Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has seen a rise in popularity over the years. Stars like Chuck Liddell, Cain Velasquez and Conor McGregor have led the way into the ever increasing star power in the sport of MMA. It all started in 1993 when the first UFC was released to the public. There were other forms of MMA at the time but the Ultimate Fighting Championship was the promotion that really kicked off the interest in MMA and other forms of martial arts. From there it has only taken off into one of the most popular sports in the world. The combination of grappling and striking has become the true test of fighting styles. It is no longer a Karate guy versus a wrestler. All of these fighters are well rounded and have skills in all forms of these martial arts.
That being said, in order to get involved in MMA, you have to find a great school to go to and there are many that say they offer some sort of MMA program in San Antonio. If you were to put the search in Google to find an MMA school near your location, you might be looking for a long time. There are so many gyms in the area that if you are new to the sport, you get really confused in deciding the right place for you. You may not know what to look for or who is really qualified. Because of this, we compiled this list of reputable mixed martial arts schools in the San Antonio area for you to go through.
Our goal is to make your search a little bit easier and you know that anyone on this list is a reputable place of business that offers martial arts and different forms of the mixed martial arts. If you have any questions or want to have your business listed, please reach out.
Dominion MMA
9910 W Loop 1604 N
San Antonio, TX 78254
(210) 560-0662
dominionmma.com
Dominion MMA has a goal to help the students that train there to change their lives. They want the students to walk out of the gym feeling better about themselves after they’ve put in some serious work. It isn’t the weight loss, workouts and scientific sum of calories lost that keeps the members coming back to Dominion MMA. It also isn’t the technology and equipment available for the members that keep them returning. It is the people that train there. The team at Dominion MMA cares about encouraging and guiding each and every member to attain the goals they have set for themselves. The goals for each member are specific and different so it is the mission of this team of professionals to help you along the way.
Rey Rodriguez is the head coach and owner of Dominion MMA. He started training in the martial arts when he was just 10 years old after being bullied by some kids. He kept training until he was 18 and had fought in many local and regional tournaments while staying undefeated as a kickboxer. Rey then joined the Army and ended up being an officer with the 1st Cavalry Division in Ft. Hood Texas. He left the Army in 1994 and started training in the martial arts again and opened up Dominion MMA in 2009. If you ask him, Rey will tell you that he loves to motivate and coach. He loves to find solutions for the issues that his students are having and helping them reach their goals.
Pinnacle Martial Arts Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
4926 Golden Quail #204
San Antonio, TX 78240
(210) 348-6004
bjj-sanantonio.com
If you have been toying around with the idea of giving MMA a chance, you would be making a wise decision by choosing Pinnacle Martial Arts Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA. The mixed martial arts fitness program here at Pinnacle has been proven via fighters from the UFC, to be an extremely useful and effective form of self-defense in addition to giving you many more benefits. Some of these include gaining confidence, learning discipline, having a great sense of purpose as well as getting in better shape overall.
The great thing about Pinnacle is they will give you 30 days free to try out the program and if you are interested, they have options for a free 6 month program that you will have to reach out and ask them about. We know that even if you get just 30 days free (which is much more than most schools will give) then you will fall in love with the process of getting healthier and stronger while learning how to defend yourself. The team at Pinnacle wants to see you become the best version of yourself and that can be accomplished through committing to the process of MMA.
You don’t want to miss the chance to get to train for free and learn what all the hype is about.
Ronin MMA
7515 Grissom Rd #114
San Antonio, TX 78251
(210) 775-4133
roninmmatx.com
Not only are the people that train at Ronin MMA great, but the coaches are world class and will have you well on your way to all your goals in no time. They offer a safe and fun learning environment.
Ronin MMA was founded by pro Felicia Bannister and pro MMA fighter Debbie Garcia in 2015. Unfortunately, Debbie passed away from a brain aneurysm just 2 months after the gym opened but had accomplished what she wanted to. This was a tough loss for everyone involved at Ronin and Debbie’s family. Debbie is still the main motivation at Ronin and they want to honor the person she was by offering a great environment for people to train in. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been training, how old you are or what you know already, the team at Ronin will treat you with respect and help you reach those goals that you’ve been shooting for.
The space at Ronin is not the biggest but it has everything you need to be a great fighter. They have mat space with wall pads in addition to a custom made MMA cage. They also have specialty bags and punching bags for you to use on your way to meeting your goals. You can also find free weights, TRX stations and medicine balls at Ronin which are just a few tools that can be used to help you meet your fitness and self-defense goals. However, the team around Felicia is what makes this place special. All of the coaches here are highly motivated to help you become the version of yourself you can be.
PKI MMA
5871 Babcock Rd
San Antonio, TX 78240
(210) 690-5300
pkimma.com
PKI MMA is a gym that offers Ju Ki Do training which translates to “the Gentle Powerful Way.” Now while this isn’t specifically MMA, they do train in a striking art that is one discipline that can be translated into your MMA game. The students of Ju Ki Do are trained in physical fitness, self-defense and development of character. For these reasons, PKI MMA is a great place for you and your family to come train. It will help you to reach all of your fitness and self-defense goals while making you a better human being through hard work and discipline.
This system of fighting addresses both the practical and sport aspect of martial arts. Adults and teens that enter the program will benefit from the ability to focus and the range of training. These classes build character and will help you to become the kind of person you were aiming to be.
The coaches at PKI are highly qualified and friendly so if you need not be worried about walking into a martial arts gym with these kinds of people heading the program. They will make you feel welcome right off the bat.
Ohana Academy
8318 Jones Maltsberger
San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 526-1175
ohanajiujitsu.com
At Ohana Academy, you will learn from some of the best martial arts coaches in the state. They are dedicated to providing a friendly, open and fun family environment where you can excel in heading towards your personal goals as well as meeting a bunch of great people that will help you in your journey of meeting all your goals. This is the case no matter what you are aiming to accomplish. Whether you are looking to meet new people that think like you, lose some weight, compete, or just become a better version of yourself, the team at Ohana Academy will help you to reach those goals much faster than you though was possible and you will have a lot of fun while you’re doing it. The benefits you will get from joining a program like this are endless. You will gain self-esteem, confidence and discipline to name a few things
Adults and kids are welcome and there are great programs for both groups of people. Once you start seeing the changes in your body, mind and spirit, you will want to come back every day. Believe us when we say that these changes will happen much faster than you might expect. It’s an addictive process and the guys at Ohana Academy are happy to feed that addiction.
River City MMA
12145 TX-107 Loop
Adkins, TX 78101
(210) 649-3300
www.rcmatx.com
River City MMA in Texas is a professional training facility that is committed to giving their students the highest quality martial arts instruction possible. In addition to learning the discipline that is necessary to earn a black belt in your respective martial art, RCMA will also help students gain confidence while teaching them tolerance, patience, respect, goal setting and focus. This is in addition to many other leadership qualities that will be acquired while training here.
They have programs for both adults and kids and many of the benefits are the same. It is obvious that if you commit to an MMA program that you are going to get in better shape both mentally and physically. These are just a couple of the benefits but one thing we notice about a school like this is the kind of friendships that you will make when you are training with like minded people that have similar goals. There is a certain kind of bond that is built with people going through the grind like you are and we promise you will meet some of the best people you have ever known when you try this out.
There are many classes to choose from including Kickstart Cardio with Cassey Torres, the Tiny MMA class for boys and girls ages 4 to 6, Youth MMA for boys and girls ages 7 to 9 as well the Pre-Teen and Teen MMA class for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 13. Then you’ve got competition training that will prepare boys and girls up to 17 years old how to train for competition.
For the adults you have Cardio Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for men and women as well as Muay Thai and kickboxing. You end your day with Hatha Yoga classes offered here. As you can see, there is a class for everyone so stop in and give RCMA a shot.
UC Patriot Martial Arts
914 Pat Booker Rd
Universal City, TX 78148
(210) 566-0020
ucpatriotmartialarts.com
The vision at UC Patriot Martial Arts is to enhance the local community by helping the people that live here to get in better shape, learn a self-defense that will protect them if needed and at the same time, learn life skills and character traits that will help them to continue to improve as people. They want to help you to become the best version of yourself and they know that is your goal as well. The team at UC Patriot Martial arts tries to instill important values like integrity, confidence, self-control, self-discipline and respect.
UC Patriot Martial Arts will help members to build high self-esteem, a positive outlook on life, self-discipline and a spirit that will push the student to never give up when the times get hard. You will figure something out about yourself when you push through those limits that you thought were set for you. Once you realize you can push past what you thought was your limit, you can do anything. These values that you learn from taking a martial art and learning to defend yourself will aid you in all parts of your life no matter if we are talking the physical parts or the mental parts.
Thomas Howanic is the Master Instructor at UC Patriot Martial Arts and has a list of qualifications to prove what he is capable of. These include a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a black belt in Bujinkan Ninjutsu, 5th degree black belt in Ketsugo Ryu Jujitsu, 3rd degree black belt in Premier Martial Arts and a 1st degree black belt in Krav Maga. These are just a few of the qualifications that Thomas has. It takes a lot to earn these accolades and what it took for him to earn these, he will pass these qualities down to his students.
Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ
9714 Potranco Rd
San Antonio, TX 78251
(210) 867-6118
rodrigopinheirobjj.com
Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ offers classes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and MMA. When you come to Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ, you get to learn from the man himself and Black Belt World Champion Rodrigo Pinheiro. Pinheiro is a black belt under Royler Gracie and is part of the Gracie Humaita team. He has been practicing BJJ for over 25 years and has been a black belt for over 15 years. Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ gives the unique opportunities to adults and kids to be under the guidance of one of the best BJJ instructors in San Antonio.
In addition to the world class BJJ that you will be learning, Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ offers classes in Muay Thai as well as MMA with Coach Pete “Secret Weapon” Spratt. In this facility, you are going to get the best of both worlds. You will learn to be proficient in both grappling and striking and at the same time, get in better shape and learn to be much more confident than you would even know. Between the physical fitness and the ability to protect yourself, you are going to feel much better about yourself. You are also going to make great friends because those that go to battle together end up feeling much closer. Coming from someone who trains, the friendships made in the gym are ones that will last forever.
Ambush Muay Thai
166 N Loop 1604 E Suite 202
San Antonio, TX 78232
(512) 380-1709
ambushmuaythai.com
At Ambush Muay Thai in San Antonio and Austin, you will train competition style Muay Thai or in other words, “Thai Boxing.”. This is a martial art that utilizes kicks and punches of kickboxing and boxing as well as learning strikes that are done with the elbows and knees while in close range of your opponent.
What makes Ambush Muay Thai unique to many other Muay Thai gyms is practicing Muay Thai as a martial art first and foremost. It is a great way to get confidence, discipline and self-control all while knowing that you can protect yourself if you have to. You also get a great sense of community when you train with people that have the same mindset that you do. Everyone at Ambush Muay Thai trains as a team and not an individual. The culture here is very warm and welcoming where all the students and coaches support and encourage each other to become the best version of themselves that they can be.
The structure in these classes will revolve around drills, pad work, technique and competition ever week to make sure you are learning the most important parts of the beautiful martial art.
Since 2011, Elton Wells has run Ambush Muay Thai and is the head coach as well. He is fully ranked as an instructor with Buddhai-Sawan USA since 2011. He has taught Muay Thai in many gyms since 2007 as well as coaching many fighters in Muay Thai and MMA. He has trained pro fighters that have competed in the UFC, Bellator and One FC to name a few. Behind the leader ship of Elton, you are sure to go as far as you are willing to push yourself.
UFC Gym Brook Hollow (Closed)
15032 San Pedro Ave
San Antonio, TX 78232
(210) 812-2378
The UFC Gym Brook Hollow is a mixed martial arts gym that offers a wide range of different martial arts you can learn about and train in. This gym offers classes taught by coaches with experience in grappling and striking. Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Wrestling, Boxing, and Muay Thai are a few of the things you can learn here.
Classes offered include Boxing Conditioning. In this class you will learn fundamental boxing techniques and skills that are made to improve your strength, cardio and endurance. It will also include shadow boxing, bag work, core strengthening exercise and calisthenics. They also offer D.U.T or daily ultimate training, which is essentially a boot camp created to shock your body into making changes that will give you the results you had been seeking.
In terms of mixed martial arts, the UFC gym in Brook Hollow offers nogi and gi BJJ classes in which you will learn the basics of this martial art and then move on to more advanced techniques. You can also take boxing courses that will give you the boxing foundation you need to get even better. From defensive to offensive skills to sparring, your striking will get much better here. There are also classes for Kickboxing and Muay Thai.
The coaches at this gym are very qualified and will get you on your way to all your fitness and self-defense goals. This gym will not only teach you the basics of striking and grappling, it will teach you respect and give you more confidence than you’ve ever had. Whether you are a first timer or a seasoned fighter, this place is excellent to improve your skills and get a great workout.