Rolling With Alliance MMA

Written by Santino DeFranco

San Diego is best known for its perfect weather, beautiful women, sandy beaches and now, its Mixed Martial Arts. Southern California could easily get the award for best MMA training in the world and the San Diego area may very well be the epicenter of SoCal's MMA scene.

MMA gyms are almost as frequent in San Diego as McDonald's, one being at virtually every intersection.  Not only are there many options in San Diego, but there are very good options. These are not your run-of-the-mill karate-sized gym at the corner of a strip mall.

These are fully-equipped, fully-functioning MMA compounds gyms the size of an L.A. Fitness Center or Bally's. With unlimited training options available, the competition is fierce, and the instruction level top notch. If other gyms in the area are comparable to a compound, Alliance MMA training center may very well be a city.

Just a short jaunt from downtown San Diego, in Chula Vista, the Alliance facility boasts an impressive 15,000 square feet of gym space. That is not a typo. There are actually supposed to be three 0's after that comma. 

Included in that massive number is 1800 square feet of mat space, a 24 foot Octagon and a 24 foot boxing ring. Nothing fancy is encased behind the walls of this gym. You're not going to find a juice bar where you can enjoy your favorite fad herbs in a blended drink here. 

Nor will you witness "gel heads" wearing their $90 Affliction and Ed Hardy shirts during sparring sessions. You will find yourself in a "fighter’s gym", where people go to learn the unadulterated versions of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kick Boxing, Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. 

Some may think that isn't a great formula for success. Most fighter gyms don't do too well financially, as general population (non-fighters) members make up the bulk of monthly income and are sometimes put off by the intensity and coarseness often associated with fighters. 

Well, no one told the nearly 800 members that. For a gym to have that many members, they must be doing something right. All too often it's marketing that gets members in the door with flashy gimmicks while the actual product is somewhat lacking. 

This just goes to show, word will get around and in the end it's a quality product that will sell. With one of the most impressive lineups of instructors in the world at Alliance Gym, one can see just how great the learning experience will be.

The main instructors include UFC standout Brandon Vera, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist Leo Santos (Saulo Ribero Blackbelt and multiple-time ADCC world championships medalist), Fabricio "Morongo"Camoes (Royler Gracie BlackBelt), Dominick Cruz, Gary Padilla, Carl Penalosa and Eric Del Fierro. 

With instructors like those, one would think that the training couldn't get any better, but when taking in to consideration all of the other world class fighters that frequent the gym for their own competition training, it's just mind boggling.

According to Alliance trainer Eric Del Fiero, "Almost every fighter that is currently on a big show or is a big prospect in San Diego trains at Alliance. Regular fighter practices includes: Brandon Vera, Shannon Gugerty, Ed "9mm" Ratcliff, Dominick Cruz, Rolando Perez, Jason Lambert, Eddie Sanchez, Fabricio "Morongo" camoes, Edwin Aguilar, Jorge Ortiz, Rani Yahya, Toby Imada and more. 

Hermes Franca has done his training camp down here. Phil Davis, 2008 wrestling champ also has made appearances. Cub Swanson has come down to train. Jacare did part of his camp here and at Saulo Ribero BJJ gym."

That is impressive!

Alliance fighters are staying very active and can be seen on a plethora of nationally televised events. "We have WEC on June 7 with Rolando Perez, UFC 100 will be featuring Shannon Gugerty, UFC 102 is featuring Brandon Vera, Bellator Fighting Championships has Edwin Aguilar, Jorge Ortiz, Daniel Morales, and Kerri Vera," states Eric Del Fiero.

Look out for the already impressive Alliance training center to continue to grow its name and send even more quality competitors to the highest platform in boxing, MMA, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Find more information visit Alliance Training Center at: 795 3rd Ave. Chula Vista CA, 91910. Or visit them on the web at www.alliancemma.com.

You can catch MMAMadness.com's Santino DeFranco on this season of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV every Wednesday night at 10 PM EST (7PM PST).