After a grueling month of tournament play, Roufusport has defeated Cesar Gracie in the finals to claim the crown of America’s Top MMA Gym, as voted on by you, the fans.
Check out the final Top MMA Gyms bracket above to see who Roufusport had to get through to win the title, and to get a full breakdown of all the other fallen contenders.
Gym: Roufusport
Main location: Milwaukee, Wisc.
Founded: 2006
Notable fighters: Anthony Pettis, Pat Barry, Alan Belcher, Erik Koch, Eric Schafer.
Notable coaches: Jeff “Duke” Roufus, Pat Barry, Scott Cushman.
Trending: Roufusport enjoyed its best year ever in 2010 with Pettis, Koch and Downes making strides in WEC. Pat Barry lost a big fight to Mirko Cro Cop, but recently rebounded against Joey Beltran at Fight for the Troops 2. Alan Belcher is expected to make his return to the UFC after a serious eye injury this year. “The Talent” did defeat Patrick Cote at UFC 113.
Notes: Roufus is a four-time pro kickboxing champion … his brother Rick also competed in boxing, kickboxing and MMA … the gym gained a lot of notoriety after Pettis landed the “Showtime Kick” against Ben Henderson at WEC 53, which Pettis learned from Roufus … the gym was also featured on MTV’s “World of Jenks.”
THE ELIMINATED
Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Founded: 1990
Main location: Pleasant Hill, California
Notable fighters: Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, Nate Diaz, Daniel Roberts.
Notable coaches: Cesar Gracie, Caio Terra, Shields, Diaz, Richard Perez, Kirian Fitzgibbons, Dan Black.
Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Year: 1992
Notable fighters: Rashad Evans, Jon Jones, Nate Marquardt, Carlos Condit, Georges St-Pierre.
Notable coaches: Greg Jackson, Mike Winklejohn, Jonathan Chaimberg.
Renzo Gracie Academy
Main Location: New York City
Founded: 1997
Notable fighters: Renzo Gracie, Georges St-Pierre, Frankie Edgar, Ricardo Almeida, Roger Gracie.
Notable coaches: Renzo Gracie, John Danaher, Daniel Gracie, Igor Gracie, Gregor Gracie.
Note: There are three Renzo Gracie Academies and 32 affiliate schools around the world …
American Kickboxing Academy
Main location: San Jose, California
Established: 1986
Notable fighters: Cain Velasquez, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Josh Thomson, Daniel Cormier.
Notable coaches: Javier Mendez, Bob Cook, Dave Camarillo, Ted Lucio.
American Top Team
Main location: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Established: 2003
Notable fighters: Thiago Alves, Thiago Silva, Mike Brown, “JZ” Cavalcante, Jorge Santiago.
Notable coaches: Ricardo Liborio, Howard Davis Jr., Chutiphat Runsgawang, Vitelmo Katel Kubis.
Notes: There are 32 main ATT locations … Davis Jr. won a gold medal in boxing at the 1976 Summer Olympics … Kimbo Slice no longer trains at ATT … the gym was founded by Liborio with Dan Lambert after the Liborio left Brazilian Top Team.
Black House Team Nogueira
Founded: 2005
Main Location: San Diego
Notable fighters: Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, Anderson Silva, Junior dos Santos, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.
Notable coaches: Nogueira brothers, Alexander Palma, Bernard Sfeir, Erin Beach, Vincent Parra.
Grudge Training Center
Founded: 2009
Main location: Wheat Ridge, Co.
Notable fighters: Shane Carwin, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, Brendan Schaub, Duane “Bang” Ludwig.
Notable coaches: Trevor Wittman, Mike Van Arsdale, Alvin Robinson.
Nova Uniao
Main location: Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Founded: 1995
Notable fighters: Jose Aldo, Marlon Sandro, Renan Barao, Vitor Ribeiro, Wagnney Fabiano.
Notable coaches: Andre Pederneiras, Wendell Alexander, Leonardo Santos, Rodrigo “Feijao,” Andre Marola.
Team Quest
Founded: 2000
Main location: Portland, Ore.
Notable fighters: Dan Henderson, Matt Lindland, Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen, Krzysztof Soszynski.
Notable coaches: Lindland, Henderson, Robert Follis, Heath Sims.
Notes: There are currently six locations in Oregon and California … Couture is no longer a Team Quest member … … Lindland won a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics.




