public at the end of 2016 and CMG.ASIA has committed to open no less than 5 additional centers in Vietnam. In the future, there will potentially be expansion across into other Southeast Asian countries however, Vietnam is currently the primary focus.
