I think some people are getting a little too worried about a sport they do not understand. Please try and get to know the sport, understand it, do your homework before making such lame blanket statements.

Here’s an article written by Rebecca Kimitch- Staff Writer of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune:

ROSEMEAD – A new fitness gym half owned by the mixed martial arts promoter Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will open off the 10 freeway in three months, over the objections of some city officials.

Though UFC’s claim to fame is popularizing the often bloody combat fighting sport of MMA, the gym will not allow any such fighting, company officials said.

Instead, they said it will provide members a unique fitness workout, attract an audience that may not otherwise exercise and help reduce obesity in the community.

“This is not a fighting gym,” general manager Ryan Junk said.

But that explanation has not appeased councilman Gary Taylor. Taylor worries that the gym will lead to on-site fights and train future fighters in what he calls a “brutal” sport.

“Watching those fights was ridiculous. They would hit somebody in the head, knocking them to the ground, then pounce on them and use both fists to beat their head while they are on the ground. I don’t understand that kind of fighting,” Taylor said at a recent city council meeting on the subject.

As the name suggests, competitors in mixed martial arts face off using a combination of fighting techniques, from muay thai kick-boxing to Brazilian jiu jitsu to wrestling. When UFC first emerged in the early 1990s, it faced serious backlash because of its levels of violence. It has since incorporated stricter rules, allowing it to become more mainstream.

UFC Gym managers

said members will train in MMA techniques, providing them an aerobic and anererobic workout more efficient at burning calories and building strength than other regimens. But they will never fight or spar with other members.
Many of these techniques are already practiced at popular gyms in the area. And other training gyms in Rosemead do allow sparring and fighting.

“We are being held to a different set of standards than other fitness clubs out there,” UFC Gym Senior Vice President Adam Sedlack said. “Is UFC Gym a fight club? Absolutely not… Is UFC Gym a facility for future fighters? No.”

Besides UFC, the other half of the gym is owned by a company started by the founder of 24 Hour Fitness, Mark Mastrov. In January the partnership opened a UFC Gym in Concord. Other gyms are planned throughout the region.

The $4 million Rosemead facility will be located at 8920 Glendon Way, next to the 10 freeway, in the former home of Levitz furniture.

City officials had hoped the high profile location would attract a “restaurant row” or Best Buy, councilman Steven Ly said.

“The combination of development didn’t go the way the city wanted,” he said.

But, despite his concerns, Ly said he could not oppose the project because it was an allowed use on the site.

Taylor attempted to restrict the gym’s operations, but the city council voted 3-1-1 to allow the gym to open as approved by the Planning Commission. Taylor voted no and Mayor Maggie Clark abstained.

“I understand where Gary’s concerns are,” Ly said. “It is a violent sport. It’s a blood thirsty sport and we have a very family-oriented community. That is very concerning. That being said, I do understand where the UFC marketing strategy is. It’s a base they want to use to bring people in…. and they really want this to be family focused. I hope they are able to assuage all our doubts, all Gary’s doubts.”