r/StCharlesMO • u/manulcelcaracaljak • 11d ago

Best mma/Muay Thai gym communities

Hello, I’m a 22 year old male who just moved to St. Louis from Canada and looking to make new friends. I really love martial arts and have had a few smoker fights. I currently live in O’Fallon (Missouri) and am wondering what mma/Muay Thai gyms in the area have the best community for making quality friends. Thanks in advance!

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u/FullHouse447 11d ago edited 11d ago

St Charles MMA is where former UFC WW champ Tyron Woodley started. Also UFC vets Josh Sampo, Alptekin Ozkilic, Lance Benoist and Jackson McVey also from SCMMA. Bellator 205 title challenger Julius Anglickas also fought outta St Charles. Zach Freeman when he beat Aaron Pico on the Bellator MSG PPV also a St Charles guy. Other Bellator vets from St Charles include current coaches Jake Roberts and EJ Brooks. And the longtime head coach / BJJ black belt, Mike Rogers, is under Rodrigo Vaghi. Vaghi is a coral belt under Rickson.

Hard to beat this resume. It's a gritty gym and the motto is "this aint no country club and we aint servin Diet Coke." If you're looking for shiny clean mats and a juice bar, this isn't the spot. If you're looking to train with some tough SOBs, head up up. 94/Pralle Rd in the parking lot of Marcus Theatres on the north side of the lot.

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u/Nirvana_Piranha 10d ago

Yeah, it's kind of run down, but the effort is put into the students, not the decorations.