The Specialists
ALL BUSINESS: Gyms, Trainers, and Fighters - Analysis From The Mats: Pt.1
Apr 4, 2010 - 12:12:21 AM ALL BUSINESS: Gyms, Trainers, and Fighters - Analysis From The Mats: Pt.1

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By Alvin Benjamin Carter III, MMA Torch Specialist

Mixed martial artists do not just pop up out the ground with a full set of skills and perfect conditioning. Each of these a martial athletes dedicates a large part of his/her life to training. This sport demands a lot from even the lowest level fighter, and the intensity of these demands increases the higher a fighter climbs. (See George St. Pierre's workouts on UFC Primetime.) In order for fighters to reach their maximum potential, they often select a gym or network of gyms with specialty trainers. Gyms, especially the ones with signature trainers, are incredibly important to the fight sports industry. Besides being a big adjacent market, they fine tune the most important product in the fight sports industry- the fighters.

Over the past four months I ventured full force into the physial world of MMA. I trained various martial arts in the past, and I wanted to get back into it. So, last year I researched gyms in the Boston area, and Redline Fight Sports stood out to me. I joined the gym last summer and focused on training Sanda. This is where I began learning striking techniques and fight basics. (Calling my technique rusty on the first day of training would have been an understatement.)

The head Sanda coaches at Redline are no joke. Coach Josh Bartholomew won the National Title in San Shou three times under his coach Jason Yee, and he was a member of the Pan American team 1998 and the US National Team in 1999. The other head coach, Marvin Perry, among his many accomplishments is the only competitor in the U.S. to have won pro titles in San-Shou, Sanda, Muay Thai and American kickboxing. Coaches likes these, and all of the others at Redline, are what make the gym special. Gyms all across the world have specialized trainers that create unique programs which train, strengthen, and most importantly evolve fight sport athletes.

After a number of months of learning the stand up game at Redline, I meet the MMA Coach, Paul "Lefty" Rosado. With a bio like the one that follows, it is evident that training with Coach Paul has been a whole separate education:

Paul began training Chinese wrestling (Shuai Jiao) and joint locking (Chin-na) application at the age of 12. While learning kickboxing, he earned black belts in kung-fu and Jiu-Jitsu. Paul began fighting Vale Tudo and won 2 U.S. National Championships in submission fighting while in his late teens. He then went on to become a professional boxer with over 19 fights. Cross training with some the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coaches around, Paul has developed a cutting edge Mixed Martial Arts and Submission Fighting program that has produced top fighters in MMA, grappling and SanDa Kickboxing. He has the rare ability to synthesize his traditional Chinese Martial Arts background with state of the art MMA. Paul has recently gotten fighters UFC contracts and was offered a contract himself to be a regional trainer exclusively for the WEC, which he turned down in order to maintain his flexibility as a coach. Paul has a true passion for training fighters and aspires to build a top national MMA team.

While I have always been a fan of MMA, I never thought I would actually have the opportunity to train in such a serious manner. Serious is not just an adjective I chose to describe the formality of the training; training in MMA at Redline is serious in so many ways. Active fighters train at the gym, so from day one I was able to see the amount of work and level of sacrifice necessary to become a fighter. However, there came a point in my training where I had to decide whether or not this is for me. The term is called a gut check, but after a couple of weeks at Reldine, it's more like a fighter's spirit check. This is not just about being tough and able to go through the training. There are plenty of tough people out in the world, but this was about if I was willing to go through this on a regular basis.

The willingness to put work in and dedicate your life to training coupled with great coaches can make a successful fighter. When numerous successful fighters come from one training camp, the trainers start to become notable as well. Greg Jackson, Firas Zahabi, and Mark DellaGrotte are a few of the celebrity status MMA trainers that are just as well known as the fighters they train. A lot of fighters often use their celebrity (no mater how small it is) to open up gyms as well. These types of gyms often do very well because fans, amateurs, and professional fighters alike have no problem paying monthly fees to train with (more like at the same place as) their pay-per-view idols. The fighters advancement and the camaraderie at the gym make the subscription fee seem minimal. This monetization model works well if a gym can establish their trainers, provide the highest level of training in at least one discipline, and most importantly produce fighters that show well.


Training with Coach Paul Rosado has been an amazing experience. My stand up has advanced, my ground games is sharper, and I learn a new skill every time I walk into the gym. I no longer just write about the game, I am doing my best to become a player.


Stay tuned for Part Two where I present an exclusive interview with Redline Fight Sports MMA Coach Paul Rosado, and take an indepth look at celebrity owned fight gyms like Xtreme Couture, Wand Fight Team, and Tristar.


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Alvin Benjamin Carter III is an MMATorch Specialist columnist focusing on the business and statistic side of the sport of MMA. He trains in SanDa / Shan Shou (Chinese Kickboxing) and MMA. He also has a business background in music production, management, and clothing. He has launched two companies which cater to niche markets, giving him experience in examining trends and attitudes that can affect a particular business model, which he applies in his weekly column for MMATorch to the sport of MMA.