Every so often it is worth looking at current trends and thinking about future consequences.
The sport of MMA continues to evolve and grow, and one of the major trends involves the world's top competitors consolidating into just a handful of premier fight camps. While the movement is obvious, the outcome may be a bit opaque.
If you had the opportunity to watch UFC: Primetime, a three-part series showcasing B.J. Penn and George St. Pierre leading up to their UFC 94 fight, then you saw first-hand the benefit of an elite team training camp. You also saw the discrepancy between the two fighters’ regimes.
St. Pierre trains with some the best. His training partners include light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans along Keith Jardine and Nate Marquardt. These fighters, along with other top competitors, make up the training camp known as Jackson's Submission Fighting.
During his training, prior to UFC 94, St. Pierre was pushed to the brink by these men in his regimen. In contrast, Penn appeared to train at a relaxed pace with, what some people have referred to as, “yes” men. The saying goes, “you’re only as good as the company you keep."
Jackson's Submission Fighting (better known as "Team Jackson") was recently crowned the best training camp in an online poll conducted by MMA Junkie. It received 35 percent of the vote. In addition to the previously mentioned fighters, the Albuquerque, N.M. based roster includes WEC featherweight Leonard Garcia and former Elite-XC light heavyweight Joey Villasenor.
But “Team Jackson” is not the only notable training camp.
Right behind, with 28 percent of the vote, is Randy Couture's Las Vegas based team. Xtreme Couture is home to a who's who of established veterans and top prospects, including Forrest Griffin, Tyson Griffin, Jay Hieron, Martin Kampmann, Gray Maynard, Frank Trigg, and an ever-revolving cast of visiting fighters, including Wanderlei Silva.
Ranking third, with 13 percent of the vote, was American Top Team, a stacked Florida-based camp that's continually produced top fighters while resurrecting the careers of others. New WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown calls ATT home, as does No. 1 welterweight contender Thiago Alves, Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, Thiago Silva, Denis Kang, Jorge Santiago, and Wilson Gouveia.
Chuck Liddell has recently spent time training at ATT to help reinvigorate his career.
Coming in fourth, with nine percent of the vote, was the newly opened Team Nogueira, the Florida based home to former interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,and brother and fellow PRIDE veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Other fighters affiliated with the Nogueira Brothers include Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and heavyweight phenom Junior Dos Santos.
A longtime MMA staple, Miletich Fighting Systems, registered four percent of the vote. The Iowa based team is an institution in the sport and has produced past champions such as namesake Pat Miletich, Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, and Robbie Lawler. The camp has a stable of fighters that populate MMA, from regional organizations up to the UFC.
The San Jose based American Kickboxing Academy registered just three percent of the vote despite housing top welterweights, Jon Fitch, Mike Swick, and Josh Koscheck. Other AKA notables include Josh Thomson, Cung Le, and heavyweight phenom Cain Velasquez.
Team Quest, which includes established stars such as Dan Henderson, Matt Lindland, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Jason Miller, Chael Sonnen, Ed Herman, and Matt Horwich also received three percent of the vote.
Looking at the list, it is evident that some of the best fighters in MMA are concentrated in just a few of the top MMA camps.
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