There could be worse feelings to have while competing in the Octagon, but if there are, Charlie Brenneman doesn’t know about them.

What he does know is that in the midst of his 2011 fight with UFC 210 headliner Anthony Johnson, he got rocked by “Rumble” but made it to his feet. His legs were somewhere else, though, so he needed a couple seconds to steady himself. Johnson, who faces Daniel Cormier on Apr. 8 in Buffalo, wasn’t interested in such a plan.

“When my shoulder hit the cage, I remember seeing him take that stutter step into his high left kick and seeing his foot leaving the ground and coming to my face, but not having the brain-muscle connection to do anything about it,” Brenneman recalled. “I saw it, like a baseball bat, coming right at my face. It’s terrible. It’s like sprinting into a brick wall and saying, ‘I can’t stop’ and boom, you hit the wall.”

Johnson’s kick drilled Brenneman and not only ended the fight, but landed on the victor’s eternal highlight reel. By then, the Georgia native was already one of the sport’s premier finishers, with seven of his 10 pro wins ending via knockout.

Of those seven KO victories, six came in the UFC, where Johnson was a rapidly rising welterweight star. The only man to go the distance with him up until that point was British star Dan Hardy, who was coming off a knockout loss to Carlos Condit when approached with a March 2011 fight against Rumble.

“There was a part of me that thought to myself, ‘I’ve pissed off somebody in the UFC. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, but I’m coming off my first ever knockout loss, and they put me against a guy that’s never not knocked a welterweight out,’” Hardy laughed. “There’s a weird period after getting knocked out where you question whether you can take a shot anymore. My solution was to watch loads and loads of Wanderlei Silva fights because I saw that guy taking shots and walking through them and I knew that I could do that if I needed to.”

This #KOTW comes from the scariest KO artist in the UFC. Need we say more? #UFC210 pic.twitter.com/YT5fE2a4Vg

— UFC (@ufc) March 22, 2017

Not too many traded with Johnson, and those who did paid the price. But Hardy, two fights removed from going five rounds with 170-pound champion Georges St-Pierre, was willing to do so. Yet when “The Outlaw” did meet Johnson, the knockout artist showed off his wrestling skills to drill out a decision win. That doesn’t mean Hardy didn’t taste some of his opponent’s vaunted power.

“With Anthony Johnson, it’s a very unusual power that he has,” Hardy said. “And it’s not even necessarily power that it feels like; it feels more like weight. His hands – and certainly his leg when he kicked me – feel like it’s made out of lead. It feels very weighty. It’s the same thing with (UFC vet) Paul Daley’s left hook when we used to spar. There was a weight to it. It’s almost like your head was a magnet and it attracted this massive chunk of metal to it.”

So even if Johnson didn’t get the knockout, he always got the respect of his opponents for his power. And it’s not just his opponents that felt it. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans has been Johnson’s friend and teammate for years. And over the course of those years, there have been plenty of sparring sessions. And they’re not always pleasant.

“You can tell how it’s gonna be when he comes to the gym,” Evans chuckles. “If he’s really, really quiet, he’s in a mood, so you have to keep your head on a swivel because he’s coming hard.”

Even against his buddy?

“He tries not to go hard, but then it takes one hard punch that he feels, and then all hell breaks loose and then he opens up and he goes pretty hard,” he said. “I’ve watched him knock out countless people in the gym.”

That’s scary, but what’s scarier is that Johnson’s power is almost effortless.

“He hits ridiculously hard,” Evans said. “And the thing about it that makes his punching power so unique is that it’s effortless. He’s not trying to hit hard, he’s just swinging and that’s the crazy thing about it. Sometimes we’re just going light and he’ll throw a punch and I’ll go, ‘Yo, we’re going light.’ And he’ll say, ‘I wasn’t trying to hit hard, I was just swinging.’ And he really was. But he’s got these heavy, dense bones. And when he hits you, it’s not a pain. Usually it’s like a thud, and maybe your lights will flash for a little bit. He caught me with a couple of those and I’m like, ‘Woo, we’re sparring right now, huh?’”

So where would Evans, who has tasted heat from the likes of Chuck Liddell, “Rampage” Jackson, Thiago Silva, Dan Henderson and Glover Teixeira, place Rumble?

“He’s the hardest puncher I’ve ever experienced, for sure. No doubt about it.”

Impressive. Yet what may be more notable is that when weight issues forced Johnson to leave the welterweight division and test the heavyweight class before settling in at 205 pounds, he carried his power with him, as his last five wins have been knockouts of Rogerio Nogueira, Alexander Gustafsson, Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira.

After the Gustafsson fight, which Johnson ended in a little over two minutes, Hardy – who does color commentary for several of the UFC’s European shows – ran into his former foe.

“I saw him in the hotel and I said jokingly, ‘I’m glad you didn’t do that to me. And he grabbed me by the shoulder and said, ‘That’s because I like you, man.’”

And that’s the thing. As ferocious as Johnson is in the Octagon, he’s humble and laid-back outside of it. There are no trash talk wars, no bad feelings with his opponents. But when it’s time to go, he’s looking to take an opponent’s head off, and they know it. Brenneman, who was coming off a career best win over Rick Story when approached with the Johnson fight, certainly did.

“Immediately after I beat Story, I sat down with my team and we objectively looked at everything and said, ‘Who’s the best matchup, who’s the worst matchup?’ And Johnson, we objectively deemed, was the worst matchup. (Laughs) That being said, I was excited for it. I wasn’t nervous, I looked at it as another fight and in my mind, I thought I’m gonna win this fight because I’m gonna outwrestle him, push the pressure and tire him out.”

The two did go to the mat early in the fight, but Brenneman got a painful jolt that let him know it was going to be a rough night.

“I was underneath him and I remember for the first time in my fighting life, thinking, ‘Ouch,’” he said. “He was coming from a weird angle, but punching me. And I just remember feeling the impact and thinking, ‘This is not a normal fight with a normal guy.’ And I felt it immediately. I was saying, ‘Ouch’ in my head, and anyone who fights knows that you don’t usually think that or feel that. It’s more like just a thud, thud, thud. But when I was underneath, I thought this is a different one.”

How different? Hardy thinks he may be from out of this world.

“Out of everybody I’ve ever worked with, trained with, sparred, held pads for, nobody hits like Anthony Johnson, they really don’t,” he said. “I don’t like to throw around the word supernatural, but it doesn’t feel like a natural power. It feels like he could quite easily have an X-Men costume on, let’s put it that way.”

Get your Georges St-Pierre Fight Kit and fan gear ahead of his Octagon return!

Following more than three years away from the sport, former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre officially announced his return to the Octagon with a press conference that saw him go face-to-face with the man he will battle later this year, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. This clash of champions is already one of the most highly anticipated bouts of 2017, and if you need a little reminder why, just take a look at GSP’s defining moments.

Karo Parisyan – January 31, 2004 – UFC 46
Result – St-Pierre W3 (Unanimous)
Now this is what you call a debut. Despite going 5-0 on the Canadian scene, defeating Ivan Menjivar, Thomas Denny, and Pete Spratt in the process, St-Pierre wasn’t the fighter with all the hype behind him heading into this UFC 46 bout. It was judo wizard Parisyan, whose own UFC debut a few months earlier saw him dazzle fans with his grappling before submitting Dave Strasser. But this was GSP’s night, and as I wrote that night, he pretty much controlled matters from the start. “Effectively working his striking game while in Parisyan’s guard, St-Pierre pounded his foe throughout, bloodying him in the process. The courageous Parisyan had his moments in the bout as he attempted to secure a submission lock on the Canadian, but St-Pierre’s strength and ring savvy allowed him to stay out of serious danger and easily take the bout on the scorecards.” This was just the beginning.

Matt Hughes I – October 22, 2004 – UFC 50
Result – Hughes Wsub1
The fresh-faced kid from Montreal made quite a name for himself in his first UFC fights, decisioning fellow young gun Parisyan at UFC 46 and then stopping Jay Hieron at UFC 48. But just four months after the Hieron fight, St-Pierre, just 7-0, found himself in the Octagon with his fighting hero, Matt Hughes. As he told me before his second bout with Hughes, “The first time I fought him, I was fighting my idol,” he admitted. “It was the first time I had done something like that, he was in front of me, and for me in my mind, it was impossible to do anything to him because he was too good.” GSP held his own for much of the first round though, until Hughes was able to lock in an armbar with seconds left in the opening frame. St-Pierre immediately tapped, unaware that if he held on for one more second, he would have gotten a reprieve. It was a move that made people question his resolve, and a decision he regretted almost instantly. “The moment I saw the replay of the fight, I realized I was doing pretty well,” he said. “I totally realized that I could beat that guy.” He would have to wait two years for that opportunity.

BJ Penn – March 4, 2006 – UFC 58
Result – St-Pierre W3 (split)
It was a purist’s dream match, and it lived up to the hype, but after the first round ended, not too many people would have bet that St-Pierre would emerge victorious. “That first round (against Penn) was the worst round of my life,” admitted GSP after the bout. “Actually, if you look at my career, I had never lost a round against anybody (to that point). Even when I fought Matt Hughes, the judges thought I was ahead – I asked them if they would have given me the round. So this round (against Penn) was the only round I lost.” GSP more than lost it; he was bloodied and battered by the crisp standup of Penn, and many wondered if he would fold. He didn’t, showing the heart of a champion in roaring back and taking the next two rounds and the decision. It was the gut check moment all fighters have to go through, and St-Pierre passed with flying colors. “It just proved to everybody that I’m a lot stronger mentally than when I fought Matt Hughes,” he said. “I’ve been able to come back after a beating and get the victory. I think that’s the difference between a champion and a guy who will always be tough, but will never be a champion. You can be as skillful as you want, but if you don’t have the mental toughness, you’re not going to go anywhere, and in our sport, sooner or later, you’ll need that to win a fight.”

Matt Hughes II – November 18, 2006 – UFC 65
Result – St-Pierre TKO 2
St-Pierre more than earned a second title shot at the first man to beat him, Matt Hughes, after five straight wins against top-notch competition, and he was a different fighter than he was two years earlier. Hughes, one of the strongest fighters ever to step into the Octagon, found that out early on when he tried to lock the challenger up and St-Pierre tossed him away with little if any effort. By round two, the result was academic, and when the Montrealer dropped Hughes with a kick to the head in round two, seconds later a new champ was crowned. It was expected to be a reign that would last for as long as St-Pierre wanted it to. But you know that old adage about the best-laid plans of mice and men, and just five months after this monumental win, GSP would find out that on any given night in the Octagon, any fighter can lose.

Matt Serra – April 7, 2007 – UFC 69
Result – Serra TKO 1
To most people, Matt Serra didn’t even need to show up for his championship fight against St-Pierre at UFC 69. But there’s a reason why people actually fight the fights and don’t determine results on message boards or on talk shows, and that’s because when two highly-skilled athletes are in competition with each other, anything can happen, and in mixed martial arts, one mistake or one missed second of focus can mean defeat. St-Pierre, reportedly besieged by personal issues before the fight, found that out the hard way as Serra walked into the Octagon loose, well-prepared, and confident, and the New Yorker pulled the stunning upset, stopping St-Pierre in the first round. It was a crushing defeat for GSP.

Josh Koscheck I – August 25 – UFC 74
Result – St-Pierre W 3 (Unanimous)
This may have been the most important fight of St-Pierre’s career. After the loss to Serra, the whispers were that GSP was ultra-talented but didn’t have that extra something to be great. It shows you how soon people forget the way he came back against Penn or dominated most of the 170-pound division on the way to the title. St-Pierre kept quiet and went about his business, determined to teach all the skeptics a lesson. The lesson he taught in dominating wrestling ace Josh Koscheck at UFC 74 was that you can’t keep a good man down, that he was back, and that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Matt Serra II – April 19, 2008 – UFC 83
Result – St-Pierre TKO2
If GSP was going to crack under the pressure, this was the night to do it. Not only was he facing the man who knocked him out, but he was doing it in his hometown of Montreal, where fans packed the Bell Centre just to see their hero in action. Well, he didn’t disappoint, stopping Serra in the second round with a disciplined and dominant attack. “The pressure was there,” he said. “But I’m at my best when I perform under pressure – it keeps me sharp and aware of what can happen and what is on the line.”

Jon Fitch – August 9, 2008 – UFC 87
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Unanimous)
St-Pierre has always called this five round scrap with number one contender Jon Fitch the toughest fight of his career. And with good reason. Going the championship distance for the first time, St-Pierre had plenty of success early, but as the bout progressed, it was clear that Fitch wasn’t going anywhere. The judges didn’t see fit to give Fitch any rounds on the scorecards, but anyone who witnessed the fight knew that it was anything but a 50-44, 50-44, 50-43 blowout. Fitch tested St-Pierre’s mettle as a champion, and GSP passed that test with flying colors.

Had the chance to spend a few minutes in the octagon last Friday – Felt great to finally step back into my playground! pic.twitter.com/xeOJ91js13

— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) March 6, 2017

BJ Penn II – January 31, 2009 – UFC 94
Result – St-Pierre TKO4
Nearly three years after their first bout, St-Pierre and Penn locked horns again in THE superfight of 2009. Only this time, it wasn’t a 15-minute back and forth war. The second time around, St-Pierre, bigger and stronger than Penn – who was coming up from 155 pounds for the bout – was in control for four rounds until the Hawaiian’s corner decided that they had seen enough and halted the fight before the final stanza. After all the bad blood and trash talk before the match, it was one of St-Pierre’s most satisfying victories and one that entrenched him in the upper reaches of the mythical pound for pound list.

Jake Shields – April 30, 2011 – UFC 129
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Unanimous)
GSP didn’t slack off after the win over Penn, scoring dominant victories over Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, and Josh Koscheck (in their rematch) and making it clear that at 170 pounds, there was only one true king. Jake Shields’ 15-fight winning streak and worldwide reputation was expected to put that idea to the test, but before a record crowd of over 55,000 in Toronto, St-Pierre did it again, putting on a five round clinic against Shields en route to another lopsided win.

Carlos Condit – November 17, 2012 – UFC 154
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Unanimous)
Many observers wondered what effect a nearly 19-month layoff would do to St-Pierre, especially considering that the time off was to rehab a torn ACL. They didn’t need to worry, as St-Pierre was in prime form against interim champion Carlos Condit. And while the final scores of 50-45 (twice) and 49-46 would make you think it was a one-sided bout, Condit was competitive and dangerous throughout, especially when he dropped GSP with a head kick in the third round. This was top-level championship action, and no fan left Montreal’s Bell Centre disappointed.

Johny Hendricks – November 16, 2013 – UFC 167
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Split)
The long-awaited championship showdown between welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and number one contender Johny Hendricks in the main event of UFC 167 lived up to all expectations, with a fast-paced five rounder that saw both men showing off their skill and will in search of victory being the result. When it was over, the verdict was controversial, but GSP retained his welterweight title via split decision. Ultimately, it would prove to be the fight that prompted St-Pierre to vacate his title and take a hiatus from the sport, but that hiatus is now over, and he will begin a new chapter against Bisping later this year.

In the main event of UFC 210 on Apr. 8, Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson will meet for a second time with the UFC light heavyweight title on the line. It’s an intriguing rematch any way you slice it, but when you consider the possibility of “DC” and “Rumble” earning a place on the list of the greatest 205-pound UFC title fights ever, the stakes are even higher for two fighters eager to etch their name in the history books.

1999
Frank Shamrock-Tito Ortiz (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
One of the most memorable fights from the early UFC days, and in the eyes of many the best of the pre-Zuffa era, Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock went to war for three rounds where it was safe to say that either man had a good chance of eventually pulling the fight out. By the fourth round though, Ortiz was losing steam and his conditioning betrayed him, as Shamrock pounced and stopped him, successfully defending his title for the fourth time in his final UFC bout. Ortiz learned a valuable lesson that day though, and never again would conditioning be an issue for “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” who instead adopted a Spartan philosophy when it came to preparing for a fight.

2002
Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock I (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
Though Tito Ortiz was already firmly entrenched as UFC champion, Ken Shamrock’s return to the UFC brought a whole new legion of fight fans into the fold in what was to that point the biggest event in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. And what those new fans saw was a one-sided thrashing of Shamrock by Ortiz, who became, without question, the undisputed poster boy for the UFC that night. Two more fights would follow with Shamrock, with even more decisive results, as Ortiz would score back-to-back first round stoppages.

2005
Randy Couture-Chuck Liddell I (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
After taking back-to-back losses at heavyweight to the much bigger Ricco Rodriguez and Josh Barnett, Randy Couture’s drop to the 205-pound weight class was seen as a move of desperation to save a career on the downswing. Facing the feared Chuck Liddell in his first light heavyweight bout was just going to hasten Couture’s demise. But the one person not counting Couture out was the man himself, and he not only beat Liddell, he stopped him in the third round and began the second act of one of the fight game’s most amazing careers.

2006
Chuck Liddell-Randy Couture II (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
For nearly two years, Chuck Liddell patiently waited for a shot at redemption for his upset 2003 loss against Randy Couture. In April of 2005, he got it, and with his trademark right hand, he exorcised his demons with a spectacular finish of “The Natural” to win the UFC light heavyweight championship

2006
Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz II (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
Despite the one-sided nature of bout number one between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, by the time the rematch was signed, the entire MMA world was eager to see if Ortiz could reverse the result the second time around. He couldn’t, but in defeat Ortiz showed a ton of heart and he even made it to the third round. But Liddell’s ability to keep his rival on the end of his punches made it impossible for Ortiz to implement his game plan.

2007
Quinton Jackson-Dan Henderson (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
Sure, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was funny, a charismatic representative of the sport, and he had the explosive style to give anyone fits. But if he got put on his back by a world-class wrestler like Dan Henderson, had to eat Hendo’s concussive right hand, or was forced into a five-round dogfight, how would the new 205-pound boss fare? Answer – he would pass every test with flying colors, as he showed new wrinkles to his ground game in a 25-minute battle with Henderson (the last PRIDE 205-pound champ) that saw him become the first fighter in history to unify the two belts by way of a hard-fought unanimous decision.

2008
Forrest Griffin-Quinton Jackson (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
This was everything you hope a championship fight is, and for five rounds, Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson fought as if more than just the UFC light heavyweight belt was on the line. Filled with knockdowns, tactical stalemates, bone-rattling power shots, submission attempts, and drama, this fight had it all. And though there were rumblings in certain sectors about the decision, the point is that this was a close fight that could have gone either way, and Griffin didn’t have to explain himself for winning, and Jackson didn’t have to hang his head for losing. Both men did the sport proud on this night.

2009
Lyoto Machida-Rashad Evans (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
“Karate’s back,” said Lyoto Machida seconds after taking the UFC light heavyweight title from Rashad Evans, and no one was arguing with him after a technically flawless performance that was capped off by a final sequence that was certainly – to use the Joe Rogan phrase – a ballet of violence. In 19 previous pro bouts, no one had ever seen Evans hurt and taken out like this, but Machida, MMA’s most complex puzzle, did it with his usual cool and precision. It was a master class from the new champion.

2013
Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
On the verge of setting a new light heavyweight record for successful title defenses, Jon “Bones” Jones’ performances in the Octagon made him appear to be unbeatable. But in Sweden’s Alexander Gustafsson, he found a worthy rival. For five rounds at UFC 165 on September 21, 2013, the two battled it out on nearly even terms, with Jones in danger of losing his crown until a late surge allowed him to escape with a decision and his title.

By 2006, The Ultimate Fighter series had already made its mark. A nationally televised place for hot prospects to show their wares and earn a spot on the UFC roster, the first three seasons produced the likes of Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, Joe Stevenson, Michael Bisping and Kendall Grove, and those were just the winners.

Add in several other alumni from the show that were making their mark in the Octagon, plenty of drama from Season Three coaches Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock, and it was clear that the show wasn’t going anywhere.

But now it was up to the brain trust behind the show to keep the momentum going, and it was decided that a “comeback” season was the perfect way to continue building the brand.

Take 16 veterans who had varying levels of success in the UFC and don’t just offer the winner of the ensuing tournament another contract with the promotion, but a world title shot. It was a brilliant plan, but while the shot at the belt was the gold at the end of the rainbow, getting a shot at redemption was even more important.

“When The Ultimate Fighter came along, I was like, ‘Well, maybe I’ve got a couple more years in which I could do some things,’” said Pete Spratt, whose first run in the Octagon saw him go 2-2 while also becoming the first man to beat Robbie Lawler. “And The Ultimate Fighter has given me that opportunity. Probably the best thing I ever could have done for my career was doing the show because if you look at the success of all the guys from the previous seasons, it was pretty much a no brainer. Of course while I was there I hated it, but after the fact, with the exposure and everything else, it was the best thing I could have done.”

It was one thing to have a bunch of hungry up and comers competing for their shot in the big show. To take veterans who had been the top of the sport, guys who in many cases were older and had families, and put them in the same situation where they were removed from the outside world for six weeks, it could have been disastrous. But once the show got underway, it was clear that pulling pranks and getting into other mischief wasn’t the top priority. Not that it didn’t happen, but it wasn’t top on the “to do” list.

And in a competition that included some of the top veteran talent in the middleweight and welterweight divisions, including fighters like Patrick Cote, Travis Lutter, Chris Lytle, Din Thomas, Jorge Rivera and Mikey Burnett, the star was clearly Matt Serra.

That fact came as a shock to Serra at the time, but when you took his sense of humor, friendly rivalry with the first man to beat him – Shonie Carter – and his New York accent, it was no surprise that the rest of the country embraced “The Terror.”

“I never really pictured getting that much airtime, but I’m not complaining at all,” he said before the finale show. “I’ve got two academies and you can’t really buy that kind of exposure, so I’m very happy with it, but at the same time, I didn’t go into the house thinking that, and after filming, everybody’s got the cameras on them so you don’t know how they’re gonna chop it up and edit it. I knew the story with me and Shonie would be interesting, from coaching him – which was wild enough for the guys that knew our history – to fighting him. I knew when it came to that – me avenging my loss – you couldn’t really write a better script.”

It got better. Serra would beat Spratt and Carter to get to the welterweight finals, where Lytle was waiting for him. In the middleweight bracket, Lutter and Cote were set to meet to earn a shot at Anderson Silva, while the winner of Serra-Lytle would get a crack at Georges St-Pierre.

Some would say fighting Silva and GSP was more of a curse for the winners instead of a blessing, but that’s not the way the fighters approached it, and when the dust settled on the finale card on Nov. 11, 2006, it was Serra and Lutter who emerged victorious.

Now all that was left was to see these two Rocky stories play out in the Octagon. Only it didn’t for Lutter, who missed weight for his UFC 67 title fight against Silva and ended up getting submitted in the second round of what turned into a non-title bout.

Two months later, Serra got his shot against St-Pierre in Houston. The New Yorker was a huge underdog and few gave him a shot against the Canadian champion. Serra had other ideas, and at 3:25 of the first round, he became the UFC welterweight champion of the world.

Now that’s a Hollywood ending.

But Serra wasn’t the only one to walk away with a new life in the UFC. Several of the TUF 4 cast members made the most of their second chance, with fighters like Cote, Lytle, Rivera, Charles McCarthy and Rich Clementi going on to compete in high-profile Octagon bouts in the ensuing years.

In the process, it proved the power of the Ultimate Fighter concept, and in April, more than a decade after TUF 4, the show will revisit the comeback theme with a season aptly titled “Redemption” that will have a cast consisting of 16 past competitors. Will they all make it back to the UFC? No. But all any fighter really wants is an opportunity. When they get it, four-ounce gloves and heart can do remarkable things. Just ask Matt Serra.

–    In the flyweight division, first ranked Joseph Benavidez (25-4, fighting out of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA) will look to extend his 6-fight win streak and push towards another title challenge against exciting Australian prospect Ben Nguyen (16-6, fighting out of Brisbane, Australia).

Miami, Florida – UFC GYM® today announced that former Major League Baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez has purchased the UFC GYM franchise located in Kendall and secured developmental rights for additional gyms throughout Miami – Dade County. Rodriguez, a three-time MLB American League MVP, fourteen-time All-Star, 2009 World Series Champion and Chief Executive Officer of A-Rod Corp., will take ownership of the state’s first signature UFC GYM immediately and schedule a re-grand opening celebration at a date to be determined in the future.

“UFC GYM combines my passion for fitness, family and the sport of mixed martial arts,” Rodriguez said. “UFC GYM is an attractive fitness platform that supports the healthy lifestyle that my family and I lead, along with reflecting the core values that all athletes strive for: strength, endurance, confidence, discipline and respect.”

UFC GYM is excited to welcome former MLB superstar @AROD to the family as the owner of Florida’s UFC GYM Kendall. #UFCGYM #ufc #arod pic.twitter.com/BqTEksUK6L

— UFC GYM (@UFCGYM) March 23, 2017

Located at 8851 SW 107 Avenue, at the corner of Kendall Drive and 107 Avenue, this 31,000-square foot facility includes a 24-foot version of the UFC’s world-famous Octagon®, and unlimited access to signature classes such as Daily Ultimate Training® (DUT®), TRX®, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing, mixed martial arts conditioning, women’s self-defense, as well as popular group fitness classes for all members. UFC GYM membership at this location also includes on-site childcare.

“UFC GYM is excited to partner with an esteemed athlete like Alex,” UFC GYM Executive Chairman Mark Mastrov said. “Alex has a longstanding and proven track record as a successful entrepreneur and we look forward to expanding our brands footprint while bringing UFC GYM’s TRAIN DIFFERENT® philosophy to one of the most health-consciously active markets in the country.”

Offering a full-range of functional fitness classes, group and private MMA training, group fitness, personal and group dynamic performance-based training, plus MMA youth programming, UFC GYM creates training programs to fit all ages and fitness levels. UFC GYM programming has been developed through exclusive access to the training regimens of internationally-acclaimed UFC® athletes, providing members with everything they need for the entire family to move, get fit and live a healthy life.

Rodriguez joins a host of other current and former professional athletes that are currently operating UFC GYM franchises in various markets, both domestic and internationally. Those athletes include: UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and UFC featherweight Cub Swanson (Costa Mesa, California), UFC Hall of Famer and featherweight BJ Penn (Honolulu, Waikele and Mililani – Hawaii), former WEC featherweight champion / former UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber (Sacramento, California) and UFC featherweight Frankie Edgar (New Brunswick, New Jersey).

Since debuting in 2009, UFC GYM has opened more than 135 locations throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, Philippines, South America, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. The fitness franchise has continued to grow at a rapid pace with more than 50 locations opening in the past two years and over 50 gyms expected to open in the next year.

In addition to the corporate owned signature clubs, UFC GYM also offers the unique opportunity to own and operate a UFC GYM franchise domestically and internationally. For franchise information, visit UFCGYMFRANCHISING.

For more information, please visit UFC GYM Kendall. For more information about UFC GYM, please visit UFC GYM.com, or follow us on Facebook.com/UFCgym, Twitter or Instagram: @UFCGYM. You can also subscribe on YouTube at UFCGYM.